Athens is the second hottest place in Europe. The city is full of concrete buildings and is surrounded by mountains that do not let the heat escape from the city. This is also aggravated by the heavy traffic that causes smog and air pollution. Scientists fear that with climate change the city will only get hotter.

The municipality has therefore started with a range of measures to combat rising temperatures and air pollution. One of the taken measures is the development of various pocket parks in the city. These mini parks (the largest being 750 square metres) for public use around urban areas are relatively inexpensive and easy to develop.

Pocket parks seem to be an ideal solution as the city has a lack of free public spaces (densely built), and at the same time is dealing with abandonment of existing open spaces. These abandoned sites have turned into rubbish dumps and are magnets for criminals.

These parks therefore have an environmental as well as a social contribution as they help tackle several urban problems such as increasing city temperatures, air pollution, isolation of inhabitants and crime.

The first three pocket parks in Athens were created in 2020/2021 in the districts of Kypseli, Kolonos and Pangrati. These are densely populated areas with a lack of open green spaces. The city now has 9 pocket parks and has also regenerated existing parks and green spaces, such as the Fix park. The year-round green pocket parks were designed with sustainability in mind, using eco-friendly concrete in the pavement and footways, recycled wood benches, and solar lighting.

Sources:

• Greek News Agenda

• Vanaf Hier

• Furnitubes