The rapid growth of the urban population, the absence of organized building planning, the arbitrary private and public construction as well as the usual tactic of the state to encroach on natural public lands, led to a degraded form of the urban environmental reserve. Water currents found in the cities can usually be characterized as urban voids, unable to be utilized and connected with their surroundings.
Despite the fact that, nowadays there are plenty of activated restoring mechanisms for the aquatic ecosystems worldwide, in Greece the tendency to cover them in favor of both road construction, and arbitrary structure extension has not yet been commonly eliminated.
A typical example is Pikrodafni stream in southeastern Athens, one of the few remaining aquatic ecosystems in Attica. The main goal of this diploma thesis is the protection of the physical attributes of the stream and its waterside zone, the enabling of its public character as well as its connection to the urban environment.
In order to achieve this, we attempt to understand the importance of the existence of the aquatic element in the urban environment, to chronicle the evolution of Pikrodafni stream over the years, to analyze the features of the areas it flows through and to explore the inhabitant’s interaction with the stream. Therefore we propose the creation of a public spaces network such as open green areas and paths alongside the stream, which can act as a boost towards the environmental upgrade of the adjacent neighborhoods. Utilizing the strong presence of educational institutions in the wider study area, our proposal aims to raise the environmental awareness of both students and the local community as a whole.
