Athens is turning old airport into Europe’s second-largest city park
Athens is transforming a former airport into Ellinikon Park, which is set to become Europe's largest coastal urban park. The project utilizes advanced climate-resilient design, including 'cool routes' and extensive vegetation, to mitigate urban heat and improve environmental sustainability.
Why it matters
It serves as a global case study for urban planning and climate adaptation in densely populated, heat-prone cities.
A former airport in Athens is now the site of one of the continent's most ambitious urban greening projects. Called the Ellinikon Park, the planned project will not only add an unforgettable attraction to the city but also provide a shaded refuge for residents of the continent's hottest city. The park will stretch over 400 acres along the sea in a southern suburb of Athens and will be the second-largest city park and largest coastal urban park in Europe, as per a report by Euronews. A sustainable initiativeThe park is the subject of a guide to designing and operating sustainable green spaces, authored by landscape architect Dimitra Theochari and UNEP Global Chief Heat Officer Lenio Myrivili, who also acts as a Special Advisor for Climate Resilience. It is also directly connected to a two-kilometre seafront.Planners have aimed to keep the place moist, green and cool from the very foundation.
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