A work of architecture. The rise of Thessaloniki from Selanik's ashes

Building on Lavedan's idea of city reconstruction as a "work of architecture", this contribution focuses on the destruction of Ottoman Selanik with the fire of 1917 and its reconstruction as Greek Thessaloniki. This experience, involving French planner Ernest Hébrard, suggests a critical thinking not only about city reconstruction, but also about the life of cities, in a constant tension between the original foundation scheme and the slower consolidation of the urban fabric: a constant tension between intrinsic values and socially recognised significance.