Μake us preferred on Google The Municipality of Athens has completed a series of green upgrades in schoolyards across the city, adding hundreds of new plants and creating cooler, more environmentally friendly spaces for students.
The project, carried out by the Municipality’s Directorate of Greenery and Urban Fauna, aims to protect school communities from high temperatures and improve the local microclimate in areas where children learn, play and spend a significant part of their daily lives.
A total of 43 schoolyards across all municipal districts of Athens received green interventions, including new plantings, school gardens and the installation of shading systems.
The upgrades included the planting of 229 new trees, 1,238 shrubs and flowering plants in selected areas. Additional work included pruning and maintenance of existing greenery.
Athens Deputy Mayor for Environment and Greenery Giorgos Apostolopoulos said schools are spaces of gathering, play and everyday life that require more greenery.
“Schools are spaces of meeting, play and daily life, which is why they need more green areas. We are continuing and intensifying our efforts for greener schools, while also strengthening urban greenery and the environmental education of our children,” Apostolopoulos said.
Vangelis Marinakis, president of Development Athens S.A., highlighted the role of greener public spaces in strengthening urban resilience.
“The resilience of a city begins in the spaces where its children grow up. Through European programs, the Municipality of Athens is transforming funding into meaningful interventions that improve daily life and make our schools and neighborhoods greener, cooler and more resilient against the climate crisis,” Marinakis said.
Students involved in redesigning schoolyards
In many cases, the interventions were planned and implemented in cooperation with teachers and students. Children actively participated in shaping their schoolyards, suggesting locations where they wanted trees, gardens and shading systems to be placed.
Their proposals served as the basis for the final interventions carried out by municipal services and partner organizations, encouraging student participation and raising environmental awareness.
The upgrades reflect actions implemented by the Directorate of Greenery and Urban Fauna during the 2025-2026 period, combined with initiatives carried out through the European ASCEND program, with the participation of Development Athens S.A. and DAEM S.A.
The ASCEND program
ASCEND is a pilot project focused on supporting the transition toward climate neutrality at the neighborhood level in Athens while improving overall quality of life.
The program combines interventions in energy, mobility and green infrastructure and follows a participatory approach involving citizens, young people, women, migrants, cooperatives and local organizations in developing and implementing climate solutions.
It aims to strengthen the use of renewable energy sources and contribute to the broader transition of neighborhoods and the city toward cleaner forms of energy.
