Smart thinking
From international airport to sustainable metropolitan park
How is a former international airport in Athens being transformed into a sustainable metropolitan park? Former Athens International Airport will soon be the largest coastal park in Europe, as part of a broader redevelopment of the area known as The Ellinikon project. And we’re supporting the area being built on sustainable foundations.
The last flights may have taken off in 2001, but Athens International Airport is being brought back to life as the site of Greece’s first sustainable metropolitan park, using smart city strategies.
Almost double the size of Hyde Park in London or Retiro Park in Madrid, the 600-acre complex offers a wealth of green space alongside residential and business premises, retail, healthcare and educational facilities, leisure attractions and sports venues.
It will be the largest coastal park in Europe and one of Athens’ largest green spaces, giving the city’s population of three million a place to connect with nature.
We have been supporting government-appointed developers Lamda Development for almost a decade on strategic advice to technology implementation on the project. With the help of Deloitte colleagues from Italy and Portugal, we’ve been helping shape The Ellinikon into a smart city that is energy-efficient and digital by design.
“The Ellinikon project is one of the most significant redevelopments and the largest urban regeneration project in Europe at the moment, a new world-class destination."
Sotiris Batzias, Partner in Strategy and Business Design, Deloitte Greece
... greenfield urban regeneration project in Europe
development, an investment equal to more than 2% of Greece’s GDP in 2023
complex, equivalent to 375 football pitches
tourists anticipated each year
visitors expected
jobs likely to be created
people will call it their home or workplace
path networks for pedestrians and cyclists
Imagining the tech of tomorrow
To define the smart city strategy for The Ellinikon, we needed to ensure the solutions could work for this long-term, large-scale development. That meant forecasting what tech and regulation might look like in the future – no easy task given the current pace of change.
Vasilis Poulikidis, a senior manager in Strategy and Business Design, explains: “We had to propose technology solutions that would remain relevant for the next 15 or 20 years. So, solutions that can be flexible and adapt with the market conditions of the future. To do this we had to be bold but realistic.
“We had to deal with many, many different stakeholders – the client, visitors, the local municipalities, government, proposing solutions that responded to the needs of everyone.”
We also tapped into the expertise from our work on other smart cities worldwide, with one example being the 650 year-old Portuguese city Cascais on the coast of Portugal. The smart city’s digital cloud-based command centre has reduced 40% of operational costs for waste management, as an example.
Solutions for The Ellinikon included a range of features that will be managed as part of a central connected ecosystem, from electric vehicle charging, parking and traffic monitoring to smart water, waste and energy solutions. This not only means the efficient running of key utilities and infrastructure, it will also create a more seamless living experience for tenants and visitors.
“We have set out to make The Ellinikon green, digital by design and future-proof by using smart energy and digital solutions,” adds Eri Nika, Principal within Strategy and Business Design, “and that will make it more liveable and more attractive to residents, workers and visitors.”
Benefits for the environment and the economy
The first phase of The Ellinikon project is due for completion by end of 2026. While green features will contribute to the country’s net zero commitments, the €8 billion development will also provide a massive boost to Greece’s economy.
“We have supported the transformation of a disused former international airport into a liveable community.” This is the result of a significant investment equating to more than 2% of Greece’s GDP in 2023”, says Vasilis.
As a huge cultural point of interest and tourist attraction, The Ellinikon is expected to welcome more than one million tourists each year and over 30 million visitors. It’s likely to create 80,000 jobs, and more than 40,000 people will call it their home or workplace.
And Eri adds: “In Greece, we have faced some challenging times in recent years, so it's great to see this project injecting a sense of excitement for Athens. We’ve been there from the first design phase to make sure The Ellinikon is going to be a smart and green city, and are proud to have played such an important part.”
This project has been recognised through the Deloitte NSE Impact Awards, an internal recognition programme which celebrates the impact our people and teams make on clients, people and society.
The Ellinikon project will contribute significantly to growth in Athens from generating thousands of jobs to creating new communities. But it’s more than this, it will also provide a blueprint for future metropolitan parks built with sustainability and technology at the foundation. We’re very proud to have supported such an important scheme and it’s exciting to witness firsthand what cities of the future will look like.
Sotiris Batzias, Partner in Strategy and Business Design, Deloitte Greece
