Denkraum: Sustainable Cities & Good Life, occurred in Athens from 6th of 9th of October organised by BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt &  Impact Hub, in collaboration with Impact Hub Athens, Impact Hub Madrid & Amsterdam.

Combining digital & physical presence and together with distinct voices, Impact Hub Athens assembled a network of mindful individuals to co-inspire solutions for the current challenges in the domains of electric mobility, waste management, green infrastructure and zero emissions, investments in sustainability and resiliency in culture and built heritage.

Spaces of the City Fabric from the Heritage Management Organization

Athens City centre, especially after the multiple crises of the past few decades contains many derelict buildings, representing an architectural style that is unique in Greece. The Heritage Management Organization, owner of this challenge, represented by Evangelos Kyriakidis and Ioannis Trohopoulos, the discussion facilitators, directed thinking towards awareness of the issue and solutions for the use and financial development of derelict cultural heritage buildings in Athens.

The deep dive and discussion proposed the creation of a registry of buildings and their potential uses, dissemination of information about them at the local level, and working together with local agents in the decision-making process for the buildings’ restoration and development.

Denkraum is a series of events organized by the BMW Herbert Quandt Foundation that first happened in 2016 in Munich. It strives to be a forum where influential local leaders are not only called to reflect upon modern challenges but also to propose realistic solutions and finally have an impact in creating a sustainable future for their communities. The Foundation cooperates with Impact Hub in several places in Brazil, Africa and Europe. The 2020 series, titled “Good Life & Sustainable Cities”, includes hybrid (virtual and live) events in Munich, Amsterdam, Athens and Madrid. The Athens-based event took place during the first week of October.

Read the full report here.