1. Athens, a Smart City

2. G. Do you think that the lifestyle of the
inhabitants of your town or city
reflects behaviour that is in line with
the concept of sustainable
development? In your opinion, what
should be improved?
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3. Athens at a glance
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4.  Half a million people are
concentrated in Athens
 Under crisis
 High in traffic, resulting in noise
and pollution
 Transportation means; car,
motorcycle, public
transportation
 Lack of town planning and street
layout
 Degeneration of ancient
monuments
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Athens at a glance

5.  Aim: Meet the needs of the
present and take on the
challenges of the future
 Solution:
- Community-base initiatives
- Local upgrade
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Tackling the problem

6. The Crisis
Greece Government Debt crisis
Regular riots and vandalising the city
Parts of Athens completely abandoned
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7. A positive response by the Athenians
 Great shift in green attitudes and
behaviours
 Understanding that our way of life was
not leading to well being and sustainable
development
 Able to see a bigger picture
 Care for each other and the environment
 Need to bring community together and
be part of it
 Leading to innovative thinking and cost
effective solutions
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8. Actions taken
Urban regeneration
Community initiatives
Second hand shops
Using wasted
food/composting
Promoting natural
products
Citizens decided to
change small things in
their everyday life and
local community
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9. Sustainability in practice
Waste management
Sustainable low carbon
transport (Freeday)
Clothes Swap
Re-think Athens
Atenistas
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10. Sustainable behaviour
Freeday Clothes Swap
 Reducing the amount of clothing
discarded to landfills
 Decreasing environmental impact
 Promoting Reuse and Resale
 Eco friendly education
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 Athens is not a bicycle friendly
city
 Friday-Freeday event: every
Friday at 21:30 Thisseion square
 From 2008 people introduced the
bicycle as
- alternative
- environment friendly
- budget friendly transportation
means.
 The response was overwhelming
with 1000 bicycles.
 The route is unknown till the last
minute and lasts for 4 hours

11. Sustainable Behaviour
Re-think Athens
Recreating the city
centre
Building green spaces
Banishing vehicles and
replacing the
transportation system
Encourages Athenians
to interact with the city
Atenistas- Athenians in action
 Realizing the enormous
potential of the city
 Channel of creative and
collaborative participation
 Team of architects produced
designs creating public
spaces and buildings
resources
 Artists intervening in the
town
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12. See beyond Green; Circular Model
 Explore new economic
models to move away from
a linear economy to a more
circular
 Collective actions
 Generate meaningful
change so it is a moral
responsibility
 Prospect for future
generations
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13. Investing in the Future
 Change the experience of
the citizens
 Change Athens in the eye of
the International Community
 Green spaces to ensure
better education and health
 Encourage boroughs to
create community initiatives
 Connecting business
strategies with social
progress
 Eliminating waste by design
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14. Designing behavioural change intervention
Need to target population’s (informed by the Health Belief Model)
Attitudes
Perceived
- Benefits
- Barriers
- Severity
- Susceptibility
Self efficacy
Cues to action
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