Blending Green & Black

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Blending Green & Blackcool urban design in Athens

Thanos N. StasinopoulosSchool of Architecture, NTUAthens, [email protected]

Passive & Low Energy Cooling conference - Rhodes 2010


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Greater Athens: 1.3 million in 1950, over 4 million today .

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A massive city has rapidly grown without coherent planning,as a vast patchwork of dense urban blocks with just a few green areas .

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It is a typical example of the heat island effect .

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The mounting ills of random speculative expansion call for action,above all boosting up urban greenery .

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Gyzi

Proposals vary: Replace derelict buildings with green pockets, Convert back yards to gardens,

Encourage green roofs .

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The antagonism between cars & plants can trigger violence: Riots erupted after several old trees were sacrificed for a new garage in 2009 .

The green campaign has two powerful opponents: the sanctity of real property , involving costly expropriations,

court marathons, disputes between owners. the car dominance , with increasing traffic congestion

and rising demand for parking space. 7


8/24 Exarchia

Various factors impede the quest for greener Athens:limited funds, lack of incentives, legal disputes, speculative forces.

But deteriorating conditions require practical & cheap response- applicable fast .

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9/24Papagou

A real example could inspire simple solutionsfor existing situations and for future planning schemes too.

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Acropolis

Papagou

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It is located in the borough of Papagou , not far from the city centre.


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NTUA campus

It is an area of about 1 km 2, planned by a military housing agency inthe early 1960s on a rocky scrubland next to Mount Hymettus .

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x


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Black and green strips

separate the building blocks. 12


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Short byways provide

car access to all properties. 13


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It is a simple grid plan that blends buildings and 'countryside ,creating pedestrian-only zones without obstructing car traffic.

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l k


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looking east

black strip green strip

looking west

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Papagou is a medium density area.Could such a scheme be implemented in denser parts of the city???

The general idea is fairly simple in practical terms:in every second or third street of a neighbourhood, the asphalt isstripped off, the soil is left exposed, and cars are replaced by trees .


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Linear parks between buildings create continuous pedestrian greencorridors , interrupted by major vehicle routes only where absolutelynecessary.


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Schematically, several blocks merge into one, along a green spine.

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Green corridors differ from usual pedestrian or restricted traffic zones:

Soil should be kept as bare as possible , to facilitate maximumvegetation growth.

Vehicle access should be over low-mass water-permeable surfaces ,allowed only for emergencies or entry to garages.

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Car traffic & parking are key issues,so any realistic proposal should

(a) provide vehicle access to or neareach building,

(b) maintain the existing parkingcapacity as possible.

In a green-black layout, local loopscan allow vehicles to move withoutreversing and maintain the existingparking capacity, without crossingthe green strip .


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Locality

TrafficParking capacityStreet sizeGround floor uses

UtilitiesSpecial features

Proposal

CirculationMaterialsVegetationWater

Outdoor amenitiesDebris

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Technical aspects in practice


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Cooling : Asphalt & concrete thermal mass is reduced;plants provide shading & transpiration.

Water : Waterproof surfaces decrease, soil absorbs morerainwater, flood risk drops, water table rises.

Air: Vegetation replaces CO 2 with oxygen and reducesairborne particles.

Location : Beneficial thermal effects are spread at groundlevel where city life is.

Shape : Elongated green areas affect longer perimeter. 22

Environmental benefits


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Cost : Streets are public property still, therefore thefinancial, procedural and legal hassles are less.

Construction : It is easy, quick and cheap;and so is maintenance.Bonus: underground utility networks are easily accessible.

Simpler than green roofs : No structural stress, no special

waterproofing, less sun & wind strain on vegetation, plentyof soil for tree growth. Cityscape : Plants replace cars. Social : Pedestrian domain expands, facilitating leisure &

social activities adjacent to dwellings.

Practical advantages

G id il b i d i A h ff i


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Green corridors can easily be incorporated into Athens, offeringcoolness and leisure areas with negligible burden to public budgetsand car traffic .

It is a generic idea that could be applied in actual projects,considering various factors in each particular case.

Blending Green & Black - cool urban design in Athens

tns@arch ntua gr

A pilot black & green project could demonstrate what the residentsof Papagou have been enjoying for many years.

Documents

Blending Green & Black