Today’s Solutions: February 17, 2025

Adding greenery to urban areas can do wonders for the liveability of a city. On top of providing shade and a cooling effect, trees, and shrubs also remove pollution from the air.

That’s why Greece’s capital, Athens, has embarked on a mission to green up the city by creating “pocket parks” out of unused plots formerly ridden with garbage and weeds. The new initiative is a bid to tackle urban heat stress and chronic pollution.

“It’s about creating green spaces, lowering the temperatures, giving quality of life, and creating new reference points inside the city,” said Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis.

After World War Two ended, the city experienced a mass migration from rural areas which fuelled uncontrolled urban development. As the population boomed, so did the number of cars on its streets, leading to dangerous levels of air pollution. This happened in a city where temperatures can exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) during a hot summer.

“Trees were cut down, houses were built, residential areas were created, but at the same time, traffic congestion problems increased,” said Christos Zerefos, a climate change researcher based in Athens.

In an effort to curb air pollution from vehicles — which are responsible for 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions — the city is now closing traffic lanes and transforming them into bicycle paths, pedestrian walks, and small areas of greenery. It is also renovating fountains which can lower temperatures and improve air quality,

The new pocket parks contribute to this plan by offering a breath of fresh air and green space for residents to enjoy.

According to Bakoyannis, the coronavirus lockdowns have served as a window of opportunity to rethink city planning and the role of cars. “The time of cars has passed. Now the challenge is to find a new balance,” he said.

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

AI-powered blood test shows promise in early breast cancer detection

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Early detection of breast cancer dramatically increases survival rates, but identifying the disease in its earliest stages remains ...

Read More

Mastering workplace conflict: how to handle tense conversations with confidence

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Workplace conflict is inevitable, but it does not have to be destructive. Whether you are gearing up for ...

Read More

Keep urinary tract infections away by eating more of these 6 foods

Of all the infections out there, there are only a few as irritating as a urinary tract infection (UTI). These infections are painful, disruptive, ...

Read More

There’s a better tool for reheating leftovers than the microwave

More people are eating at home than ever, which means more people are probably finding themselves reheating their leftovers from the night before.  The Washington ...

Read More