gATHering
Our concept is to develop a rebranding where our city, Athens, serves as a hub for social interaction & cultural events which provides a space for citizens to gather, share their ideas and experiences and work together to improve their community.
What makes Athens important to us?
That question served as the starting point for our exploration of design thinking and co-creation. That idea would soon be transformed into a city branding project with the aim of reviving the city of Athens and its reputation on a local and global level.
The course we were taking on “Cultural Marketing and Communication” of the postgraduate program “MA in Cultural Management, Communication and Media” at Panteion University. We investigated the present identity narratives of Athens, their benefits and drawbacks, as well as how other cities around the world are acting on comparable notions in order to achieve the goals of sustainability, resilience, and livability, under the direction of our lecturer, Mrs. Betty Tsakarestou. We gathered information from reports, ongoing projects, worldwide media, and of course interviews with stakeholders and most importantly, Athenians.
What makes our city, Athens, unique
Athens is frequently referred to as a charming city. It appears that the blend of tradition and modernity is what gives Athens its singularity.
Check here, The city is the museum.
Visit https://athens.withgoogle.com to learn more.
But even today, it is difficult to simultaneously prepare for the future and preserve the past. The city of Athens has its own problems to solve. The biggest problem is establishing trust and confidence among citizens. Residents of a future-focused city may be motivated to participate in co-creating its brand by a sense of belonging. It is believed that the so-called involvement is a crucial tool for cities.
Governance, particularly in Greece, is frequently a contentious topic. Therefore, good governance and transparency can help build stronger stakeholder and decision-maker collaboration and communication.
Nobody can dispute Athens’ historical importance. Due to its past, many people think that this city is the cultural epicenter. Additionally, Athens now builds on assets like authenticity, creativity, and sustainability. The Athenian attitude is comprised of modern art, cultural events, cuisine, and nightlife. The solutions to the Athens problems include to engage citizens on a circular waste-management strategy and respect for green and open public places.
Until we were able to choose a key issue that would serve as the basis for our approach and present a novel and enlivening perspective on the city, we gathered insights from reports, already-existing programs and initiatives, the international media, and numerous stakeholders.
Competitors
Lisbon, Madrid, and Istanbul are thought to be Athens’ primary rivals.
Having reached the halfway point of the semester, we began our study of Athens’ resilience strategy. We first analyzed the goals, pillars and persistent actions of the strategy and then looked for actions that were carried out in previous years, as well as any inconsistencies during the transition from the previous city government — which designed the strategy — to the current one. Also, addressing the main problems that Athens faces and summarizing the strengths and weaknesses, the opportunities and threats that Athens is dealing with in a SWOT analysis, enabled us to set the common goals and priorities, that would lead us to an inspiring strategy.
The existing resilience strategy was designed in 2016, under the mayoralty of Georgios Kaminis. The strategy is outlined in a detailed 200-page report, which includes in addition the objectives of the 100 RC network programme, but also a comprehensive mapping of Athens, its population and the city’s role among its neighbors. The strategy sets a number of ambitious objectives, which is why it is intended to be valid for 15 years. As stated in its first few pages: “By 2030 Athens strives to be a responsive, embracing, and inspirational city, that is proud, green and citizen-led. We nurture creativity and innovation, creating, Inspiring, inspiring and innovative, creating prototypes of belonging, bridging history and Athens is a city that listens and speaks with the world.”
With this objective in mind, the four pillars of the resilience strategy were designed:
- An Open city
- A Green city
- A Proactive city
- A Vibrant city.
Due to the conditions in the macro- and micro-environment, as described above, the covid-19 pandemic that imposed delays and the change in the administration of the municipality (with Kostas Bakoyannis as mayor from 2019 until today), it is considered appropriate to look for practical applications of the actions foreseen in the strategy and, above all, to examine inconsistencies during the change of administration.
The chief objectives of each pillar of Kaminis Resilency Strategy are broken down in the following components.
An Open city means promoting transparency and accountability, Improvement and Simplification of the Municipal Procedures and cultivating Cooperation and a sense of responsibility.
