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 "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.
BE READY: CREATING SYNERGY WITH THE S.M.ALL PROJECT
On July 25, 2024, in Sofia, Bulgaria, the fourth transnational meeting “Vision and Projects” was held to tackle the challenges and opportunities in creating sustainable and inclusive mobility solutions for all. This event was organized within the S.M.ALL project, which focuses on addressing urban challenges by promoting and implementing sustainable mobility solutions. The project emphasizes the importance of safe home-to-school journeys, accessible routes, and tailored Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans, particularly targeting vulnerable groups.
The Be Ready project shares a common goal with the S.M.ALL project: the improvement of public services and increased citizen participation. While S.M.ALL focuses on enhancing mobility services for vulnerable populations, the Be Ready project addresses the risks that Urban Heat Islands (UHI) pose to these populations. Both initiatives aim to involve citizens more actively in the planning and implementation processes to ensure that the services developed meet the actual needs of the communities.
The collaboration between Be Ready and S.M.ALL will continue to explore further touch points for fostering active citizen participation, ensuring that the voices of all community members are heard and their needs addressed in future urban mobility and environmental projects.
This project is supported by the Interreg Danube Region Programme co-funded by the European Union.
PEEKING INTO THE FUTURE OF CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION: BE READY PARTNERS JOIN THE KLIMA BIENNALE IN VIENNA
What better way for cities and urban planning specialists to integrate research and innovation for climate change adaptation into their policymaking than seeing it with their own eyes and testing it on the spot?
While in Vienna for the Be Ready methodological workshop, on 10 July 2024 the consortium joined the proBach project for a visit to the Vienna Klima Biennale and a special talk on water green cities. The Biennale was an excellent opportunity for the Be Ready partners to see science in action and to ponder new ways of tackling the UHI effects in their own cities. Senior scientist Bernhard Pucher (BOKU University) held a special talk on how water resources could be used to combat climate change through blue and green infrastructures. Some notable examples that drew the attention of the Be Ready partners included, for example, the proBach project which showcased the potential of bringing sewered creeks and rivers back to the ground level of the city to create resilient habitats and mitigate climate change. Another one - the LooPi project installation - displayed a unisex urinal with a closed water cycle and urea treatment using the VertECO system, which, similar to a treatment wetland, supplies plants with water to decrease the UHI effect. Based on those examples, the guided discussion gave the Be Ready partners new insights on using water in cities and how future water management, specifically water reuse, can support UHI mitigation using blue and green acupuncture measures.
The visit to the Biennale comes at a time when the Be Ready city partners are getting ready for their UHI vulnerability and risk assessments, which will help them define a city-specific pilot to reduce UHI effects in the next 12 months. Learn more about the pilot cities and the Be Ready approach to UHI by visiting the project website and social media: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/beready-project ; Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/bereadyprojecteu
This project is supported by the Interreg Danube Region Programme co-funded by the European Union.
BE READY PROJECT COOPERATION ON NEXT LEVEL
July 9-10th marked an important milestone for the Be Ready project consortium. Partners gathered in Vienna, hosted by the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) for their first international methodological workshop. The methodology for urban heat islands (UHI) vulnerability and risk assessment, developed by the research partners during the first months of the project, was presented, discussed and validated with city partners and they underwent an interactive training for its application.
The developed UHI city assessment tools take into consideration not just statistical indicators like population density, land use, built-in environment ratio, albedo and heat conductivity of materials, but also the social groups likely to suffer most from urban heat. The methodology also assesses the adaptive capacity of cities and regions – their policy, action plans, and institutional resources. A special emphasis was put on data collection sources that would allow to conduct a valid city UHI assessment using only available and/or open data, since accessing and understanding data can accelerate city climate action.
Partners received guidance and exchanged ideas on launching their local UHI assessment after the summer break – how to secure the citizen buy-in, which stakeholders to engage, how to achieve cross-silo cooperation within the administration, what support to expect from the research partners, how to organize local workshop at marketplaces, museums and other public places, what information materials and campaigns to develop in order to explain their efforts to protect people as well as built and natural systems from the adverse effects of extreme heat.
