Green, full of life and culturally pluralistic, Elefsina’s future from the point of view of the locals

Credits: John Kouskoutis

Memorable findings (moments) from HeritACT's first three months bringing together community voices able to unlock the collective vision of the city.

HeritACT’s initial three months have gathered community voices, revealing the collective vision of Elefsina. Known as "Persephone's nightmare," Elefsina is often described as a rough diamond—underprivileged yet beautiful, quiet yet contradictory. The city is now envisioned as a green, clean, aesthetic, solidarity-driven, human, open, and comfortable community.

Sixty-eight residents and workers of Elefsina responded to the HeritACT questionnaire, offering their views on the importance of cultural heritage, the reuse of industrial monuments, their quality of life, as well as their suggestions, difficulties and concerns.

These insights are complemented by results from two bodystorming sessions and thematic walks, as well as ongoing project activities like ParticiMap and Crowdsourcing, which will continue until early 2026.

Credits: John Kouskoutis

Do people have the power? 

Answers and contradictions conveyed by these participatory tools bring to light the collective imagination of and about the city. On a social level, the imaginative capacity of a new status quo or reality precedes action and can change the fate of the city.

Here's what respondents revealed:

Quality of Life: One in three believes that, to a moderate extent, it can affect his/ her quality of life (score 3 out of 5)

Influence on Public Space: One in three believe they have less power to influence public space design (score 2 out of 5).

Furthermore, according to the respondents, the dominant conservative mindset and the heavy air pollution caused by industry are irreversible factors in the effort to change, while they rate their own degree of responsibility for the living conditions in Elefsina as moderate to low.

Credits: John Kouskoutis

The Significance of Cultural Heritage

Cultural heritage is highly valued by respondents, along with the sense of community and the urban/natural environment. The development of cultural heritage, repurposing of industrial spaces, and welcoming of new voices are seen as keys to enhancing social cohesion, multiculturalism, sustainable tourism, and economic development.

Regarding the industrial monuments and sites that the HeritACT project engages with in and around the city, the collective imagination registers a desire for them to be (re)connected with the world. The collective vision sees these sites being reconnected with the community through the appropriate regeneration and maintenance, making them open, accessible, and clean. This way, the sites will become an attraction for people and groups from the city and visitors

Most people visit the monuments for sightseeing, followed by cultural and leisure activities. In most responses, the relationship with IRIS Industrial Complex  is largely seen as non-existent or narrow. The relationship with the Old Soap Factory is viewed more positively thanks to the constant cultural activities of the Aeschylia Festival. The renovated Cine Eleusis receives mixed views, the relationship with the Old Canteen is considered as non-existent and characterised by feelings of abandonment, and the connection with Oasis Former Camping is non-existent, except for those with experiential ties to the place.

Most people understand the importance of repurposing these sites and integrating them into plans for utilising cultural heritage alongside open green spaces for the city's residents and surrounding areas. This should be achieved through targeted, community-oriented efforts to raise public awareness and provide information. The interviewees believe that re-use brings both profits and symbolic capital to the city through economic and tourism development, strengthens the cultural identity of the people of Elefsina and their sense of belonging, and links the past with contemporary cultural life.

Credits: John Kouskoutis

Difficulties & concerns

Of particular interest is the analysis of the main hurdles in the effort to make the most of cultural heritage. Criticism is directed towards the top, as lack of support from local authorities/organisations, lack of financial resources, and threats from urban development and environmental pollution, are among the major comments/ remarks of the community while concluding in the lack of public awareness. 

In this light, the unfulfilled objectives and the discouraging sense of frustration, the lack of will on the part of politicians and indifference on the part of residents, the exogenous factors, the size, mechanisms, methods in the processes of exploiting cultural heritage and developing a sustainable model, which is the issue at stake, are identified between the main concerns.

Let's (re)imagine the future of the city

It's not just the buildings, infrastructure and streets that look "tired". In cities without a vision, what is missing is vitality and life in the atmosphere, a limited willingness to let people get involved in the actions and processes, and a lack of imagination. Cities thrive when they foster creativity and imaginative thinking in discussions, actions, and initiatives. HeritACT’s participatory actions embrace this culture. The questionnaire, crowdsourcing campaign, ParticiMap, and other upcoming actions are open to all voices, aiming to include every perspective in shaping the future of the city.