With „HeKriS“ in Greece


Groupfoto: Exkursionsattendees in Athen. Groupfoto: Exkursionsattendees in Athen. Groupfoto: Exkursionsattendees in Athen.

Through the research project "Challenges of the Crises of European Cities (HeKriS): Development of Planning Strategies and Creative Actions", a group of students has been able to have a closer look from 3rd to 8th September 2017 in Athens on implemented measures and future plans to improve the resilience of the City. The excursion is supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

The theme of the excursion addressed questions and challenges to secure Athens' resilience against social, economic and, above all, natural events. In order to gain a first overview of the local situation and the individual dates, the students held presentations before and during the excursion to related topics. The lectures about the metropolitan area of ​​Athens and the city community are particularly worth to be mentioned. After this lead-in, the city center of Athens was visited with regard to planning aspects. As a special example, the "Stavros
Niarchos Cultural Center" was visited, which combines both economic, cultural and ecological backgrounds and functions. Furthermore, there was the opportunity to listen to a lecture on Athens' role in the "100 Resilient Cities" union and the resulting development strategies. Another appointment was a lecture by the Ministry of the Environment regarding the city and regional administration in Greece. The findings gained here were illustrated by a review of the infrastructure of Athens’ coastline. In the course of this appointment the
following photo was taken.

The final points of the excursion were the island of Aegina and its connection with Athens as well as the port area of Piraeus, which is important for Athens economic stability.

The aim of the excursion is to promote the exchange of knowledge between the Faculty of Architecture and Landscape of the Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH) and the Faculty of Architecture of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) within the framework of their university partnership. The exchange also took place through a summer school in May 2017 and an excursion of Greek students to Germany.

In the coming years, further excursions will take place in order to raise awareness of the issue and to deepen the exchange of knowledge.