Back to square one?

Could Omonia reclaim its status as the heart of Athens? But the heart of which Athens? Of the real Athens? Of the imaginary Athens? Or of the desirable Athens? Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis, who has been credited with the effort to revamp Omonia Square (in partnership with the private sector), had every reason to be satisfied with Thursday's rehearsal, as it were.
"Let us love [this square] all over again," he said in a message posted on social media. He also posted a video of the spectacular colorful fountain at the center of the square.

Past experience suggests that the word "revamp" tends to trigger a reflex of fear for the worse among Athenians rather than hope for the better. Omonia Square has suffered in a variety of many different ways. In the early 1990s, the fountain was removed due to construction work for the Athens metro. A revamp on the occasion of the 2004...