RECLAMATION OF MEDITERRANEAN
RECLAMATION OF MEDITERRANEAN
URBAN BARREN LANDSCAPE.
THE CASE OF ATTICA GROVE.
Dr. ALEXANDER KANTARTZIS¹, Dr. GREGORY VARRAS²
¹Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture
Technological Educational Institute of Epirus
P.O. Box 110, 47100 Arta
GREECE
²Parks and Gardens Department
Municipality of Athens
Kanellopoulou 5, Athens
GREECE
Abstract: The once barren hills of Tourkovounia, today known as Attica Grove is one of Athens few forested urban landscapes. Ecosystem restoration, prevention of environmental degradation and urban sprawl has been achieved by top soiling and planting steep barren rock formations (outcrops), thus reclaiming environmentally sensitive open areas for public land use, resulting in landscapes possessing cultural and natural benefits to society.
Key-Words: Reclamation, Mediterranean Urban Barren Landscape, Landform, Top soil dressing, Replanting
1. Introduction
The area of study, known as the Attica Grove, covers the western highest part of the wider hill formation of Tourkovounia, and specifically refers to the part that is delineated within the municipality of Athens.
It is an area whose elevation spans between 220 to 231 meters above sea level. Its landform consists of washed limestone slopes with abrupt rock outcrops and more level surface on top of the hill, where today sites part of the G. Papandreou settlement.
In the past it had been a totally barren moonscape, but due to top soiling and replanting, one of Athens’s most prominent natural skylines has changed for ever. [pic]
2 Analysis of Study Area
2.1 Soils
The entire rock formation of Tourkovounia is made up of hard limestone with some patches of schist. The terra rosa soil, being a byproduct of the weathering of limestone, is confined to a limited number of shallow deposits [1].
Total absence of shrubs and trees along with sudden outpour of high storm water volume due to intense slope conditions, depleted the topsoil from higher elevations and deposited them to the lower residential area creating colouvial deposits on which the Department of Public Works had done some tree planting. This had left higher elevation barren areas and created a landform outline dominated by the grayish limestone of the Tourkovounia rock formation [2]. [pic]
[pic]
2.2 Slopes
Most of the barren study area (higher elevations) had a 30-60% slope, while the lower residential areas still to date has 0-30% slope.
[pic]
2.3 Orientations-Solar Exposure
With respect to bioclimatic conditions -having a southeast to northwest solar orientation- the study area is characterized of the driest possible exposures.
2.4 Access-Landform
Access to the planting zones was made by special access roads that were created along with the forming of terraces [3]. [pic]
2.5 Storm water runoff
Due to the absence of soil and vegetation, extreme runoff conditions burdened the lower areas with enormous amounts of excess storm water, causing headaches to the surface and underground storm water network. For example, on a storm of a 10cm rainfall, the entire study area of 200 stremmas (including the settlement) calculated with a runoff coefficient of 0.8, would produce a total volume of Q=200.000×0.10×0.8= 16.000m³ of storm water.
2.6 Vegetation
From a plant community standpoint, the region belongs to the thermomediterranean growth development (Oleo ceratonion) of the East Mediterranean. The bioclimate is intense thermomediterranean with number of dry days ranging from 125 to 150 (125 ................
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