ATHENS, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Workers painting parts of the road surfaces red were mingling with young Greeks partying on Syntagma square opposite the Greek parliament building on Saturday evening. Athens has been working non-stop to implement an ambitious project to transform the appearance of its center this June.
The plan, dubbed the "Grand Walk," foresees the creation of walking and biking routes across a large sector of the inner city and the conversion of the historic center around the Acropolis hill and the wider commercial triangle into pedestrian zones to connect all the major archaeological sites, museums and tourist attractions.
The aim is to allocate more public space to pedestrians and cyclists, facilitate moving within the city without the headache of traffic jams, promote the use of public transport and also enable social distancing in the COVID-19 era, city officials told Xinhua.
The "Grand Walk" is regarded as the most ambitious intervention in public space Athens has seen in two decades and is expected to be completed by 2022.
The pilot phase started this summer with the first changes to traffic flow and the demarcation of paths for pedestrians and bicycles in red and yellow, respectively. In the second phase, the changes will become permanent.
As of mid-June, works started in two main avenues. The number of lanes for vehicles was reduced, red and yellow lanes were created, and new plants and benches were installed, the Deputy Mayor for Urban Infrastructure and City Planning at the municipality of Athens, Vasilis-Foivos Axiotis, has told Xinhua.
"The Grand Walk frees up a total of 50,000 square meters, five hectares of public space to be given to pedestrians and cyclists again through the creation of seven kilometers of walking routes and three kilometers of biking routes," he explained.
"We seek a new balance in the city for sustainable mobility between drivers, passengers, cyclists and pedestrians. It is not easy. Cities are not changing with magic wands," Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis told Xinhua on Sunday afternoon in front of the City Hall.
He has called for patience on the part of residents and visitors until the disruptive works are finished. The goal of the overhaul is to eventually make Athens more people-friendly and its environment more beautiful.
City officials seized the opportunity to speed up the implementation of the project as Greece is also gradually adapting to the new normalcy of the novel coronavirus.
The COVID-19 crisis has created a need for the decongestion of public transit and the creation of more public space.
"Historically, pandemics and public health crises have been catalysts for major changes in urban centers. We view this crisis as an opportunity," the mayor stressed.
The city authorities' ultimate aim is to revitalize Athens and improve the daily life of its citizens and the experience of tourists.
"We should not be proud only of our glorious past, but of the present and mainly of the future. Athens is a dynamic metropolis. Athens is a city that is changing," Bakoyannis said.
This city is always open to the world, warmly welcoming visitors, including from China, the mayor added.
"We will be very glad to welcome them. They have become parts of our life; they have become parts of our everyday life in particular here in Athens," Bakoyannis said about Chinese travelers.
"They (Greek and Chinese) are two ancient civilizations, which after thousands of years are still learning from each other today. This symbiotic character of our civilizations I think is what brings us closer and closer, despite the geographical distance," he stated. Enditem
