Athens is getting greener!

The City of Athens has embarked on a multi-year project to become better caretakers of the city’s green areas and sustain its “urban lungs”.  Planners are designing new pocket parks and will increase spending on trees. The city has asked citizens to help ensure newly planted trees can survive the hot summer through a new “adopt a tree” program.

Athen´s development department also plans to spark the economic revitalization of the city center. They will accomplish this by renovating sidewalks and squares throughout, improving pedestrian accessibility, and adding a network of bike paths that will extend across the Athens Basin within a few years. Furthermore, the city is restoring focus to natural areas and places of cultural importance. It seeks to nurture a local entrepreneurial spirit and promote a creative and youthful culture, while simultaneously promoting sustainability.

The Grand Walk

A huge environmental project named The Grand Walk will create 6.8 kilometres of cycling and walking paths in the centre of the city. These dedicated routes will connect to all parts of the capital. They will allow residents and visitors to get to work, go shopping, and explore neighbourhoods while reducing the impact of car traffic. At a recent town hall the Mayor declared that “By 2022, we expect the Grand Walk to transform more than 50,000 square meters of public space.”

The new mobility mix will also include dedicated bus priority lanes, tram, and metro line extensions. Lastly, there will be a wide rollout of green infrastructure to help overcome issues of extreme heat and pollution. This is the start of a new urban strategy. All of these new developments will enable Athens to face the global challenges we encounter daily, such as climate change and pollution.

Athens has also been working on the restoration of the main green areas in the city center, notably Mount Lycabettus and the National Gardens. The city will also intensify its efforts to clean and disinfect streets, sidewalks, and public spaces. We increased our budget for sidewalk reconstruction by 166% and are focusing on making pedestrian corridors more accessible. We’re repairing playground equipment and removing graffiti throughout the city so that residents can enjoy our parks and public spaces all while using “cool materials” designed to prevent heat retention.

Athens is getting ready for a greener future! Learn more about Greece here.