Cities in the 21st century face economic, environmental, climatic, demographic and social challenges. In this context, the European Union has developed Sustainable Urban Development Strategies (SUD), constituting a plan for the renewal, development and improvement of European cities, which at the same time places emphasis on locality, cross-sectoral cooperation and a collective design process involving multiple levels of governance.

For the period 2021–2027, the European Commission proposes strengthening the urban and territorial dimension by establishing a new Policy Objective (5) for ‘A Europe closer to its citizens.’ This objective promotes a place-based approach and the participation of local authorities and civil society in finding solutions to local challenges.

Based on the strategy of the ‘Attica’ 2021–2027 Program, the promotion of the international Metropolitan role of Attica has as one of its intrinsic elements the upgrading of significant green spaces and parks in the Region, with a view to enhancing its attractiveness and creating synergies with Cultural and Tourism Development, as well as with the Creative Economy and Sustainable Sectoral and Local Development.

The Region of Attica, the Management Body of the Metropolitan Park of Environmental and Educational Activities and Development of Social Economy ‘Antonis Tritsis,’ and the ‘New Metropolitan Attica S.A.’ aim to develop a common strategic ‘tool.’ This will integrate interventions in the design of Attica’s green spaces, along with upgrading initiatives for the benefit of residents and visitors, serving as a comprehensive lever for enhancing the metropolitan green spaces of the Athens basin urban complex.
In particular, the Strategy of the Integrated Territorial Investment (ITI) for Metropolitan green areas of the greater Athens area was designed with a focus on improving the quality of life in the capital’s urban fabric, based on the principles of green and sustainable development. It constitutes a structured place-based strategy aimed at understanding the most important issues, needs and opportunities of the users/visitors of green spaces and the local communities connected with them. These will be translated into a set of spatial interventions, either individually or in combination, allowing for the qualitative and functional upgrading of the intervention sites, strengthening their ties with local communities and highlighting their unified identity and metropolitan character.