THE IMPACT OF MULTIPLEXES IN URBAN DEVELOPMENT: THE CASE OF STER (EX-EUROPLEX) CINEMA IN LARISSA Alex Deffner Assistant Professor of Urban and Leisure Planning Department of Planning and Regional Development University of Thessaly, Pedion Areos, Volos 383 34, Greece E-mail address: adeffner@prd.uth.gr Fax numbers: +3024210-74399 & +30210-32540888 Christos Liouris PhD Candidate Department of Planning and Regional Development University of Thessaly, Pedion Areos, Volos 383 34, Greece E-mail address: chr_liouris@yahoo.com Fax number: +3024210-74399 Abstract Cinema-going is one the most popular out-of-home cultural activities, affecting a series of social, economic and cultural phenomena in modern societies. This paper aims to specify the impact of the new type of cultural places (e.g. multiplexes) on their neighboring cities. Ster (ex-Europlex) cinema in the city of Larissa, Greece, is used as a case study. In the beginning, the emergence and, subsequently, the growth of multiplexes across Europe are examined. Then, the consequences of this phenomenon regarding the cinema industry and, mainly, urban planning, are studied. The paper continues with a brief review of Greek cinema history, starting from the appearance of the first cinema in Athens to the spread of multiplexes in several Greek cities. There is reference to the future of multiplexes in Greece, as well as to the new and programmed investments. The Ster (ex-Europlex) multiplex in Larissa is presented in detail. The methodology that is used to study the impacts that the multiplex had on the urban development of Larissa was based on a questionnaire survey conducted in the visitors of the multiplex. 102 questionnaires were completed in four different days and different hours in the summer of 2003 and were processed using SPSS. The main variables are the following: sex, age, educational level, occupation, marital status, residential area, means of transport to the multiplex, duration of transport, frequency of visit, main and most frequent places of visit at the ‘commercial centre’ of the surrounding area (which includes, apart from the multiplex, a supermarket, restaurants, bowling room, cafes etc.), average money spent per visit, number of persons per visit, criteria according to which visitors prefer the multiplex, compared to other cinemas in the city etc. Some of these variables are cross-examined in order to draw conclusions about visitor’s habits, in relation to many of the aforementioned variables.