MOBILAIR at the Vardaris Neighbourhood Festival: Digital Routes in Western Thessaloniki
What a weekend at Vardaris, Thessaloniki!
The Municipality of Thessaloniki and Parallaxi Mag joined forces to bring this historic western neighbourhood back into the spotlight, celebrating its rich history, vibrant present, and exciting potential for the future. The festival brought together residents, local stakeholders, researchers, and cultural actors in a shared celebration of place and community.
MOBILAIR was proud to participate by offering a hands-on experience with the Mobilair Project app as part of the “Digital Routes in Western Thessaloniki” initiative. Visitors had the opportunity to explore the app directly, discovering in real time how air quality conditions along their everyday routes can guide greener and healthier mobility choices, whether on foot, by bicycle, or by public transport.
The hands-on format proved particularly engaging: rather than simply hearing about the technology, residents could interact with it on the spot, tracing their own familiar routes through the neighbourhood and seeing how air quality data translates into practical, actionable guidance for their daily commute.
The concept is simple but powerful: by visualising air quality data spatially and temporally, citizens can make informed decisions about when and how to travel, reducing their personal exposure to pollution while collectively contributing to a cleaner city. In a dense urban area like Vardaris, this kind of data-driven awareness can make a real difference.
The event was an exceptional opportunity to connect directly with the people who live and work in the neighbourhoods where MOBILAIR operates. We were happy to see many familiar faces, and equally delighted to make new connections with residents, local stakeholders, and fellow researchers who are working to improve quality of life in western Thessaloniki.
A heartfelt thank you to the Municipality of Thessaloniki and Parallaxi Mag for creating this space for dialogue and innovation, and to everyone who stopped by to try the app and share their thoughts
