Walking in Athens is a risk. The walking man has to balance on very small sidewalks, manage not to trip over the broken slabs and avoid unexpected obstacles. If it is indeed a parent with a child, disabled or elderly, then walking often becomes a survival exercise in difficult conditions… And yet, in order to be sustainable and functional, the cities of the future must reinvent walking, in combination with public transport and the means of micromobility (bicycles, skates, etc.); At an international level, there is talk of the 15-minute city, where the needs of residents are met in short distances. In this way, cities can once again become welcoming, pollution-free and energy-climate neutral. Can Athens move in this direction and how? A great work came to answer this very difficult question, the Walkable Athens, prepared with the contribution of dozens of researchers and scientific collaborators of the NTUA’s Sustainable Mobility Unit, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students. The study was delivered to the Municipality of Athens in March 2024.
The advantages
“Despite the very difficult conditions, Athens also has positive elements that could help the development of walking. There is proximity to many functions, such as for example schools, supermarkets. There is the mix of land uses. It should be noted that the residents of the Municipality of Athens walk more than those of other municipalities in the basin”, says Dr. Alexandros Bartzokas-Tsiobras, urban planner and general coordinator of the Walkable project. “However, there is no urban infrastructure quality”, he adds. The condition of the sidewalks is revealing: At least 75% of them are smaller than the urban regulations (minimum width 2.1 meters). 40% of sidewalks are less than one meter, in 5% of cases there is no sidewalk at all, while 57% of the total is in poor condition.
The researchers recorded all the streets of Athens and submitted a structured strategic proposal for the development of walking until 2030. “A key aspect is the 50% increase of pedestrian streets in the commercial-historic center, combined with the development of the tram in these points”, the scientific manager of the Walkable project notes to “K”. Athanasios Vlastosemeritus professor of NTUA.
The researchers propose the creation of three cultural routes, with a total length of 36 km, each with the possibility of different options. The first one connects two important sites of antiquity, Plato’s Academy and Aristotle’s Lyceum, and has priority. The second one connects the Archaeological Museum with the Acropolis Museum and finally the Museum of Contemporary Art. The third route has as its southern end the Cultural Center “Niarchos” and ends at the Concert Hall, meeting in between the House of Letters and Arts, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Goulandris Museum, the Conservatory, the Byzantine Museum, the National Gallery. “It is important to have informative signage along the route. Visitors come to Athens and expect to see History, just as residents want to learn about their city. Unfortunately, there is no such information on the streets”, underlines Mr. Vlastos.
A second proposal concerns the formation of 17 green routes and green avenues with a total length of 76.5 km, with an increase in trees by 50%. The goal – and this is important – is to have green streets in all apartments. “We are talking about routes with more greenery, quietness, more comfortable sidewalks. The goal is for every resident to find such a route every 500 meters”, adds the emeritus professor of NTUA.
Walkable researchers look at the city as a whole, as so far any interventions are exhausted in the center and linked to tourism. “Many times we make the shop window, but we hide the social inequalities. For example, in the 4th district, in Kolonos, Sepolia, etc., the situation is much worse. 75% of the sidewalks are in bad condition, while in general they are so narrow that you can’t even go to the public transport stops”, explains Mr. Bartzokas-Tsiobras.
What can be done in the neighborhoods? “First, we need to widen and fix the sidewalks. Is there room? If on a street we have parking on both sides, let’s “eat” one”, emphasizes the coordinator of Walkable.
“The capital also has positive elements. There is proximity to many functions such as schools and supermarkets. There is the mix of land uses. However, there is no urban infrastructure quality.”
“When the sidewalks are narrow or have obstacles on them, pedestrians have no choice but to walk in the middle of the road. Since cars and ducks take to the sidewalks and the state fails to stop them, pedestrians will take to the street. It happens very often on the streets of the Municipality of Athens. The state’s obligation is at least to reduce the speed limit to 30 or 20 km/h. In European cities, the number of roads with these limits is increasing spectacularly”, points out Mr. Vlastos.
The study aims to increase by 50% the number of one-lane roads without parking, and to double the number of roads with a speed limit of up to 30 km. According to the record, at least 50% of the roads in Athens could be light traffic roads. In this way, traffic collisions with victims of pedestrians or cyclists will also be reduced; the goal is set for a 50% reduction. It should be noted that Athens has one of the highest rates of fatal traffic accidents in Europe.
“We must once again give the possibility to all residents of Athens to walk and go to their destination or to the public transport stop. At the same time, with these measures, we are re-creating neighborhoods and social relations. That’s why it’s important to keep the multiple uses, the small shops in the neighborhood”, notes Mr. Vlastos.
In this direction, the Walkable team proposes a “bouquet” of interventions, drawn from international experience. “By removing a parking space every 3-4 spaces and planting a tree there, we give a shadow space to the pedestrian, widening the sidewalk. There is also the option for the so-called parklets, the “pocket parks”, which attract people and provide an opportunity for rest and communication with the neighbor, by widening the sidewalk or by removing a parking space or two.”
A particular proposal concerns the establishment of light traffic roads up to 20-30 km in a radius of 250 meters around secondary schools in the Municipality of Athens, so that children can walk safely. Those parents who used to drive their children to school will be encouraged with informative signage to drop off the children at the perimeter, since the conditions for walking to school will now be safer. With the implementation of this attractive proposal, a large area of the area of the Municipality of Athens will be converted into a light traffic area.
The proposals also include playing streets, something that is already done in European cities and reminds of the streets of decades past, when children used to play there. “We propose in seven places, as a pilot, to close the road for two to three hours, two days a week, for the children to play. Apart from the space we gain, it is very important for the children, who think that it could be otherwise”, says Mr. Vlastos.
Restriction of use of I.X.
An obstacle to all these proposals is the issue of car parking. “There are no magic solutions. In fact, it is necessary to limit the use of I.X. People need to walk, it’s also a matter of public health. It’s a side we don’t bring up in the conversation, but it’s important. Furthermore, many residents have their car parked for the longest time and pay dearly for it. Why;” underlines Mr. Bartzokas-Tsiobras.
Transportation needs can be met, according to the city planner, by a combination of walking, using micromobility and public transportation. “We must also move to the logic of sharing. Let’s use shared skates, bikes, cars,” he says. Do these things happen in Athens? “Things can change, we’ve seen so many cities change,” replies Mr. Bartzokas-Tsiobras. “The point is to love the city again. What is valuable is the resident’s relationship with the city, with its people, with its history and identity”, concludes Mr. Vlastos.
Targets by 2030 (compared to 2023)
Increase by 50% pedestrian streets in the commercial-historical center.
50% increase in one-lane streets without duplicate parking.
Reduction by 50% of victims from traffic accidents, doubling of roads with a speed of up to 30 km.
Doubling of multi-storey garages per 10,000 inhabitants.
Activation of three cultural routes with a total length of 36 km.
Construction of seventeen green routes and green avenues with a total length of 76.5 km in all the apartments – increase of trees by 50%.
Designation of three and six regeneration zones with an emphasis on walking for fun
and walking for shopping respectively.
Placement of specialized functions and new equipment: 19 street parklets, 19 dog parks, 34 athletic fields, 6 running tracks in the city, 37 metal controlled bike parking spots (bike hangars), 7 play streets, etc.