A Green city refers to the need of environmental structures within the urban fabric and the effective utilization of waste. It also requires of a sustainable mobility and co-creation of sustainable spaces, a sustainable food policy and of a sustainable and fair energy policy. It considered a renovation of Panepistimiou street, as well, through the Rethink Athens project, which was not, at that time, ultimately approved.
The third pillar, a Proactive city refers to the reinforcement of serious crisis planning by supporting public administration and strengthening the role of local communities and supporting partnerships at local level as well.
A Vibrant city concentrates to the strengthening of the Identity of the Municipality and of new forms of participation. It also intends maximizing city resources and supporting employment and establishing a pilot upgrading Program of the commercial triangle (Friends of Trigono Athens).
In 2019, when Costas Bacoyannis was elected as the Mayor of Athens, the four pillars of Athens Strategy were retained but new expressions of the objectives were perceived.
An Open city sets as priority a Joint Management Center in collaboration with the Greek Police and the strengthening of citizen safety through eg electrically lit roads. It also concentrates in the completion of digital transformation projects such as the electronic payment platform. Additionally it initiates the creation of a Network of association of cultural entities (Athens Culture Net) and the birth of a cultural community.
The second pillar, a Green city sets a goal for an Urban Redevelopment (Double Redevelopment) and for Green conservation. The goals are the Reconfiguration of the city’s road axes, the Redevelopment of Omonia Square, the cleaning Project “Rain or snow, Athens will clean up” (2020) and several anti-graffiti interventions. A strategic partnership with Panteion University for model solutions in Athens and urban revitalization was created and solutions for smart and sustainable transportation, smart parking (preventive parking system, e-vehicle recharging network) were taken under consideration.
A Proactive city aims to the reinforcement of adaptability of the city Of Athens.It actively participates in the B40 Network of Balkan cities for the cooperation for innovation, sustainable development and culture. Athens as a member of the international initiative City Champions for Heat Action is also in charge of an action plan for climate change. Several initiatives took place such as the foundation of the the Addiction Prevention and Psychosocial Health Promotion Center “Athens Health”.
Athens was awarded with the First Prize for strategy and actions in dealing with opioid overdose.
Carrying out research in collaboration with the University of Economics for the mapping of land use in the neighborhoods of Athens, so that Athens does not turn into an endless coffee shop is another initiative of the present Athenian mayoralty.
A Vibrant city aims to set the city of Athens as a tourist destination. Indeed, Athens, won the A’ World Travel Awards as a Worlds Leading Cultural City Destination in 2022. Moreover, It supports the local entrepreneurship (Development and Tourism Promotion Company of the Municipality of Athens) and it initiated several interventions in 129 neighborhoods of Athens by the “model neighborhood” model
It encourages open participatory consultation procedures and activates action connecting tourism and trade through “Athens shopping”, by supporting the project “Agora Athens” and by upgrading the shopping center of the city.
The biggest difficulty is to achieve engagement. We worked with the notion of a long-term branding that can guide the growth of the city, will center on citizen collaboration, and will achieve well-being. So, we contacted people who work for the municipality or live in the city, single parents and artists in order to get all the insights that will allow us to define the user personas. of our own strategy.
Interviews
The interviews were conducted with the consent of the interviewees and after disclosure of the research objectives. The choice of location was made by the interviewees themselves in order to ensure a direct, interactive discussion where they felt comfortable sharing their experiences of Athens.
Some of the questions were :
· How inclusive is Athens in practice today?
· Is Athens a user/citizen friendly city?
· Is Athens a friendly and friendly place to live?
· And if so, how do citizens perceive them?
· What is missing in Athens today?
· What is the daily life of a parent in Athens like?
· Can an Athenian get around on foot? What opportunities and challenges does a young creator face?
· How open is the city to the LGBTQ+ community?
Inclusivity, accessibility, culture and creativity are concepts that are clearly expressed in the objectives of the existing strategy. Thus, the above questions ultimately aspire to demonstrate its success and weaknesses. The interviewees were selected to bring some of the above characteristics: To be permanent residents of Athens, ideally from different neighbourhoods. In particular, we covered the neighbourhoods of Exarchia, Kypseli and Kerameikos. To be artists or working in a cultural and creative sector. To be parents. To be members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Creating a user persona
Making user personas will help determining the needs for your product and then building it much simpler. Why? since it necessitates conducting adequate research into your primary customer base segments. Three steps are frequently included in creating user personas:
1. Gathering data about your users
2. Putting the data together
3. Creating your user persona
Asking ourselves these three important user questions helped understand our target users.
