From the roar of engines to the rustle of trees: The extraordinary metamorphosis of Ellinikon Park airport

From the roar of engines to the rustle of trees. The extraordinary transformation of the Ellinikon Park airport is a project that is already buzzing among urban planners and ecologists, writes Euronews. On an area of ​​200 hectares - or as much as 2 million square meters - a space is being created that is to become the green heart of the Athenian Riviera. The investment involves planting over 30,000 trees and as many as 3 million shrubs, which will cover as much as 70 percent of the park's area with vegetation. The location of the park is not accidental - it is the former Elliniko airport, which was closed in 2001. The official opening of the park to visitors is scheduled for early 2027, and the full infrastructure is to be ready by 2030.

One of the key elements of the project is intelligent water management, which will allow the park to survive even the most severe heatwaves. A modern sewage treatment plant is being built in the park, capable of producing up to 7,000 cubic meters of purified water per day. This water will be used primarily to irrigate plants. Additionally, a storage tank with a capacity of 10,000 cubic meters is planned, and the whole thing is to be supported by an intelligent irrigation system which - thanks to weather and soil sensors - will adjust the amount of water to the real needs of the flora. According to estimates, this solution will save up to 90 percent of water compared to traditional methods.

The designers of Ellinikon Park placed particular emphasis on ensuring the thermal comfort of walkers. The park will create a network of so-called "cool routes", where the temperature will be up to four degrees Celsius lower than on the surrounding asphalt surfaces of the city. Vegetation has been selected to support natural cooling, and water features – channels, water curtains and shallow pools – will further reduce the ambient temperature through evaporation.

Ellinikon Park, covering 200 hectares, will become the largest seaside urban park in Europe. For comparison, it is 40 percent larger than London's famous Hyde Park and almost as large as the vast Tiergarten in Berlin. This is seven times larger than the area of ​​Parc du Cinquantenaire in Brussels. Although New York's Central Park is larger (341 hectares), Ellinikon can easily compete with it in terms of modern ecological solutions and innovation.