Plovdiv residents gave creative
ideas at a meeting for neighbourhood regeneration under
a European GINNGER project
Тhe first co-creation
meeting in Plovdiv was held in the penultimate week of December. The meetings are being realized within the framework of
the Horizon Europe-funded GINNGER project, whose main goal
is to encourage
and involve citizens in activities
and initiatives to
regenerate the urban
environment they live in. The Bulgarian partners are the Energy Agency of Plovdiv and the Municipality
of Plovdiv with Pilot region of District “Trakia”.
The meeting was hosted by the Trakia Regional
Administration. Examples from European cities for neighbourhood
regeneration and creation of a quality living environment were presented to the
gathered active citizens: ▪ the installation of photovoltaic panels on public
and residential buildings - a sustainable way to reduce energy bills; ▪ placing
of solar powered benches; ▪ lighting and slots for charging mobile
devices; ▪ landscaping of inter-block spaces and school yards; ▪ creation
of vegetable gardens in municipal spaces shared by the residents; ▪ implementing
measures such as limiting vehicle access and reducing speed limits; ▪ promoting
practices and implementing campaigns for waste minimization.
Photo credit: Municipality of Plovdiv
The
citizens reacted positively to the presented ideas. They also made their suggestions. Representatives from the Departments of Environment of
the District “Trakia” and Plovdiv Municipality, experts from the Energy Agency of
Plovdiv participated in the meeting discussion, too.
Among the citizens’ ideas were:
§ Regeneration of the inter-block space around block
7 and block 310 in the A-9 microdistrict
in the Trakia District, which
is currently a muddy spot, but
has the potential
to be a modern space for people living, landscaping
and parking cars;
§ Afforestation with different types of trees
and shrubs in Lauta Park.
These
woody
plants can be planted in
different places in the park
or grouped thematically, with each of them
being given a plaque with its
Latin name. The Plovdiv resident
made the proposal, explaining that he walks
with his children in the
park almost every weekend and
creating a dendrological collection would be a great educational way to introduce them
to some of
the plant species;
§ Renovation of the space
around the path from Chernorizets
Hrabar Secondary School to the
main traffic zones;
§ Organizing more days for
neighborhood cleaning and providing new waste
containers, including separate collection;
§ Regeneration of Laut Tepe or
the so-called small mound, which
is located near the Trakia
railway station.
It
was discussed that the next meeting would be held in February. It is worth
mentioning that the Bulgarian partner
- the pilot district "Trakia"
launched a campaign #RegeneratingTogether, aimed at increasing the
engagement of citizens in the regeneration actions of their neighborhood.
The campaign involves attracting the participation of
more citizens who want to jointly achieve a better living environment, focusing
on the development and implementation of sustainable energy and environmental
solutions for their residential neighborhood. The initiative aims to encourage
citizens to openly share their ideas, as well as to seek alternatives with
local authorities for their implementation.
Source:
Energy Agency of Plovdiv
Municipality of Plovdiv
District “Trakia”