1. My ideal client is who?
2. What patterns of behavior do my consumers and potential users currently exhibit?
3. What are my users’ objectives and problems?
The third and most crucial question will determine why your rebranding is needed in the first place.
Also important are the user persona objectives:
What goals, both long-term and short-term, do your users have, and why?
Interviews have been extremely helpful, since we had the opportunity to pay attention to personalities, emotions, and body language.
Open-ended survey questions and direct interviews with potential users help us learn more about their thought and behavior habits.
Affinity diagrams
Sticky note affinity diagrams are a quick and easy approach to organize both quantitative and qualitative data into distinct categories.
The visual representation is made clearer if the data is written on sticky notes of different colors for each segment.
Empathy maps
The Empathy Map is yet another tool used in the design process.
Empathy Maps revolve around the target user and are usually broken down into four sections: what they think, feel, say and do.
How many user personas should I develop?
The less personas you have, the easier it is to design for each one. If two groups have enough traits in common, they can sometimes be combined into a single user persona.
Developing the users we also experimented with https://www.hubspot.com/make-my-persona and finally used figma to create three personas. https://www.figma.com/
Check for more info on creating personas https://uxplanet.org/guide-to-creating-user-personas-c62586bb7f0a
Our concept is to develop a city that serves as a meeting place for inhabitants and foreigners,where history and the future meet, innovation is born.
A gATHering place.
We prefer to compare our vision of Athens as a place where citizens gather, share ideas and collaborate on various activities. A city that serves as a hub for social interaction, cultural events, educational programs, and recreational activities. Which provides a space for citizens to come together, share their ideas and experiences, and work together to improve their community.
Our idea is to create a city branding that promotes a sense of belonging, social connections, and empowering citizens to actively contribute to their community’s growth and development.
The biggest difficulty is to achieve engagement. We worked with the notion of a long-term branding that can guide the growth of the city, will center on citizen collaboration, and will achieve well-being. One that would enable every inhabitant, with a focus on families, to become a co-creator of the new Athens brand in order to make it the place we gather, live and achieve wellbeing. Of course, tourists should also have a significant role. We must treat them as residents rather than as visitors in order to provide them the chance to contribute to the city’s rebranding.
Athens’ brand cannot be built and communicated in a single dimension. To ensure that Athens obtains exposure and stands out in the global arena, it is essential to forge alliances with other regional actors in addition to the city’s formal authorities, particularly the Athens Municipality.
Our strategy
By 2030, Athens wants to become an inspiring city, a responsive city, one that is: efficient and at the service of citizens and visitors, green and resilient, open and inclusive, interesting and vibrant. We need to cultivate creativity & innovation.
Bearing the name “gATHering” we choose to design four pillars as well:
Our fist pillar is an Efficient City, at the service of all. The main objectives are Transparency and Accountability, Cooperation, Participation and Sense of responsibility, Strengthening the identity of the Municipality and new forms of participation/sense of belonging. It also goals to maximizing the city resources, to the foundation of Municipal Health Centers and to the increase of employment.
Several activities are taken under consideration towards the goals above: the provision of Open Data for the city of Athens, and the implementation of a digital policy. Communication Campaigns will reinforce projects for Partnership for Athens, the Platforms of Collaborating Bodies and a network of Municipal Neighborhoods. Strengthening the administrative functions of the municipality and an action Framework for the Employment are major initiatives as well. The foundation of Health and Social Services Centers and the consequent employment of municipal Doctors and Nurses are considered to be of absolute importance.
The second pillar of our proposed Strategy is that of a Green and Durable city. The main objectives are the environmental Infrastructures within the urban fabric, the utilization of waste, a water saving and storage system (e.g.the use of well water), sustainable mobility and public spaces and the strengthening and expansion of the municipal transport network. Also, a network of green laboratories (academic community, municipal and state agencies) to tackle pollution and the adaptation to climate change (flooding, desertification). Taking the above objectives under consideration the strategy aims to create an Action Plan for adaptation to climate change, an action plan for waste management and an action plan for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. An authority for the management of large green spaces along with municipality and university institutions collaborations may contribute to new free and green public spaces to energy cooperatives from renewable sources, and a Sustainable Food Policy Plan. Other Initiatives that the second pillar involves is a Road Map for Sustainable Mobility and giving incentives for businesses to adopt green solutions (energy, waste).
