Do Floods Attack Cities or Cities Invade Flood Plains? Case Study: Athens, Greece

During the last century, the increase of global population forced societies to rapid urbanization. However, in most cases, the growth of cities had ignored the collective knowledge that brought the “spirit of the place” (Latin: genius loci). Among other contributions, this knowledge prevented people from building infrastructures within riverbeds and floodplains, as it contained the experience from historical (and sometimes mythical) flood-events and disasters. Exploring the historical evolution of urban sprawl in flood- prone areas, we focus on the case study of Athens in Attica, Greece. Through the assessment of urbanization trends, it is evident that cities have expanded aggressively into floodplains, which were historically avoided due to collective local knowledge about flood risks. As cities continue to grow within these areas, the frequency and severity of flooding events increase, highlighting the fact that urban expansion may be proven a more significant contributor to flood risk than natural flood events.