PEOPLE STREAMS
Gustavo Duque 
Raul Moura 
Julie Psallida
Though having an enormous potential, the area appears unattractive, not capable of retaining the large flow of pedestrians that gather to use the underground station. Furthermore, the conditions are trading stable residents for unhealthy activities and there are no interests that can call for a community action. 

In order to highlight and reactivate the importance of Victoria Square as a focal point, our proposal is mainly concerned with the element that keeps the closest relation to the public life, and that many times appears underestimated by Atheneans; the floor surface. 

Although the size of the square is adequate, its layout leads to inefficient use of public space. The problem increases in summer. We believe that bringing new life and activity to this focal point will affect gradually the whole neighborhood as the waves from a stone thrown into a pond would reach the shore. 

The main targets of the proposed intervention are: 

> Transform the square into a new activity focus, reactivating cultural, social and economical interests. 

> Retain people in the square, create a new urban meeting spot. 

> Allow clear pedestrian paths that can be followed easily and naturally as water streams do. 

> Achieve metropolitan recognition with a new identity and guarantee its connections in the urban tissue. 

The intervention can be condensed in the following points: 

1 Include both of the East-West oriented streets in a new square layout increasing the esplanade areas on the North and South Facades. 

2 Redesign the layout of the square and surroundings, making an unobstructed surface for pedestrians and providing visual continuity at this level. 

3 Create a false floor slab over moving water, for the benefit of environmental conditions to cool the air in summer. 

4 A lower level in the square allows to focus the attention and generates a new cultural activity source. 

5 Maintain the actual permeable / impermeable surface ratio and include new urban accessories as an integral part of the new floor surface. 

6 Reduce the asphalt pavement to the effective vehicular traffic and give priority to pedestrians crossing both 3rd of September and Aristoteles avenues. 

7 Replace parking spaces around the square with underground spaces beneath the West half of the square. 

Improving the public space conditions is the first step that can trigger later on an improvement starting from the inside.