The third pillar of our designed Strategy by the name Athens Gathering is an Open and Inclusive city. Here the objectives are the initiation of Programs for participation in sports activities for social integration, Programs of participation in cultural activities for social integration, the extension of programs to refugees and immigrants and a Welcoming city in general that promotes tolerance and diversity. The activities that should be taken under consideration are open schools of the municipality of Athens for sports and cultural activities, taking action and plans for the integration of immigrants and giving incentives for entrepreneurs for employment. Social Housing Programs should be created and the renovation of the old buildings of the city should be considered for hosting immigrants and artists, but also places of commercial activity, with the appropriate incentives. A culture network of the municipality of Athens emerges and the vacant buildings of the city of Athens may prove a valuable asset of the city, since they can host centers for cultural and sports activities/ and new business activities. Policies for controlling Airbnb are highly advisable, having in mind the example of France as a solution to the emerging housing crisis, Athens is facing. Another high priority is a initiative for a revitalization Program of public spaces.
The fourth pillar of a Vibrant city aims for strengthening the cultural life of the city, the organizations of international Festivals and open concerts, an attractive city in general that respects the history and zoning of each neighborhood, its residents and visitors. Another objective of the specific pillar is the eminence of people of culture , setting an open invitation and giving incentives to artists, in exchange for the creation of an artistic work. Highlighting the gastronomic culture of the city is also of great importance for the cultural promotion of the city.
Towards these objectives certain activities should be taken under serious consideration, such as the enactment of the Resident Card of Athens, the creation of Green and Cultural Urban Corridors and the initiation of a Strategic Plan for the Creative Economy that will contribute to the desired holistic identity of the city. In addition, a Maintenance and Restoration Program of the neighborhoods of Athens, that takes into account multiple maps and highlighting landmarks in the city depending on the theme (music, sports, food, poetry, painting) and the necessity of mapping the public space in general contribute to citizens’ and visitors’ love and care for Athens. Providing incentives for tourism and catering professionals and entrepreneurs are also considered major steps to a city’s vibrancy.
The Business Plan and Stakeholders that are responsible with the implementation of the activities above are the Municipality of Athens, the Technopolis of the Municipality of Athens, the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Ministry of Spatial Planning and Environment under the guidance and help of Marketing Greece that offer the expertise & design of a coordinated marketing plan to promote the proposed strategy.
Getting the people involved
How to achieve engagement
Media and advertising. Reaching as many individuals as we can is one of our objectives. We may promote our ideas and strategies by co-writing articles and collaborating with well-known news & lifestyle websites targeted at young adults (LIFO, Athens Voice, neolaia.gr, elculture.gr, propaganda.gr etc).
Activities & Events. As a team , we believe that effective changes in the city can only occur if the residents get involved. So we are proposing a number of activities, workshops, and events to get people interested in the new course the city is following. By including the locals in the planning and implementation processes, we can make sure that it will be resilient. Citizens can gather to participate in group activities or workshops based on their interests and hobbies. The municipality of Athens can also organize events like festivals, concerts and exhibitions which further encourage community engagement and cultural exchange.
Here you can check our miro board
The team
Chrisopoulou Eleni (4122Μ021)
Feidanoglou Dimitris (4122Μ020)
Lampropoulou Evangelia (4122Μ019)
References-Bibliography
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Justinmind. (2020, August 10). Guide to creating user personas. Medium. https://uxplanet.org/guide-to-creating-user-personas-c62586bb7f0a
O’Connor, J. (2015). Intermediaries and Imaginaries in the Cultural and Creative Industries. Regional Studies, 49(3), 374–387. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2012.748982
Η Δημοτική Αγορά Κυψέλης ανοίγει και μας καλεί να την ανακαλύψουμε! (n.d.). Retrieved July 1, 2023, from https://www.athens-technopolis.gr/index.php/el/ekdiloseis-technopolis/details/2023-04-27/942-dak
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