Athens is looking to green space for healthier air and cooler temperatures

Athens has a significant shortage of green spaces. Photo: AFP

The city of Athens is encouraging the creation of small green spaces in place of old, abandoned or neglected lots. These small parks help to bring more greenery to the city, which is choked by vehicle pollution, while having a cooling effect.

It's not always easy to bring green space to a metropolis as dense as Athens, a city lacking in greenery and with a growing population, bringing with it a stream of new buildings.

Yet this is the challenge that the Greek capital is addressing with the development of "pocket parks". These small areas of greenery are scattered throughout the city with the aim of giving residents green space to enjoy, as well as shade.

Since the launch of this initiative in 2020, "pocket parks" have multiplied, and nine of these small green spaces have now been created.

They are small, specially landscaped areas in previously derelict locations. These former wastelands have given way to parks or pathways featuring lawns, trees and public benches. They vary in size, with the largest boasting a surface area of 750sq m.

In addition, they offer an oasis of cool amid the heat of the city. The aim of creating these new spaces for leisure and relaxation is to lower the temperature in certain districts, and provide shade for Athens residents during its increasingly frequent heatwaves.

Note that these small green spaces are not only designed to combat air pollution, they are also helping, in their own way, to combat crime in some of the city's poorest neighbourhoods.

This initiative forms part of a broader programme called "Adopt Your City", which allows anyone to adopt a street, a tree, a park, a square, a playground, a sports facility or even a neighbourhood. Individuals, associations or companies wishing to adopt in turn contribute to urban renovations.

Today, the city is choked by greenhouse gases from road traffic throughout the conurbation (which has a total population of almost four million).

That's why the city also wants to continue closing certain roads to cars, while increasing the number of bicycle and pedestrian paths, as in many other major European cities. – AFP Relaxnews