Last updated: October 2021
The garden was established in 2012 by self-management of the community of Exarcheia. The site is a former parking lot in public land, historically reclaimed by the neighbourhood as a green zone. People occupied the space, designed the park, and constructed it. The former parking lot was owned by the Technical Chamber of Greece (TCG). A weekly assembly manages the site and activities. The aim of the community garden is formative, to show how to grow food, reproduce and collect seeds. The park has encompassed multiple functions in addition to community food-producing garden, such as children's playground, a place for cultural events, gathering and emancipation (Ref 1, 2, 3).
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Parks and urban forests
- Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
- Community gardens and allotments
- Community gardens
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change mitigation
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Environmental quality
- Air quality improvement
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Promotion of naturalistic urban landscape design
- Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
- Effective management
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social interaction
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Enabling physical activity
- Creation of opportunities for relaxation and recreation
- Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
- Economic development: agriculture
- Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
- Sustainable production
Focus
Creation of new green areas
Project objectives
o To grow food, reproduce and collect seeds;
o To create more urban green area;
o Use for leisure;
o To connect the residents and the city;
o Maintain green space with high vegetation;
o To create a space for creativity, emancipation and resistance, open to various initiatives, such as political, cultural and anti-consumerist ones. (Ref 1,2)
Implementation activities
"After the piece of the land had been left unused for years, its neighbors took a stance. When the lease of the then present parking area came to an end, it didn’t take long before the residents took a stance; they formed the Exarcheia Residents’ Initiative, and got involved with the possible re-development plans of the land. Starting off as an experiment to connect the residents and the city, Exarcheia Residents’ Initiative took on the task of creating a green space with high vegetation. They planted new different crop trees, the space was squatted and with drilling and planting with few new constructions like fencing, sitting area, garden area the Navarinou park was born" (Ref 1).
Climate-focused activities
Climate change mitigation:
- Increase green urban nature for carbon storage (wetlands, tree cover)
Main beneficiaries
- Local government/Municipality
- Citizens or community groups
Governance
Management set-up
- Led by non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Citizens or community group
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Citizen science
- Citizen monitoring and review
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
Starting off as an experiment to connect the residents and the city, Exarcheia Residents’ Initiative took on the task of creating a green space with high vegetation (Ref 1, 2).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
No
... a national policy or strategy?
No
... a local policy or strategy?
No
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Crowdfunding
Type of funding
- Donations
- Membership or entrance fees
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of goods
- Provision of labour
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate, energy and emissions
- Lowered local temperature
- Environmental quality
- Improved air quality
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
Economic impacts
- Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved social cohesion
- Fair distribution of social, environmental and economic benefits of the NBS project
- Improved access to urban green space
- Increased opportunities for social interaction
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
- Increased appreciation for natural spaces
Type of reported impacts
Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
1. Δεν βρέθηκε (no date) Tο πάρκινγκ τους, πάρκο μας. Available at: Source link. Accessed on 14th July, 2020.
2. Dilouambaka Ethel (2018) Navarinou: The Athens city park, created and run by locals. Culture Trips. Available at: Source link. Accessed on 14th July, 2020.
3. Parking Navarinou (no date) Firefund. Available at: Source link. Accessed on 14th July, 2020.
4. Navarinou Park, Athens (2017). Wikimapia. Available at: Source link. Accessed on 14th July, 2020.
5. Pablodesoto (2010) Mapping the Commons. Available at: Source link. Accessed on 14th July, 2020.
6. City of Athens (no date) Athens Resilience Strategy for 2030: Redefining the city. Available at: Source link. Accessed on 14th July, 2020.
2. Dilouambaka Ethel (2018) Navarinou: The Athens city park, created and run by locals. Culture Trips. Available at: Source link. Accessed on 14th July, 2020.
3. Parking Navarinou (no date) Firefund. Available at: Source link. Accessed on 14th July, 2020.
4. Navarinou Park, Athens (2017). Wikimapia. Available at: Source link. Accessed on 14th July, 2020.
5. Pablodesoto (2010) Mapping the Commons. Available at: Source link. Accessed on 14th July, 2020.
6. City of Athens (no date) Athens Resilience Strategy for 2030: Redefining the city. Available at: Source link. Accessed on 14th July, 2020.