Athens acquired the 9th pocket park: How the garbage dump became a green space – Before and after

The neighborhoods of Athens are gradually gaining more color, life and “breaths” of green. The Municipality of Athens, through the program “Adopt your city” and with the valuable contribution of P&G, delivers to the inhabitants of Neos Kosmos the 9th pocket park, upgrading another part of the city, for the benefit of the neighborhood.

With the care of the Land Organization, an unused plot of 200 sq.m. at the junction of Artemonos and Aetionos streets, it was transformed into a beautiful park, which residents and visitors of the area can now enjoy all hours of the day.

Indicative of the importance of the project, is that this small “lung” of green is coming to replace an abandoned area that until recently functioned as a point of illegal dumping of garbage and parking of vehicles. Today, the space has been completely renovated, creating a park with a bright “corridor”, which connects Artemonos Street with the pedestrian street of Polykleous.

“The 9th pocket park is the dynamic continuation of a very important project started by the Municipality of Athens to give color and quality of life to the neighborhoods of the city. Our allies are the private companies that want to contribute to our effort to free up space and fill the city with greenery. We thank P&G and Earth Organization, who contributed to the creation of this new park in Neos Kosmos, offering another beautiful spot in Athens. “Our neighborhoods continue to change little by little, every day”, points out in a statement the Mayor of Athens, Costas Bakogiannis.

The new park

Based on the topography of the plot, the new park was created on two levels and four benches were placed on them. In total, 140 sq.m. were planted, creating a verdant environment dominated by 468 medium and low shade-loving shrubs. The trees that existed in the area -mainly eucalyptus, evergreens and locusts- were preserved and after the appropriate treatment, were strengthened with new plantings. Characteristic elements are their resistance to shade, urban pollution, mechanical but also water stress.

The new park can now attract the residents of the neighborhood, while it is an ideal place for the implementation of environmental experiential educational programs with the participation of students from schools in the area.

An ongoing project

Through the “Adopt your city” program, Athens continues to acquire small “breaths” of greenery and coolness in the standards of a modern, sustainable city. It is recalled that the previous eight pocket parks were created in Kypseli, Kolonos, Pagrati, Kerameikos, Sepolia, Agios Artemios (Gouva), Petralona and Patisia.