Athens resists as investors swoop on the city’s ‘neighbourhood of the gods’

The district of Plaka dates to neolithic times but a new wave of development is luring more tourists - and local people are fighting back

In a neoclassical building in Athens on the oldest street of one of the oldest neighbourhoods in the western world, residents gathered last week with much on the minds.

Items on the agenda included noise pollution, congestion and other modern afflictions, but there was one that was met with instant relief: Haris Doukas, the city's mayor, had decided to set up a taskforce to save Plaka, the ancient quarter at the heart of the capital's historic centre.