Ioannina, the capital of the Epirus Region of northwestern Greece, is a city that embodies both historical richness and forward-thinking dynamism. Covering an area of 400 km2 and with a population exceeding 110,000, it serves as a strategic nexus, situated at the intersection of two major highways and close to the international port of Igoumenitsa.
In recent years, Ioannina has evolved into a vibrant hub of academic excellence, technological entrepreneurship, and civic engagement. Home to one of Greece's most significant university institutions comprising 26 departments across 11 schools and over 20,000 students, the city is also the birthplace of the Epirus Science and Technology Park. This confluence of intellectual and technological capital positions Ioannina as a city ready to embrace the challenges and opportunities of sustainable urban development.
The city’s emissions for 2019 stood at the equivalent of 352 ktCO2, a number that Ioannina has committed to reducing by 80% by 2030. Reaching these ambitious targets will require targeted initiatives informed by technical expertise. To make this possible, the Municipality of Ioannina has partnered with the Technical Chamber of Greece to create local groups consisting of engineers, municipal staff and citizens to work on the creation of climate neutral zones in the complex urban environment. This collaboration stems from the Memorandum of Cooperation that was signed by the Municipality of Ioannina and the Technical Chamber in June 2023. This agreement led to the funding of the project under the Call for Pilot Cities, Cohort 2 (2023) NetZeroCities.
The aim of the groups is to contribute to the climate sustainability and urban renewal of their zone, while protecting the cultural heritage and historical building stock of the city. However, each urban zone faces different challenges, and their citizens have different priorities raging from reducing excessive use of private vehicles and the associated issues of traffic and emissions, to urban greening projects. The local groups will work together to create a toolbox for dealing with the zone’s specific challenges. Actions will focus on the following themes:
- Urban planning
- Building retrofits
- Sustainable mobility
- Digital applications
- Renovation of areas
- Nature-based solutions based on shared and free neighbourhood spaces
- Social innovation
Coordination of these groups is led by the municipality with support from private sector.
Co-creating for climate neutrality
The first actions towards establishing the climate neutral zones consist of co-creating a common vision for the neighbourhoods and mapping the current land use to establish a baseline of environmental impacts. The technical and academic partners are now working to provide technical assistance to address the identified priorities.
The project aims to enhance citizen and communities’ participation and social capacities for participation/engagement. By doing so, the project is increasing social justice, ecological awareness and functioning of democratic institutions. Examples of local stakeholders beyond the municipality and Technical Chamber that have committed their involvement include: the Taxi Drivers Union pledging to invest in electric cars, the police working with the municipality to monitor the new low emissions zone and enforce special fines, and the National Confederation of Disabled People lobbying for more accessible pedestrian streets.
Continuing to gain broad buy-in from diverse stakeholders is critical. Given the importance of the transportation sector in reducing Ioannina’s emissions, the project leaders are looking for more support from the Department of Public Transport. Other stakeholders that should be involved include the University, urban planning professionals, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as well as organisations focused on cultural heritage management. Involvement of all these stakeholders will result in higher buy-in from residents and lead to a higher acceptance of the toolbox.
What are the key drivers for implementation?
- Political: Supported by a history of commitment to climate action, with a target of 40% reduction by 2023 committed to in 2016, followed by the EU Mission for 100 Climate Neutral and Smart Cities target of reducing 80% by 2030.
- Economic: Federal and European funds made available.
- Social: Buy-in and endorsement from citizens and local stakeholders. The collaboration with academics, including the University of Patras, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and National Technical University of Athens increased acceptance of policy tools.
- Technical: Segmenting the municipal territory into distinct zones with unique characteristics and challenges allowing for tailored strategies and maximum effectiveness.
And what were the challenges/ barriers?
- Economic: Early reluctance to approve the budget was mitigated by the aforementioned national and Europeans funds being made available.
- Political: The project is still in its early stages and gaining broad buy-in from diverse stakeholders is critical. Given the importance of the transportation sector in reducing Ioannina’s emissions, the project leaders are looking for more support from the Department of Public Transport.
- Social: Other stakeholders that should be involved include universities, urban planning companies, and organisations focused on cultural issues. It is sometimes challenging to recruit and manage so many diverse stakeholders.
Potential for replication
A small budget for the project is secured under the CRISP project, while other sources include funding from the national government and EU funds. The project leaders, most familiar with the Greek context, see high potential for replication especially for the Greek cities belonging to the EU Mission for 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities, despite differences in size and needs. With funding secured, the main barrier to success remains buy-in and participation from city residents. Ensuring this involvement will not only lead to early success but also prevent long-term opposition to the project.
The following conditions lead to strong potential for replication:
- A favourable social and institutional environment for the facilitation towards the design of low-energy, zero-pollution, high-quality areas to live and thrive.
- An enabling environment and previous successful experiences that build trust between citizens, technical advisors, and authorities and allow for the creation of a common vision.
- A clear regulatory framework for urban regeneration and interventions.
- Supportive policy from the local and regional authorities.
- Tools to inspire participation of stakeholders, e.g., well-documented procedures, transparent planning, and shared and co-created knowledge.
- Access to a range of funding and financing opportunities to create an enabling environment for experimentation.