SOFIA DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION was founded as non-profit organization with the decision 348
of the Sofia Municipal Council to work for the sustainable development of the capital.
THE FIRST YEAR REVIEW OF BEREADY ENDS SUCCESSFULLY
The consortium partners of BeReady reported successful completion of the planned deliverables and reaching key milestones for the first 18 months of implementation. Hosted by JINAG in Brno, partners met on 1-2 April 2025 for intense discussions and progress review, led by the project officer Guzstav Csomor from JS/MA of the Interreg Danube Program.
During the review period, the 19 partners from 12 countries engaged in monthly online meetings, held over 25 dissemination and knowledge sharing events and meetings, signed local coalition pacts with over 131 members, engaged over 230 participants in workshops and capacity building events. The 10 city partners completed comprehensive Urban Heat Islands risk and vulnerability assessments, with some partners carrying out the analysis for the first time for their cities. We are proud to report reaching out to over 95,000 citizens in the partner countries through online and offline communication activities.
Numbers aside, the first project year was critical for placing the UHI topic in the spotlight of local authorities, climate change experts, citizens, the media. Partners have identified important gaps – institutional, technical, scientific, in the cities’ preparedness and capacity to tackle the vulnerabilities and effects of UHI on the urban infrastructure, urban climate, and most importantly, residents and vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and people with chronic diseases. To aid city authorities in planning UHI-resilience measures, BeReady has also launched an online platform for UHI risk assessment in four critical areas, i.e., urban climate, exposure of buildings and materials, vulnerable groups, city preparedness and adaptive capacity. The platform is accessible at HERE.
In the following months from July to September partner cities will be launching local pilot projects to address the UHI challenges in their cities, following an urban acupuncture approach; each city will implement a “blue,” “green,” or “white” measure in a selected city zone. City residents and local stakeholders across the partnership are invited to take part in the activities, helping to make their cities more UHI-resilient and ready to adapt to climate changes.
Read more about the project on the website https://be-uhi-ready.net/ and our social media https://www.facebook.com/bereadyprojecteu.
This project is supported by the Interreg Danube Region Programme co-funded by the European Union.
OVER 100 PARTICIPANTS FROM 13 COUNTRIES DISCUSSED SOLUTIONS TO COUNTERACT URBAN HEAT ISLANDS
The topic of urban heat islands (UHI) is still not at the top of local and national strategies to tackle climate change, despite the increasing number of days a year with prolonged heat waves. The past year 2024 was declared the hottest year since temperature measurements were made (according to the EU's Copernicus (C3S) Climate Change Service).
The international project BeReady (Strategy for sustainability, preparation and mitigation of urban heat islands), which focuses on assessing the UHI risks and vulnerability of cities in the Danube region, aims to create the capacity of local and regional authorities to use analytical tools to improve their preparedness to deal with the challenges of this phenomenon. The project partners have created an online platform that helps city authorities to assess their risk for UHI against 4 components (urban environment, materials and infrastructure, vulnerable social groups, preparedness of the local administration for UHI prevention and mitigation).
On March 17, 2025, Sofia Development Association, together with partners KVA, Hungary, and ATG, Romania, organized an international webinar with over 100 participants from 13 countries, where they presented the platform and shared key conclusions related to reducing the harmful effects of heat islands. The main challenges facing cities continue to be the lack of systematized data on the urban climate (the available data are not always free, which makes them inaccessible to municipalities with small budgets); the exposure of buildings and infrastructure to high temperatures, as well as the sporadic survey of social groups that are most at risk of heat waves (young children, the elderly, people with chronic diseases, the poor). Insufficient funding for work on the topic has been allocated to the current European programmes and structural funds, and planning for the next period has not yet begun. Cities' efforts to plan targeted actions to counter TRP are hampered by existing practices in public procurement to select a contractor at the lowest cost, which does not allow support for innovation and technologically efficient solutions. The sharing of good practices and continuous exchange between research institutes, business, citizen science and local authorities should be a leading approach in the creation of long-term strategic documents and action plans in this area.
The webinar discussion engaged representatives of EUSDR, DRP, European Committee of the Regions, local and national authorities, NGOs, universities and business organizations.
