THE THESSALONIKI RIVIERA

"Only the ship is worthy of Salonika. Never dare to look at her from the land." This is how Nikos Kavvadias saw and dreamed of Thessaloniki. He loved her, he praised her in his verses, and she always held a special place in his heart. The great Kavvadias highlighted her uniqueness, which lies mainly in the Thermaic Gulf, the largest gulf of the Aegean Sea.

One of the most ambitious regeneration projects, expected to be implemented gradually with a completion horizon of 2030, is the regeneration of the 40-kilometre seafront extending west of Kalochori and the estuary of the Gallikos River, all the way to the great breakwater at the eastern end of the Thermaic Gulf.

This is the most significant regeneration project concerning the city, and for the first time in such a project a total of seven municipal districts are involved, specifically the municipalities of Delta, Ampelokipoi–Menemeni, Thessaloniki, Kalamaria, Pylaia–Chortiatis, Thermi and Thermaikos.

The 40 km seafront from Kalochori to Angelochori was divided into the following areas:

The section west of the Port (Gallikos – Port of Thessaloniki Authority) with its sub-sections:

– The declared wetland as a national park. – The section with eroded shoreline and a degraded coastal zone with a concentration of petroleum-product storage facilities.

The coastal section of the urban fabric (Port of Thessaloniki Authority – Peripheral Ditch) with its sub-sections:

• The section north of the port. • The city centre, planned with Hébrard's redesign and shaped over the past 100 years. • The corresponding section of the new seafront, shaped over the past 60 years and recently regenerated. • The section in functional discontinuity, due to the natural relief, with the urban fabric of Kalamaria. • The peri-urban section up to the airport, with a degraded shoreline. • The southern suburban section (Airport – Angelochori) with its sub-sections. • The section with eroded shoreline and a degraded, undeveloped coastal zone. • The section with a degraded shoreline in continuation of the residential area of the Municipality of Thermaikos.

The 19 planned interventions

Kalochori – Port of Thessaloniki Authority: • At the lagoon in Kalochori, the implementation of the study prepared by EKBY, as well as a fishing shelter, which will additionally serve as a stop for the maritime transport service in the event of its extension. • Creation of a pedestrian and cycling route on a light pile-supported structure, from the lagoon area up to the Dendropotamos. • Regeneration of the bed of the Dendropotamos, which is considered the starting point of the route of the Western Arc towards the camps of Megas Alexandros, Papakyriazi, Pavlos Melas and Strempeniotis, the Eptapyrgio and the Gardens of the Pasha. • Remediation and regeneration of the Dendropotamos area and of the tanneries, with the continuation of the pedestrian and cycling route up to 26th October Street.

Port of Thessaloniki Authority – Western Entrance Area: • Creation of a Metropolitan Western Park on the site of the old freight station, in continuation of the planned facilities of the Holocaust Museum, with the incorporation into the town plan of an area of 140 hectares owned by GAIAOSE. 10 ESTATE BY ARCUS • Creation of a route from the new Holocaust Museum to Eleftheria Square, through the old Freight Station and the Port of Thessaloniki, as a path of remembrance, showcasing the more recent History of Thessaloniki.

First Pier of the Port of Thessaloniki – Concert Hall: • Continuation of the pedestrian and cycling route from the 1st pier of the Port up to the White Tower, with an extension of the quay at a variable width using reversible structures without infilling. • Town-planning regulations in the area of the nautical clubs for the integration of the proposed coastal-engineering interventions into the urban fabric. • Siting of large-scale underground parking facilities in the city blocks east of Megas Alexandros Street.

Concert Hall – Posidonio – Allatini: • Regulations at the southern end of the Municipality of Thessaloniki, aiming at a unified town-planning approach to the area of the Thessaloniki Concert Hall Organisation – Posidonio – Allatini and of the out-of-plan coastal area at the boundary with the Municipality of Kalamaria, with the creation of an Eastern Metropolitan Hub of Culture, Sport and Tourism, with the aim of: • Reusing, restoring and showcasing the historic listed buildings of the Allatini Mills and their direct presentation on the seafront. • Creating a large public space on the site of the Posidonio, from the Allatini Mills to Kellario Bay. • Integrating the buildings of the Thessaloniki Concert Hall Organisation into the urban fabric with the creation of a new square as a point of reference, the localised diversion or partial undergrounding of Maria Callas Street and its connection to Goni Street. • Creating a new supra-local nautical-sports centre. • Constructing a small-scale infill following a coastal-engineering study and the approval of the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities.

Municipality of Kalamaria Area – Municipality of Pylaia–Chortiatis Area: • Town-planning regulations on the coastal front of the Municipality of Kalamaria, for the former facilities of the Government House, IKA and NOK, and for the siting of the monument of the Disinfection Stations. • Creation of the first urban artificial swimming area, following coastal-engineering studies, at the Aretsou beach. • Creation of a coastal public-space zone for the development of swimming areas on its front, following studies and coastal-engineering works. • Integration into the town-planning scheme of the line extending the METRO towards the Airport, and of the necessary traffic arrangements. • Redefinition of the town-planning directions and choices of the coastal area of the Municipal Unit of Pylaia, which is being incorporated into the town plan with the aim of creating a supra-local hub of central functions and tourism–leisure, with the simultaneous removal and relocation elsewhere of the existing shipbuilding and ship-repair facilities.

Thermi Farmland – Municipality of Thermaikos: • Creation of an Eastern Metropolitan Park – Botanical Garden on part of the land of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki near the airport, with the simultaneous preservation of the use of the educational facilities and the showcasing of the unclassified wetland, as well as the siting of a METRO stop and a maritime transport stop with the required accompanying support uses. • Siting of a Business Park for the development of a shipbuilding and ship-repair zone to serve the fishing fleet of the Thermaic Gulf. • Redefinition of the town-planning regulations of the wider area of the recently sited Thess-INTEC Technology Park. • Reclaiming the role and the development features of the coastal area of the Municipality of Thermaikos, as the main maritime-leisure zone of the Greater Thessaloniki Area, by updating the data and evoking the memories of the 1960s and 1970s. The completion of the project will significantly change the profile of the city, with infrastructure and investments that will deeply strengthen the local economy and its tourism profile into a four-season destination.