Thessaloniki: ‘Windows of opportunity’
The new mayor of Thessaloniki, Stelios Angeloudis, has quietly started his term without fanfare or grand declarations. So far, he has skillfully avoided the common but misguided approach of dismantling the work of his predecessor – an easy trap for those lacking a clear plan and vision. Although it’s still early and there haven’t been any standout achievements yet, the feedback on his performance has been overwhelmingly positive. Angeloudis is working to bring order to the city’s services – a challenge that Yiannis Boutaris once described as the most difficult task – and Thessaloniki, as most people would admit, has already seen a noticeable improvement in cleanliness.
Yet, for a city like Thessaloniki, organizing services and cleaning the streets, while essential, are not enough on their own. The city needs to regain its outward focus. The ongoing transformations in the region demand it, as these shifts are already leaving their mark on the city’s social, economic, cultural and demographic landscape.
The city’s leadership, particularly the municipal administration, is now tasked with managing this new reality while envisioning and creating the conditions for the Thessaloniki of the future. To achieve this, it’s vital that the city doesn’t retreat into itself – a tendency that has prevailed in recent years.
Two recent initiatives by Angeloudis suggest that he views the role of mayor as far more than just the city’s “caretaker” and street cleaner. As announced in September, he plans to visit Istanbul to meet with his counterpart, Ekrem Imamoglu, to “initiate efforts to expand the city’s connections with Southeastern European countries.” Angeloudis appears determined to pick up where Boutaris left off in the realm of “city diplomacy.”
Boutaris opened windows to the world for Thessaloniki, placing it on the global map. However, after his departure, these windows began to close one by one. Now is the time to allow the breeze of cosmopolitanism to flow back into the city.
In another outward-looking move, the mayor suggested to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, during his recent visit to the city ahead of the International Trade Fair, that Thessaloniki bid to host the Mediterranean Games in 2034. If successful, this major multi-sport event would spotlight Thessaloniki on the international stage, offering the city the chance to “weigh and measure” its capabilities.
