Athens

Putting citizens at the centre of Athens’s climate action

The City of Athens, a member of the C40 Cities, the Covenant of Mayors Europe, and engaged in the Cities Race to Zero and the EU Mission NetZero Cities, is coping with extreme temperatures and drought.

The City has undertaken numerous adaptation actions, starting with the construction of green roofs and walls in schools and municipal gardens, covering a surface of 6475 m2, to absorb sunlight, reduce heat, buffer rainwater, and purify the air.

Trees in cities are essential for absorbing CO2 and releasing oxygen. They help cool cities by providing shade and reducing the risk of flooding by retaining water. Athens knows this, which is why the municipality plants around 600 trees every year. However, during periods of extreme heat, the city loses between 10 and 40 per cent of newly planted trees. It is therefore crucial to water trees regularly. Newly planted trees in particular need to be watered three to four times a week in order to survive the summer.

For these reasons, Athens came up with an innovative idea that puts citizens at the centre of action: save trees through public commitment. Through the 'Adopt a Tree' project on 'Novoville' (the app that aims to make government policies citizen-centric by connecting local authorities to citizens), around 300 newly planted trees are given for adoption every year.

This project started as a pilot in 2019 winning the city a gold award for its action against climate change in the prestigious Best City Awards in 2021 for engaging Athenian citizens to help the municipality take care of trees while contributing to a healthier environment.

To adopt a tree, citizens will need to download the free Novoville mobile app and tap the ‘Adopt a Tree’ button on the home screen. They can use the map function to see trees nearby, learn characteristics and select the tree to adopt. Citizens will communicate with the municipality every time the tree has been watered by tapping on ‘I watered my tree!’ and they will also get a reminder when the tree needs to be watered again.

Each citizen can adopt up to three trees, and the number of people who can adopt one tree is up to three as well, this ensures that trees are well cared for by inhabitants.

Trees have been used throughout the city to transform streets into green avenues for pedestrians that connect areas of the city and, at the same time, to create low-traffic zones that discourage the use of vehicles within the city. Athens resilient city project, supported by the Natural Capital Finance Facility (NCFF) - a financial instrument set up by the European Investment Bank (EIB) - contributed to the planning of further green corridors with an emphasis on green and blue infrastructure and nature-based solutions, and the aim of increasing biodiversity, improving rainwater retention and reducing heat island intensity. The municipality intends to use its know-how and experience to expand these corridors throughout the city, turning it into a 'walkable city in 15 minutes', where citizens will be able to access green spaces in 15 minutes on foot via green routes.

With the 'Adopt Your City' project, financed largely by donations from the private sector, Athens aims to create 15 pocket parks by 2024. The pocket park at the intersection of Elanikou and Polemonos streets, a 750 m2 area that was abandoned and full of construction waste, was transformed into a pocket park, creating a green space for inhabitants. Approximately 1,150 plant species were planted to enhance biodiversity. Materials were reused during construction. Special attention was given to the water permeability in the park. Greening small open areas to create pocket parks in densely populated areas in Athens is a key priority for the municipality to improve the quality of life for its residents.