THE GREEN LINE | A biodiversity corridor along the past and present Athens railway network

Abstract

The Green Line concerns the study of the introduction of an urban green route in proximity to the railway network of TRAINOSE in the greater area of Athens, Greece. The active and inactive railway network that runs through Athens has posed a challenge to good management, due to the empty spaces and derelict facilities it leaves behind as well as the urban fragmentation it causes. At the same time, Athens, in the midst of the global climate crisis, is in need of a long overdue introduction of urban green, in order to enhance the city’s resilience to extreme weather conditions and threats to biodiversity, especially to the urban and peri-urban fauna. The main motivation of all interventions is the introduction, mobility and enhancement of urban biodiversity. The means to achieve this is both the selection of ecologically valuable plant species able to attract and host important pollinator species and other urban fauna, and their interaction with humans. This interaction is examined in separate cases, depending on the urban and social conditions of each location, and incorporates urban farming (communal gardens, orchards, meeting and education points), urban beekeeping and pollinator care (urban beehives, bee and butterfly beds, bee hotels). These interventions are found along and in the vicinity of the railway network of TRAINOSE, which is divided into typologies and takes the form of individual design case studies. In its current state, this area bisects the city, creates problem areas and runs through densely populated areas with low incomes and a significantly low amount of green spaces, while, the conversions the railway network has undergone in recent decades leave behind areas ready to receive new uses. Most importantly, it can create a functional and practical green route that starts, passes through and ends at key points in the city.