TOPIC:

Initiative

SUBMITTED FROM:

The Kallithea Municipality belongs to the Southern Area Athens of Attica. Kallithea is a populous district of Athens.

Objective Action

With the operation of the digital urban green recording platform, the public green spaces have been digitally identified by use (squares, parks, sports grounds, parking areas, playgrounds, street islands), each tree and shrub has been digitized, recording their height, the species, their location, their importance and other elements in order to create a "register" of the greenery.

The particular importance of greenery in the urban environment and its protection in combination with the protection of available resources highlighted the need for Digital Registration as through these registers it will be possible to continuously evaluate the phytosanitary status of urban greenery, which forms the basis for the creation of maintenance and expansion plans.

With the constant updating of this digital platform, a standard system will be created, which will cover the requirements and specificities of urban ecosystems and will be a management and decision-making tool for the planning of the city's green maintenance works, holistically and uniformly. The environmental service through this has acquired a valuable tool in the exercise of urban green management as the correct decision-making yields a permanent reduction in maintenance costs by avoiding mutually canceling tasks and better coordinating the actions of the various departments of the service.

Target Audience

The implementation of the digital recording of the green requires a set of processes, services as well as software products that are considered necessary for the existence of a holistic approach. Through them, the full utilization of geoscientific knowledge becomes possible, which will process and analyze the statistical data and the indicators that will be produced from the primary data of the recording such as:

identification of problematic plants-individuals that need immediate intervention (pruning, removal, etc.),
assessment of the health status of the overall greenery
control of the degree of satisfaction of the objectives set by the Environment Directorate for each management period,
planning maintenance projects, supplementing or replacing damaged plants-individuals
calculation of the corresponding cost of materials - works,
comparison of cost and quality of works when performed independently or by contractors,
possibility of investigating alternative scenarios for the distribution of available resources of the Municipality each year,
prioritization of the importance of the planned projects according to their contribution to the achievement of the Municipality's goals, etc.

which become a useful tool for the Environment Directorate of the Municipality, but also for the well-being of the Citizens and the visitors of the Municipality.

Duration

The project was completed in one year.

Description

With the construction and operation of the digital platform for recording the urban greenery in the Municipality of Kallithea, the creation of digital registers of greenery and irrigation in the urban area of Kallithea is achieved, using the GIS system.

With the constant updating of this digital platform, a model system was created, which covers the requirements and specificities of urban ecosystems and is a management and decision-making tool for the planning of the green maintenance works of the city, holistically and uniformly. The environmental service through this has acquired a valuable tool in the exercise of urban green management as the correct decision-making yields a permanent reduction in maintenance costs by avoiding mutually canceling tasks and better coordinating the actions of the various departments of the service.

Today the concept of climate change is understood by everyone and the obligation of adapting cities to the upcoming climate changes is the duty of management services.

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Impact on Society

The elements of the digital recording contribute:

in the knowledge of the real elements of the green spaces of the Municipality, namely the number and types of plants, their phytosanitary status and their needs as well as the irrigation provided.
In the better functioning of the maintenance crews, as the determination of the plant species that make up the urban greenery of the city and their statistical analysis, will help to better assess the needs of the Environmental Service (coordinated planning of seasonal work, e.g. pruning, fertilization, identification and supply of plants for their replacement, etc.)
In the identification of plant protection problems and the immediate identification of communicable diseases or pests, dangerous for public health or the biodiversity of the area
In creating a history for each tree regarding the cultivation care it receives (maintenance work, pruning, fertilizing, etc.)
In the detection of abuses against urban greenery (e.g. illegal pruning, cutting)
In the identification of the plant material that, in relation to the urban environment, needs more frequent surveillance (eg tree branches that hide signs of shops of health interest, signs and road traffic signals, etc.).
In the planning to deal with the difficulties of free passage of the residents on the sidewalks of the city due to problems caused by the root system of the trees.
Proper management of very tall and dangerous trees
Timely treatment of entomological problems using biological protection especially near schools.
In the planning of remodeling studies based on measured deficiencies
In identifying the plant species that show the greatest adaptability to the natural ecosystem and increase the biodiversity of the city.
Capturing and recording the equipment of the pumping stations and irrigation wells through which the service will optimize the cost of spare parts storage and proceed with the supply of the appropriate and necessary maintenance materials.

Initiative Location

The action concerns the digital recording of urban greenery in the Municipality of Kallithea.

Working with Organization

The action was carried out with own resources without cooperation with any other body.

Workers Participation

The action was carried out with the participation of the employees of the Environment Directorate.

Photos

Benefits for Οrganization

The digitization of green spaces and their publication on the official website of the Municipality increases their traffic and highlights their value.

To achieve the best possible result, the system developed for the creation of the register integrates Mobile Geographical Information Systems, Decision Making System, Internet services as well as multimedia capabilities.

The result of the digital recording has enabled statistical control to assess the extent of urban green and its distribution by use and per inhabitant.

It is worth pointing out that through the possibility of statistical control (such as finding the center of gravity of the green spaces to identify the areas with the least green) it provides the possibility for the Municipal authority to objectively plan its annual budget, including new actions in the direction removing any unequal distribution.

ENVIRONMENT