Cooling Havens is an EU-funded project that helps Athens adapt to the challenges of the climate crisis. With extreme heatwaves and urban flooding becoming more frequent, the project introduces water-sensitive urban design to make the city more resilient, sustainable, and livable.
Project Objectives
By creating a network of six public interventions across different neighbourhoods, the project reintegrates water and greenery into the city, using innovative, nature-based solutions such as rainwater harvesting gardens, bioswales, vertical gardens, and a sewer mining facility. Together, these interventions form blue and green infrastructure that cools the city, manages water sustainably, and enriches urban biodiversity.
The interventions will occur in the following areas:
- Ilisia Park, Ilisia
- Green space in Ag. Lavras (Train Station), Ano Patissia
- Lakonias Square, Ampelokipi
- Ramnes Square, Kolonos/Metaxourgeio
- Ag. Nikolaos Park of Pefkakia, Neapoli Exarchia
- Fokionos Negri, Kypseli
Beyond the contemporary facilities, Cooling Havens acts as a community hub for water stewardship and climate awareness, offering a wide set of participatory and educational activities:
- Web app with interactive maps and Augmented Reality
- Workshops for teachers and educational programs for schools
- Training programs for “Community Green Jobs”
- Capacity-building programs for municipal employees
- Public art initiatives and cultural events
- Projects that promote circular economy principles and responsible water use
By combining infrastructure, education, and cultural engagement, Cooling Havens goes beyond cooling. It creates an ecosystem of sustainable solutions that empower citizens, transform neighbourhoods, and contribute to shaping a more human-centered Athens.
Our role
The role of alchemia-nova Greece is to create circular, and long-term, nature-based urban solutions to manage water sustainably, and to upgrade wastewater management infrastructure.
Project Partners
- City of Athens (Project Coordinator)
- alchemia nova Greece
- Urban Water Management and Hydroinformatics Group (UWMH) of NTUA
- EYDAP
- ECOSCAPES Landscape Architecture
- Ensphere
- Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage
- Society for the Study of Ancient Topography
- Impact Hub Athens
- EASY
The innovative elements of the ‘’Cooling Havens’’ project will be transferred to three partners that have been identified and that receive EUI funding in the frame of the project: 18th District of Budapest (Hungary), Roeselare (Belgium) and Sofia (Bulgaria).
Project code: EUI02-098 (European Urban Initiative)
Duration: 01/12/2024 – 31/05/2028
Total budget: 6.248.416€
Co-financing: 4,998,732.64 (ERDF)