A First-Rate Waterfront Park Is Transforming a Historic Greek City

THESSALONIKI, GREECE—Any single feature in the New Waterfront in Thessaloniki might distinguish it as destination. A seaside promenade that conducts visitors from the stalwart White Tower to the serenely modern Thessaloniki Concert Hall is bound to be a destination just by dint of its location. So the fact that the New Waterfront boasts aquatic gardens is almost gratuitous.

Koi ponds and lily pads run along the linear park. So do basketball courts, cycle paths, fishing perches, historical exhibits, an amphitheater, children’s playgrounds, and an iconic public artwork, among other amenities. The New Waterfront, which was started in 2008 and completed in two phases, today serves as a model for other waterfront reclamation projects, including a new waterfront park underway in Geelong, Australia.