At the recent Smart Cities Conference in Barcelona, Mayor Kaminis of Athens highlighted how the city is helping residents survive the increasingly hot summers in the Greek capital.
Besides Athens’ geographical location, many human-made factors contribute to the heat. For example, finding green areas in the city is not an easy task. In fact, according to the 2014 OECD Factbook of Economic, Environmental and Social Statistics, Athens placed fourth from last out of all the metropolitan areas in the study, averaging less than one square meter of green space per Athenian. To put it in perspective, Madrid has 171, Milan 93 and Berlin has 906 square meters of green per resident.
One way Athens has dealt with the heat is through eight cooling centers spread across the city which are air-conditioned places to sit or lie down. Access to them is facilitated by an app called Extrema, which assists people who might be in danger.
FULL STORY: Athens fights rising heat
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