Commercial Triangle Revitalization (“Trigono”)

Athens’ city center has suffered from widespread tagging, illegally parked vehicles encroaching on public space, and outdated street furniture. These conditions have impacted businesses, the livelihood of community members, and discouraged tourists. The Trigono project leveraged existing government resources and private investment to create a more vibrant and sustainable public space. The initiative garnered community engagement and urban design expertise to support new cleaning equipment and efforts to safeguard vehicle-free, pedestrian streets.  The program removed graffiti, improved garbage collection, and engaged local business partners to maintain cleanliness. 

The project led to the area’s revival as a hotspot of cultural production, featuring public art and events with more than 23,000 participants, engaging more than 200 artists in 30 arts events. What is more, six dilapidated buildings were covered with building wraps of images from contemporary Greek dance.

In 2018, new developments in Trigono included the implementation of smart garbage collection, with the support of Vodafone, notifying shop-owners to take out their garbage at a specific time, removing the need for fixed bins taking up space in this historic part of Athens. Smart LED lighting was also implemented, in cooperation with Vodafone and Phillips, providing substantial energy cost savings and allowing the remote adjustment of each of 169 lamp-posts, in coordination with Trigono shop-owners and residents.

Trigono in numbers:

• 8,300 sq. m. of tags and graffiti cleaned

• 55 new businesses in the area

• €30 million estimated new investments in the area

• 6 new pedestrian streets delivered to the public

• 20 organizations/ NGOs engaged

• 100+ store owners engaged

• 12 Municipal departments engaged