Panepistimiou Street

Panepistimiou Street (Greek: Οδός Πανεπιστημίου, "University Street", named after the University of Athens, the central building of which is on the upper corner) is a major street in Athens that has run one way for non-transit vehicles since 2002 from Vasilissis Amalias Avenue, Syntagma Square and Vassilissis Sofias Avenue to Omonoia Square in which is now a pedestrian crossing and before an intersection.

The street was formally renamed as Eleftherios Venizelos Avenue in 1945[1] (after the famous Prime Minister) but is still usually known by its historical name.

Old neoclassical buildings of no higher than two to three stories used to exist until the 1950s, when a construction spree, which lasted several decades, demolished all but a few of them.

Plans are being made for transforming the street into a pedestrian zone, a place more cultural, cosmopolitan and leisure-related.

Furthermore, there are fears that this will create a "dead zone" in Panepistimou, which, as it is a long, wide road that people make a conscious decision to go to and not a square that people naturally congregate at, will only attract low-level "leisure activities" (cafes, bars) but will lead to the decline of all other activities that might be expected in a modern European capital city (retail, services, offices, presence of companies of various kinds, finance, hotels, cinemas, theatres).