Client: Adrienne Arsht Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center at the Atlantic Council

Duration: 07.03.2022 – 31.12.2022

Budget: €53,150

Tackling the climate and biodiversity loss crisis as well as mitigating the effects of heatwaves in cities is a major concern of our societies. It requires a fundamental change in urban planning and construction design from working against nature to working with nature. While heat and drought are becoming more intense during the summertime, floods are becoming an increasingly devastating issue in rainy seasons. For a transition to a sustainable, environmentally friendly city that provides the inhabitants with a comfortable climate and save water supply and drainage, it is essential to apply nature-based solutions that can address multiple climate-related challenges at once.

This project aims to support the design of the Hadrian aqueduct and its environments with focus on open spaces in Athens Metropolitan Area which are most exposed and vulnerable to extreme heat. The goal of the project is to compile a guideline for the creation of sustainable parks and public spaces which are fit for the ongoing and accelerating climate and biodiversity crisis which lead to challenges around heat mitigation, flood prevention, water scarcity, habitat biodiversity, food production as well as human wellbeing and the creation of liveable spaces in our growing urban areas in general. It shall consider the integrated territorial investment plan of the Attica region, the heat mitigation strategy and climate adaption plan of Athens municipality, and the national action plan on circular economy with extensive research and a presentation of possible nature-based solutions considering three different water availability scenarios.

For this purpose, the project will provide an overview of existing technologies and measures on a European and global level to offer applicable and target-oriented solutions based on existing experiences. These solutions will be grouped around water, materials, and green elements, and be chosen based on worldwide experiences, striving for synergies with other implemented and planned measures, to build on and amplify them.

The project results include:

• Guideline for park masterplans and further implementation
• Future-proof plant list according to water availability
• Guideline for solutions addressing specific environmental issues (e.g., heat island effect, flooding, lack of water, etc.)
• Design concepts for a selected area in the Hadrian Aqueduct Cooling District