At 13the Primary school in Botanikos, the mayor of Ioannina, Tómas Begas, together with the deputy mayor for planning, Tómas Iotitsa, his special associate, Elena Siontis, and the president of the unified primary school committee of Ioannina, Katerina Tzima, visited the primary school on Friday morning, to inform the teachers and, above all, the students, of the town’s initiative to proceed with the renovation of the common areas around of the school, at the same time asking for their active participation.
As the mayor explained, the reform concerns the buildings of the Municipality of Ioannito, which will acquire the character of a park, hospitality practices and activities that will improve the quality of life in the area.
The location around the area’s schools, allows the Botanikos to have a larger public space, which will serve the students and the rest of the area’s age groups.
In addition, a network of targeted footpaths will ensure safe traffic around the schools and contribute to the integration of individual open spaces.
“Cities are changing and as a municipal authority we strongly believe that the citizens must decide how this change will happen and not through closed offices. We want the opinion of our fellow citizens on how your neighborhood should change, and that is what we are doing here today with students 13u primary school. We ask for their input to design the common areas around the school, as the students, their parents and grandparents are the ones who live in this community every day and they should have the first opinion”, said Mr Begas.
For his part, Mr. Giotitsas pointed out that the municipal authority has planned a series of interventions around the school in terms of parks, sidewalks, etc. and asks the students to choose the plans based on the these interventions will be made.
“Our goal is to create a child-friendly environment, with fewer cars and safer access to school,” said Mr. Yotitsas.
He also said that there were 13 students a yearu A primary school will be invited to take part in another participatory process announced by the municipal authority which concerns the renovation of their school garden which will be more “green” and more child friendly along with 8 other school gardens in Ioannina.
The mayor’s special partner, Elena Sionti, explained to the last students how they can help the city, asking them to participate with all their imagination and creativity.
As he said, within the next week they will have the opportunity to see various other proposals for the renewal of the common areas around their school and after discussing them in their classes they will be asked to decide together on which one they want to be. implemented.
“This action is based on the central axis, that the children of the area should decide how they think about the daily life of their neighborhood. In this regard, the Municipality has prepared an electronic communication display for children, with different options for using the new parks. During the next week, the students, within the timetable and the school program, will be able to choose the place they prefer and the planning will proceed according to their preferences”, concluded Mrs. Sionti.
