GR
Residents and visitors with mobility or visual impairments now have unhindered access to central Athenian points of interest, thanks to the seven accessible itineraries mapped by the social enterprise “Me Alla Matia” in collaboration with the Municipality of Athens.
Specifically, the routes were mapped by a focus group of disabled people and professionals in the field who studied them in person and mapped them. They have been selected to combine the most important points of interest with the fewest obstacles and restrictions of the built environment. At the same time, they present general accessibility information, as available to the public, for each point of interest.
⏹ What are the itineraries
The mapped routes concern neighborhoods with noteworthy points of interest throughout Athens. Each route has two versions, one aimed at people with visual impairments and one aimed at wheelchair users, with differentiated details, mapped in Greek and English.
Detailed routes with the points of interest:
1. Kerameikos – Metaxourgio
“Kerameikos” Metro Station, Gazi, Greek Film Archive Foundation, Megalou Alexandrou Street and surrounding pedestrian streets, Athens Municipality Art Gallery, Avdi and Dourouti Squares, Metaxourgio Friendship Club, Karaiskaki Square, “Metaxourghio” Metro Station
2. Panormou metro station – Evangelismos metro station
“Panormou” Metro Station, “Apollo” Tower, Larissis Street, “President” Hotel, “Ellinis” Cinema, Evangelikis Scholis Square, “Anesis” theatre, National Foundation for the Deaf, General Directorate of Public Health and Social Care, School of Public Health, National Centre for Social Solidarity, Athens Tower, Embassies of the USA, Republic of Korea, Serbia and Malta, Hellenic Myasthenia Gravis Association, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, General Chemical State Laboratory Services, National Transplant Organization, Attica Region Social Welfare Centre, Greek National Tourism Organisation, Hospitals (Hippocration, “Alexandra”, Aretaieio, NIMTS, Evangelismos and Aiginiteio), Mavili Square, Athens Concert Hall, Music Library of Greece, “Megaro Mousikis” Metro Station, Eleftherias Park, Athens Municipality Arts Centre, “Ilisia” Theatre, “The Runner” sculpture, “The Ilisian” hotel, National Gallery of Greece, Rizari Park, “Evangelismos” Metro Station, Athens War Museum
3. Amerikis Square – Kypselis Square
Amerikis Square, Citizen Service Centre, General Secretariat of the Municipality of Athens, Fokionos Negri pedestrian street, Agias Zonis pedestrian street, “Stella” outdoors cinema, Agias Zonis Church, Hospice for Neuro-disability, Malcolm Mansion, Kypseli’s Municipal Market, 26th Primary School and 139th Kindergarten of Athens, Kypselis Square
4. Victoria Square – Evelpidon Str.
Victoria Square, “Victoria” station, OTE Building, Pedion Areos, Green Park, KTEL, AUEB, Panellinios G.C., “AKMI” Institute, NGO “Arsis”, Mediterranean College, AKTO Art & Design, “Alsos” theatre, Hellenic Military Geographical Service, Protomagia Square, Hellenic National Defence College, Athens Court of First Instance, Municipal Gym, 38th Junior High School and 38th High School of Athens
5. Patisia – Grava
“Ano Patisia” station, Drakopoulos Park, Klonaridis – Fix Park, DYPA Patission, Athens Vocational Training School for PwD, Grava School Complex, 22nd Scout Group, SAEK Galatsi, Gravas swimming pool, municipal sports complex, and Sports Hall “Antonis Tritsis”, Gravas municipal gym, Friendship Club
6. Plato’s Academy
Square Peristyle, Digital Museum, Plato’s Academy park, sports field, inclusive playground, Church Saint Tryphon, Plato’s Academy archaeological grove
⏹ What do they include?
The guide for each route includes:
- Introduction with a description of the project, as well as useful accessibility information regarding Athens
- Map of the route with numbered points of interest
- List of points of interest
- Summary of the route and what it includes
- General accessibility of the area, indicating the length of the route, lighting, any slope, traffic commentary, starting and ending points
- A route analysis that notes:
- Directions
- Points of interest that include:
- Photo
- Google Maps link
- Website
- Description
- Accessibility information as available online
The project was presented at the conference “Actions and Perspectives for Accessibility in the Municipality of Athens”, at the Municipality’s cultural centre on March 28. The Accessibility & Inclusion Advisor and the Inclusion Program Manager of the “Me Alla Matia” NPO, Panagiotis Pitsiniagkas and Thalia Kiousi, respectively, presented aspects of the project through the prism of the disability claim “Nothing About Us Without Us”. Within the framework of the section “How accessible is Athens? Challenges and Perspectives”, the attendees approached the mapping so far in detail and discovered the connection of the new project with the pilot routes that have preceded it in the historic centre.
More specifically, the mapping of four pilot itineraries has already been published on an interactive accessible website for the convenience of tourists from abroad and outside the capital.
🔀 Find the accessible routes of the historic centre here.
📍 At the same time, the 7th route was characterised as the update of the older routes concerning the structural changes that the centre has undergone from 2020 to today.
It is important to note that the project does not aspire to cover the inadequacy of the infrastructure, but to complement the technical works being carried out and thus support the residents until the neighborhoods become accessible and safe for all people. The significant difference with the previous itineraries is that, in parallel with the mapping, the focus group prepared a technical report with the difficulties it encountered, which was delivered to the corresponding technical service. High obstacles, fallen trees, lack of route guides, and ramps with a bad slope were noted so that the Municipality could restore them, and the routes could truly serve the people for whom they were compiled.
The in vivo mapping has been completed. Currently, the project is in the development phase, while the problematic points of the routes are being corrected. Within 2025, the guides will be ready for publication, while resources are already being sought so that the routes can be mapped interactively on a website.
🎯 The goal is for every disabled person to enjoy safe routes in their neighborhood, through their mobile phone, live and step-by-step.
