Lost in Complexity, Found in Diversity: A Summary Look at the Social Geography of a Mediterranean City

The present work formulates a descriptive framework looking at the most evident socio-demographic dynamic characteristics of contemporary Mediterranean cities. It has been taken as a paradigmatic case of (changing) social geography of interest to analyse other regions with similar territorial features. An interpretation of social geography in Southern European cities is proposed according to local governance and economic structures, in the view to contain spatial disparities between urban and rural areas. Given the persistence of a deep crisis that affects the economy, institutions and social classes, a unifying interpretation of the development of different forms of expanding cities is reviewed and extensively discussed, introducing the specific case of Athens, Greece. This contribution concludes with a debate of development trajectories of future Mediterranean cities, outlining similarities and differences in the short term.