Athens

Athens’ Resilience Journey

Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world, having been continuously inhabited for over 3,000 years. Many consider it the cradle of western civilization.

But recent economic challenges across Greece, including austerity measures that drove cuts to social services, have led to high unemployment in Athens, averaging over 50% unemployment among young people.

The city has made significant efforts to expand welfare services and provide citizens with critical relief – food, shelter, childcare, and healthcare services – but this has strained city resources, especially those needed to shore up aging building stock and infrastructure. Over 30% of buildings in the city were constructed before the first building code for earthquake protection, a serious vulnerability in a country with the sixth highest seismic activity level in the world.

Athens also faces risks from ongoing environmental pressures. In recent years, heatwaves have increased in intensity and frequency, straining healthcare, emergency response services, and the electrical grid. In response, the city will undertake a large urban regeneration plan, which will provide long-term risk management for climate shocks.

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News and Resources

Speaker Series 2023 #5 | Post-Disaster Resilience and Recovery

Speaker Series 2023 #5 | Post-Disaster Resilience and Recovery

Cities are facing more and more severe weather events in recent years exacerbating the urgent need to better prepare themselves to withstand the adverse impact of disasters which can enable an ...
How Milan is winning the fight against food waste

How Milan is winning the fight against food waste

In a mere 9-year period, the city of Milan has transformed the way its residents manage and separate its waste. It was part of a thorough and well-executed plan by the city to analyse its food ...
The Paris urban agriculture agenda – Parisculteurs

The Paris urban agriculture agenda – Parisculteurs

In 2016, the City of Paris created the Parisculteurs program to facilitate and accelerate the installation of agricultural projects in Paris. The idea is to find sites - rooftops, walls, parking ...

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