CASE STUDY 1
Greening the Athens metropolitan area
Location
The Athens Metropolitan Area in Greece.
Key Facts
Athens Metropolitan Area (AMA) has 40 municipalities, 35 of which are referred to as Greater Athens municipalities and more than 40% of the national GDP is produced therein. AMA has a strategic focus to enhance green infrastructure and support urban biodiversity, in order to best shield itself from, adapt to, and build resilience to Climate Change challenges (as extreme heat and flash floods).
Actions
ARSINOE will focus on addressing the Climate Change impact on urban biodiversity and public well-being by assessing the effect of Nature Based Solutions (NBSs) in alleviating the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect in the area. The adaptation options will be evaluated with multi-criteria analysis, assessing effectiveness, contribution to climate change adaptation, technical and economic viability and public acceptance. Public awareness and active participation will be enhanced by adopting three means: citizen science, youth assemblies to simulate local Green Deal processes and curation of green practices, and innovation and science into educational curricula.
Expected impacts
ARSINOE aims at providing Athens with the foundation of a public consensus towards climate resilience, targeting the key community systems of the environment, biodiversity, clean energy, primarily, and transportation secondarily. The project is fully aligned to the targets of the Athens Resilience Strategy for 2030, facilitating a resilient Athens providing for citizen proximity to nature that will enable withstanding climate change and consequent environmental challenges. Integrating natural systems into the urban fabric, making the city cleaner, promoting sustainable mobility and co-creating public spaces are key components of the Athens Resilience Strategy.
