Athens
Athens

Athens

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Population (AI)

664,046

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Last edited
Oct 1, 2024 3:29 PM
Category
CapitalPrio-25
Local programs

**Affordable and Sustainable Housing Targets in Athens:** Athens, like the rest of Greece, faces significant challenges in providing affordable and sustainable housing. The city's housing policy has historically been residual, targeting specific groups such as refugees and low-income families, but lacking a comprehensive social rental sector. **Local Government Initiatives:** - **Renovation and Construction:** The city aims to leverage EU initiatives such as the Affordable Housing Initiative (AHI) to renovate and construct social and affordable housing, focusing on energy efficiency and sustainability. - **Utilization of Vacant Properties:** There is a push to utilize vacant properties in Athens, particularly in the city center, to provide affordable housing and prevent displacement of vulnerable populations due to short-term rental platforms. - **Integration with National Programs:** Local programs are expected to align with national policies and EU funding mechanisms, such as the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), to support sustainable urban development and affordable housing. **Sustainability Goals:** - **Energy Efficiency:** Athens aims to improve energy efficiency in buildings, aligning with EU directives such as the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and the European Green Deal, to reduce emissions and combat energy poverty. - **Community Engagement:** Local initiatives focus on engaging communities and promoting integrated renovation processes, including innovative financial solutions and multi-stakeholder partnerships. **Challenges:** - **Housing Crisis:** Athens faces a severe housing crisis, exacerbated by overtourism, Airbnb, and inflation, making it difficult for young people and low-income families to afford housing. - **Lack of Comprehensive Policy:** The absence of a comprehensive housing policy and the reliance on short-term solutions have hindered the development of sustainable and affordable housing in Athens.

Housing Market

The provided sources do not discuss the housing market in Athens, Europe, but rather Athens, Georgia, USA. However, I can provide a summary based on the available information for Athens, Georgia, and note that it does not meet the query's geographical requirement. **Summary for Athens, Georgia, USA:** - **Housing Market Trends:** The median sale price of a home in Athens was $329K, down 8.7% since last year. The median sale price per square foot is $206, up 12.8% since last year. - **Market Competitiveness:** The Athens housing market is somewhat competitive, with homes selling for about 1% below list price and going pending in around 29 days. - **Rental Market:** The city has a high rate of renter-occupied housing, at 43%, with a vacancy rate of just 4%. - **Economic Impact:** Overpriced housing is hurting the Athens economy, with housing prices having risen 61% since the pandemic. - **No data is available in the provided sources for the total number of housing units, the specific roles of public, social, and cooperative housing, or the median price per square meter to rent or buy an apartment in Athens, Georgia.** For information on Athens, Europe, additional research would be necessary as the provided sources do not cover this topic.

Further Actors?

To build more affordable and sustainable housing in Athens, potential conversation partners and collaborators across various sectors include: 1. **Academic Institutions**: - Researchers from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and the University of Athens, focusing on urban planning, architecture, and housing policy. 2. **NGOs**: - ETERON, a non-profit organization that conducts research and advocacy on housing issues in Greece. - Housing Europe, a European federation of public, cooperative, and social housing providers, which has been involved in discussions on Greece’s housing crisis. 3. **Local Political Parties and Administration**: - The Greek Minister for Social Cohesion and Family, Sofia Zacharaki, who has expressed interest in increasing affordable housing options. - Local government officials, such as the Mayor of Athens, who could provide insights into municipal policies and initiatives. 4. **Impact Investors and Real Estate Developers**: - Companies interested in sustainable and affordable housing projects, such as those participating in the European Affordable Housing Consortium (SHAPE-EU). 5. **Architecture Firms and Housing Cooperatives**: - Local architecture firms specializing in sustainable and affordable housing designs. - Housing cooperatives that have experience in managing and developing affordable housing projects. Collaborating with these diverse stakeholders can help leverage resources, expertise, and policy support to address Athens’ housing challenges.

Cooperatives

In Athens, Greece, housing cooperatives are not as prevalent as in other European cities, but there are initiatives and projects aimed at promoting collaborative ownership of houses. The concept of housing cooperatives is relatively new in Greece, and there is no established tradition of cooperative housing. Co-Hab Athens is a research project that aims to develop long-term models of collective housing ownership and promote the idea of cooperative housing in Greece. They have been exploring successful paradigms from other European cities, such as Zurich cooperatives and the German model of Mietshäuser Syndikat, to adapt these models to the Athenian context. There is no specific data available on the market share of housing cooperatives in Athens or the number of cooperatives that exist. However, Co-Hab Athens has been working on pilot projects and collaborating with local groups to develop a collective model for housing ownership. The city does not have a specific program to promote or financially support cooperative housing, but Co-Hab Athens has been engaging with the Ministry of Labour to explore the possibility of managing a housing cooperative under the general law for cooperatives. There are no lighthouse projects of cooperatives in Athens, but Co-Hab Athens has been organizing knowledge exchange workshops and seminars to raise awareness and promote the idea of cooperative housing.