Traces on the palimpsest: Heritage and the urban forms of Athens and Alexandria

This paper compares four layers of the urban form of Athens in Greece and Alexandria in Egypt and uses the palimpsest analogy and a methodology that combines town plan analysis and GIS to investigate the interactions between the symbolic significance of heritage, urban form, and the distinctive spirit of place. The analyses reveal that the spirit of place remains constant as the urban form is reshaped. They also reveal that reinterpretations of the symbolic significance of tangible and intangible heritage, combined with innovative designs and urban rituals, transform the emerging urban form into a contemporary cosmic one.