From the beginning of July this year, pilot projects will be launched in ten Danube region cities to reduce the effects of UHI, applying the blue, green and white urban acupuncture approach.
Be Ready is an INTERREG Danube Region project co-financed by the European Union.
POLICIY WEBINAR: CITY PREPAREDNESS AND CAPACITY TO TACKLE URBAN HEAT ISLANDS
Policiy Webinar: City Preparedness and Capacity to Tackle Urban Heat Islands
17 March 2025, 15:00 – 16:30 PM (BG), via Zoom
The urban heat island (UHI) effect presents a growing threat to the livability of urban environments. As the climate crisis intensifies, the issue of UHIs is increasingly affecting not just city centers but also a wide range of built-up areas beyond urban boundaries.
The policy webinar will present major outputs and insights from the work of the 19 city and associated partners from the Danube River Region. We invite you to join us for an expert discussion and policy exchange on how to improve the cities’ adaptive capacity to tackle UHIs. During the webinar we will present a state-of-the-art methodology for UHI risk and vulnerability assessment and an online platform which allows cities to self-assess their preparedness level to mitigate the effects of UHI.
Key speakers include Mr László Balatonyi, Priority Area 5 Coordinator for the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR), Mr Gusztáv Csomor, DTP JS, Ms Tzvetelina Zarkin, Sofia municipal councilor and member of the Committee of the Regions, BeReady partners and more.
Join us for an engaging discussion and mutual learning between cities, policymakers and experts!
The webinar is organized by the project UrBan hEat islands REsilience, prepAreDness and mitigation strategy (BeReady).
Date: 17 March 2025
Time: 3:00 – 4:30 PM (BG time)
Registration link: https://forms.gle/aWho31q6Tq2ZVtjc8
Live stream via Facebook: HERE
This project is supported by the Interreg Danube Region Programme co-funded by the European Union.
VIENNA SHARES WITH SOFIA ITS EXPERIENCE IN TACKLING URBAN HEAT
On November 27, 2024, an online workshop titled "How to Tackle Urban Heat?" was held, organized by the Vienna City International Office in Sofia in cooperation with the Sofia Development Association. The event brought together experts and stakeholders to discuss the challenges of climate change and innovative solutions for adapting urban environments.
Dr. Johannes Luther, Head of International Relations and Strategic Partnerships at Urban Innovation Vienna – the Climate and Innovation Agency of the Vienna City Administration, presented the city’s strategies for addressing the increasing frequency of extreme weather events. He highlighted that urban heat significantly impacts quality of life, public health, biodiversity, and tourism, while also increasing the demand for cooling.
According to the agency’s estimates, the cost of inaction in this area could reach:
- Between €300 million and €1 billion annually by 2030;
- Between €490 million and €2.7 billion annually by 2050.
Vienna is implementing an integrated strategy that includes:
- Climate-sensitive neighborhood planning;
- Heat-resistant (re)design of urban spaces for all residents;
- Returning rainwater to the natural water cycle;
- Developing tools to address the climate crisis.
Gottfried Strugl, Head of Operational Organization and Management at Vienna Parks and Gardens (Department MA 42), couldn’t join the event but shared presentation comprehensive insights with participants on the role of Vienna’s parks in combating urban heat. He emphasized the importance of green spaces for improving the microclimate and mitigating the effects of overheating in urban environments.
In the context of the Sofia Development Association and Sofia Municipality's work on the Be READY project, which aims to raise awareness and develop strategies for addressing urban heat effects, the discussions and shared experiences proved extremely valuable.
To stay informed, please visit the website and the social media accounts of the BeReady project: website (https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/be-ready ), Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bereadyprojecteu, LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/beready-project/.
Be Ready is an INTERREG Danube Region project co-financed by the European Union.
BEREADY PRESENTED IN THE 26TH STEERING GROUP MEETING OF EUSDR PA5
The 26th Steering Group Meeting of EUSDR Priority Area 5, organized on 21 November in Hungary, was an opportunity for projects funded by the Danube Region Program in 2024 to present their priorities and progress thus far. Sofia Development Association, the lead partner of the BeReady project, took part in the event and highlighted the results achieved in the first 11 months of implementation.
