Thessaloniki is to regenerate its Hippocratic Hospital area

The Greek city of Thessaloniki has presented its final plans for the complete renovation of the Hippocratic Hospital area of the city. The aim is to undertake a complete functional and aesthetic upgrade of the public space in order to improve safety and accessibility for pedestrians and other users.

The project, which has a budget of about €1.9 million, is being financed through a close cooperation between the city of Thessaloniki and the Region of Central Macedonia. It was prepared by the Directorate of Sustainable Mobility of the Municipality of Thessaloniki.

The aim of the project is to improve the functionality, accessibility and quality of the urban space, as well as to improve safety and urban mobility. It involves a complete upgrade of the urban environment, with the selection of appropriate paving materials, urban furniture, greenery and mobility interventions.

The plan proposes an entire reorganisation of the area's accessibility by improving walking paths and facilitating access for all by allowing the autonomous, independent and safe circulation of people with reduced mobility. It also includes the reorganisation of public transport stops and the creation of dedicated areas where customers are able to wait for taxis. These changes will be made, not only to facilitate and improve the flows of visitors and hospital employees, but also for the people living and working in the area.

In addition, the project aims to improve road safety through a series of actions that aim to protect pedestrians and reduce the speed of vehicles, and consequently noise levels. It also plans to reduce the number of parking spaces and to improve the control of space that is often occupied by illegal parking. The new scheme includes rationalised parking areas for cars and two-wheelers, the provision of loading and unloading spaces for urban logistics and dedicated parking spaces for people with disabilities.

Original article published by parallaximag.gr on 18 April 2021.