OT FORUM 2 – Athens Mayor: The Grand Promenade will be ready in 2023

Costas Bakogiannis referred to all the problems of the city but also of the works and plans of the Municipality of Athens, speaking at OT FORUM 2.

Digital bible

The mayor of Athens stressed that the digital bible of the city of Athens is a comprehensive business plan with specific actions and projects as well as funding sources for these projects and spoke of a roadmap that goes beyond a single term and a single municipal faction.

Today, as Mr. Bakoyannis said, 70% of the services of the municipality have been digitized and there is a specific platform with over 140 services.

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Regarding Athens’ infrastructure, Mr. Bakoyannis referred to the 800 sensors in 800 parts of the city that facilitate services such as illegal parking on spaces for disabled persons or pathways for the blind.

He also referred to the replacement of 43500 old lighting items with LED lights that will save the city a lot of money, and lead to greater security and energy savings that can allow the reduction of reciprocal fees.

Sensors will also be tested for waste bins, alerting the competent service when the bin is full and ready for emptying, thus reducing garbage truck routes for reasons of traffic and economy.

Good practices from abroad

The project is funded by the Recovery Fund and according to the schedule in the middle towards the end of next year the project will be fully implemented. Mr. Bakoyannis noted that his plan for the municipality is a product of consultation with the city and its 129 neighborhoods and stressed that resources for the projects should not be wasted.

The Grand Promenade ready in three years

Regarding the Grand Promenade, Mr. Bakoyannis stressed that he has entered the final stretch, explaining that Omonia is over and the Constitution is approaching, while the University is completing the year, noting that from its pilot implementation within three years the project will ready.

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From there on, Mr. Bakoyannis pointed out that it is important not only how many projects are completed but also in which neighborhoods projects are undertaken as small changes in each neighborhood and area can contribute to the change of the whole city to meet challenges such as digital and the climate change.

On fountains Mr. Bakoyannis said they lowered temperature, for example by three degrees in Omonia. All planned projects are green, noted the Mayor. The climate crisis is at the heart of every decision we make.

Double renovation

Regarding the so-called “double renovation”, Mr. Bakoyannis said that the municipality is within planned schedules. As the mayor of Athens explained the historic Panathinaiko stadium on Alexandras Avenue, will be turned into a green space and in the Botanical Garden the municipality is creating a city within the city, using the new stadium, the infrastructure, the commercial spaces and the investments.

Mr. Bakoyannis, however, called for the implementation of the law to restrict demonstrations and protest rallies, saying that the municipality of Athens has not given permission for any of the recent rallies.

One more term

Costas Bakoyannis stressed that in order for Athens to become a sustainable city, much more needs to be done and noted that “we want to claim the trust of the Athenians for another term”.

Mr. Bakoyannis noted the need for the neighborhood police officer and more systematic policing by police, while as regards the municipal police, he stressed that he needs more than the 400 municipal police officers the city has.

The mayor of Athens has reached an agreement with the Minister of Interior, Makis Voridis, and has requested the reinforcement of the municipal police and the expansion of its responsibilities. ”

Mr. Bakoyannis characterized the state of sidewalks as the No. 1 problem of the city, saying that it will take several years, until 2030, for sidewalks to be restored.

He even rebuked shops that occupy controlled parking spaces, saying that “we have reached the point of even revising table permits”.

Regarding the cooperation of the municipality with the central administration, Kostras Bakogiannis characterized “excellent cooperation with this government with many good results”, adding, however, that there are moments with problems in this cooperation.