Focused on urban heat islands (UHI), BeReady tackles critical climate change issues in urban environment and aims to promote policy and technological solutions for adaptation. The city partners have already engaged in UHI risk assessment and vulnerability and held methodology workshops with local stakeholders to plan the process of urban climate data collection and analysis. Through local coalition pacts, BeReady encourages wide public engagement and the involvement of quadruple helix organizations in the risk assessment; over 95 external organizations have signed the local coalition pacts. The first results of the UHI assessment reports will be available in January 2025 and will serve as the basis for planning the city pilot actions: they will encompass innovative acupuncture methods, focused on blue, green, and white technological and infrastructure measures to reduce the effect of UHI.
To stay informed, please visit the website and the social media accounts of the BeReady project: website (https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/be-ready ), Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bereadyprojecteu, LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/beready-project/.
Be Ready is an INTERREG Danube Region project co-financed by the European Union.
THE "RISK ASSESSMENT AND VULNERABILITY TO URBAN HEAT ISLANDS IN SOFIA" LOCAL WORKSHOP UNDER THE BE READY PROJECT WAS HELD TODAY AT SOFIALAB
On October 4, 2024, the "Risk Assessment and Vulnerability to Urban Heat Islands in Sofia" workshop took place at SofiaLab. The event brought together experts, representatives from local and national authorities, the Ministry of Environment and Water, research institutions, and civic organizations to discuss the challenges related to climate change, specifically focusing on the issue of urban heat islands in the capital. The seminar was organized by the Sofia Development Association and Sofia Municipality as part of the Be Ready project, aiming to raise awareness and develop strategies to tackle heat effects in urban areas.
The official opening was made by Mrs. Ekaterina Yordanova, Chairperson of the Board of the Sofia Development Association and a City Councilor. "We have just experienced the warmest summer in the last 130 years since temperature measurements and data collection began," Yordanova emphasized.
She shared that Sofia has long been among the leading cities in striving to adapt to changes in a timely manner through appropriate municipal policies and practices. "Measures to counteract urban heat islands include smart urban planning, efficient buildings, alternative mobility, green energy, more greenery and urban water bodies, and data analysis."
Sevdalina Voynova from the Sofia Development Association presented the Be Ready project and its main goals – to assist partner cities in the framework agreement in developing and adopting action plans, to create, test, and validate jointly developed solutions to mitigate the effects of heat islands in cities, and to provide local and regional authorities with scientific research and assessment tools.
Mrs. Tsvetelina Simeonova-Zarkin, Chair of the Program Council of the "Europe" Program and member of the European Committee of Regions, shared that addressing urban heat islands in Sofia is no longer just a matter of long-term planning, but also about protecting the health and well-being of citizens.
"This challenge requires coordinated efforts at the local, national, and European levels. Through a combination of immediate measures and long-term strategies based on the latest scientific data and technological innovations, we can build a more resilient and adaptive city. Let us use this moment of crisis as a catalyst for change. With collective efforts, we can turn Sofia into a model of sustainable urban development in the era of climate change, ensuring a healthier and more comfortable environment for future generations."
Tsonka Harizanova from Sofia Municipality provided more insights on what Sofia is doing in the area of heat islands. Prof. Bernhard Pucher from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), presented the risk assessment methodology and the vulnerable groups identified under the project.
The next panel focused on the available data and organizing risk assessments for heat islands in Sofia, with contributions from Zornitsa Spasova from the National Center for Public Health and Analyses under the Ministry of Health, Lidia Vitanova from the GATE Institute, and Desislava Todorova from the "100KTrees" project.
The event concluded with a discussion panel featuring Mr. Voysav Todorov, a City Councilor from Sofia Municipality and member of the Board of SDA, Mrs. Ekaterina Yordanova, and Mrs. Tsvetelina Simeonova-Zarkin. They answered participants' questions and presented the tasks that Sofia Municipality has set to address the issue of urban heat islands and mitigate the negative impacts on the city's residents.
The Be Ready project continues its progress with workshops in all partner cities.
Be Ready is an INTERREG Danube Region project co-financed by the European Union.
