Impact of green on the urban atmosphere in Athens

Abstract

The increasing concentration of population on limited space,combined with continuing dense build-up and extensive surfacesealing of urban centers characterize the present day situationin the Mediterranean area. The impact on soil, waterbalance, vegetation, air quality and climate generally causefar-reaching changes in the ecosphere. Studies conducted in1981 (CHRONOPOULOU-SERELI, CHRONOPOULOS, HORBERT, KIRCHGEORG1983) have confirmed that because of its highly unfavorablerelief and construction patterns, Athens particularly suffersfrom poor bioclimatic and air quality conditions.In continuing the above-mentioned investigations, still moreresearch programs were carried out in 1984 andin part, 1985.The goal of these measurements, which by now had becomeexpanded to cover the entire Athens area, was to provide asort of bioclimatic overview of conditions there which couldserve as a general basis for recommendations relating to thedevelopment of planning strategies aimed at improving urbanclimatic conditions there. The role of the green areas was tobe given special consideration in this regard.The one-year use of a network of climate measuring stationsand a great number of measuring trips made it possible toarrive at a statistically sound surface distribution ofclimate parameters encompassing the entire Athens urban area