In September 12 Danube region cities will launch their first UHI risk and vulnerability assessment engaging their local communities and stakeholders.
This project is supported by the Interreg Danube Region Programme co-funded by the European Union.
THREE INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS LED BY BULGARIAN ORGANIZATIONS ARE WORKING ON THE CLIMATE RESILIENCE OF THE DANUBE REGION
The Danube Day, June 29, is the date on which the Convention for the Protection of the Danube River was signed 30 years ago. The Danube is the second largest river in Europe, occupying 817,000 square kilometers, flowing through 10 countries (Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine), and its catchment area consists of another 9 (Switzerland, Switzerland Italy, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo).
Since the beginning of 2024, three international projects under the INTERREG Danube Programme, led by Bulgarian organizations, have been working to transform the Danube River Basin into a greener, more adaptable, and climate-resilient region. The theme of Danube Day this year is "Water for Peace." It highlights the essential role of water management in fostering understanding, supporting communities, environmental sustainability, and urban development.
In their new projects, the three international consortia, led by Bulgarian organizations, aim to find a balance between human needs, ecosystem health, and climate resilience.
Sofia Development Association leads a consortium of 19 partners from 12 countries who develop tools and policies to tackle urban heat islands. The Be Ready project aims to provide local and regional authorities with tools to identify urban heat islands and understand the causes of their occurrence and their consequences on human health, working capacity, energy consumption, and biodiversity. More about the project can be found here: https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/be-ready;
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bereadyprojecteu;
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beready-project/.
The Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds is a leading partner in a consortium of 15 organizations from 10 countries. The project, named RESTORIVER (Living Rivers), aims to support climate change adaptation in the Danube region, as well as manage environmental hazards at a transnational level through the implementation of ecosystem-based solutions. One significant activity within the project will be the revitalization of the river bank of Prista Park for the restoration of the semi-natural riparian floodplain. Some of the measures include removing abandoned concrete structures, restoring climate-friendly riparian vegetation, and installing new multifunctional facilities (for nature conservation, educational, and entertainment purposes). More about the RESTORIVER project can be found here: https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/restoriver.
WWF Bulgaria leads a consortium of 15 organizations from seven countries. The ForestConnect project aims to provide climate-resilient forest corridors for large carnivores, allowing animals to move across state borders in the regions of the Balkan Mountains, the Carpathians, and the Dinaric Mountains, following their biological processes. More about the ForestConnect project can be found here: https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/forestconnect here: https://www.wwf.bg/kakvo-pravim/divi-zhivotni/forest-connect/.
For further information:
Sofia Development Association
Уебсайт: https://sofia-da.eu/
Имейл: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds
Уебсайт: https://bspb.org/
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WWF Bulgaria
Уебсайт: https://www.wwf.bg/
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Read the Press release HERE.
This project is supported by the Interreg Danube Region Programme co-funded by the European Union.
UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL BE READY WORKSHOP IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA
Having successfully developed and delivered the methodology and tools for urban heat islands (UHI) vulnerability and risk assessments, the project cities are now ready to start their participatory assessment process. The workshop will be hosted on July 9-10th, 2024 by BOKU University in Vienna – the task leader for the methodology development and will convene all project partners and some of the associated strategic partners.
At the workshop participants will have an improved understanding of and instruments to assess the thermal load of different infrastructures and human activities, vulnerability, adaptive capacity. As a result, cities will refine their qualitative and quantitative UHI assessment design, data collection, analysis, interpretation and visualization, and will be equipped to form their local stakeholder coalitions. The workshop is designed to promote peer-to-peer dialogue and capitalize on Vienna experience with mitigating UHI gained in a former Interreg Central Europe project “Urban Heat Islands – Development and application of mitigation and adaptation strategies and measures for counteracting the global Urban Heat Islands phenomenon”.
In the framework of the international workshop participants will attend Klima Biennale, where Be Ready will present an expert talk, “Water for the green city – how blue-green infrastructure can mitigate UHI.”
Follow the project website and social media channels for information materials and real-time input from the workshop:
Website: https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/be-ready
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bereadyprojecteu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beready-project/
This project is supported by the Interreg Danube Region Programme co-funded by the European Union.