Bulgaria has awarded its best mayors for 11th year in a row
Almost 140 000 people have cast their vote in the national contest for Mayor of the Year
It serves as a staging area for local authorities and their campaign to promote biodiversity in the urban environment
Recently, local authorities in the Bulgarian town of Svilengrad unveiled a new playground for children, built in a dry river bed, which runs through one of the neighbourhoods. The playground and park were built where the river Kanaliyka used to flow, as a tributary of the larger Maritsa.
Apart from making use of the new space, the playground was constructed with wood and features grass and mulch.
The project was funded through INTERREG, the EU’s cross-border cooperation fund for Bulgaria and Greece in the period 2014-2020. It is titled ‘Green urban territories – better place to live’ and features ecological training for agricultural workers, introducing sustainable mobility and bio-diversity concepts.
In fact, according to local officials, biodiversity is exactly the rationale behind the playground, as creating the new biomes of mulch and grass can attract multiple species that would not have been able to thrive in a dry river bed.
As the Bulgarian News Agency reports, the project contributed a total of 1,4 million euros, with around 542,000 going towards the municipal budget in Svilengrad.
The Green urban territories project in Svilengrad included a host of measures, centred around the idea of promoting biodiversity and better urban ecosystems. Additionally, it aimed to introduce modes of electric transportation and increase green area coverage.
The biggest initiative for Svilengrad was the park, which features two eco-areas: one designated for kids under 6 years old and the other – for those under 12. All the playground furniture is made from wood and the cushion layer is a patchwork of grass and wooden mulch, making for a better ecological alternative compared to commercial counterparts.
The municipality has greened a large area of around 5 acres, which now includes trees, shrubs and flowers, as well as a long row of birdhouses. Moreover, streetlights around the park are powered by photovoltaic panels.
As part of the project, local officials can make use of two electric scooters, which will be used during work hours, as a form of sustainable transport in the urban environment. Additionally, the city held a pesticide training for people working in agriculture to show them how to protect biodiversity.
Almost 140 000 people have cast their vote in the national contest for Mayor of the Year
The planned public transit service will be completed somewhere in 2035
The aim of the metropolitan authorities is to see the viability of adding the mobility option after 2030
Almost 140 000 people have cast their vote in the national contest for Mayor of the Year
The technology differs from maglev in that it allows the usage of already existing infrastructure, with only slight modifications
Floya will be one hell of a helpful tool next time you’re in the Belgian capital
Almost 140 000 people have cast their vote in the national contest for Mayor of the Year
City officials invite residents to meet in person for valuable consultations on greening transformations of their living environment
Almost 140 000 people have cast their vote in the national contest for Mayor of the Year
The main focus of the festivities is a ‘miracle’, which involves the liquefaction of the saint’s blood
Se Poate Association led the training sessions in several cities and engaged over 150 young people
This one could be a real game-changer for our built environments and the way they look
The practical art objects are competing for one of the 2023 New European Bauhaus Prizes
Cast your vote before 24 May and do your part in promoting the NEB values
An interview with a member of the No Hate Speech Network team
A talk with the first man to circumnavigate the globe with a solar plane, on whether sustainability can also be profitable
An interview with the president of the European Federation of Journalists