GREENER. BLUER. COOLER SOFIA

How can we make our urban spaces better equipped to cope with rising temperatures and the growing impacts of climate change?

Green and blue infrastructure offers part of the answer. More trees and shaded areas, sustainable rainwater management, water features, and multifunctional public spaces can help create a cooler, more resilient urban environment while strengthening the connection between people and nature.

On 4 September, SofiaLab brought together experts and representatives of Sofia Municipality, SofiaPlan, academia, civil society and non-governmental organisations to discuss the future of a 1.45-kilometre section of the Slatinska River between Shipchenski Prohod Boulevard and Boyan Magesnik Street.

Held as part of the COOLING HAVENS project, the meeting provided an opportunity to exchange experience and explore good practices from Athens, while considering how nature-based solutions could be adapted to Sofia’s urban context.

A key focus of the discussion was the potential transformation of the Slatinska River corridor into an integral part of Sofia’s Green Ring — a greener, cooler and more attractive urban space that supports recreation, active mobility and sports, while creating new opportunities for urban biodiversity.

Developing spaces like these is an important step towards a more climate-resilient Sofia. It also highlights the value of bringing institutions, experts, civil society and local communities together to shape solutions for the city’s future.

Because climate adaptation is not only about responding to change — it is about creating better, healthier and more resilient places to live.

EUROPEAN STUDY TO INVESTIGATE HOW THE ENVIRONMENT AFFECTS PEOPLE'S HEALTH IN SOFIA

Air pollution, heatwaves and changing weather patterns with longer periods of sunshine are becoming increasingly familiar to residents of Sofia. Researchers now want to better understand how these everyday environmental exposures affect people's health over time.

To answer this question, Sofia Development Association, Health and Life Sciences Cluster and Virtech are preparing to launch the local phase of ENACT (Environmental Effect on Healthcare and Wellbeing), a Horizon Europe research project bringing together experts from across Europe to investigate how the environments in which we live, work, and move influence the development of non-communicable diseases.

Over the past 18 months, the ENACT consortium has laid the foundations for this next stage of the project. Researchers have compiled scientific evidence on environmental exposures and health and have developed the digital tools needed to combine environmental and health data securely. The consortium has also designed sensors and wearable monitoring technologies capable of measuring a person's exposure to factors such as air pollution, temperature, noise, and ultraviolet radiation throughout the day, alongside physiological data.
These advances now make it possible to begin prospective studies in five pilot sites across Europe, and Sofia is one of them. Although each pilot focuses on different health challenges, they all share the same objective: to better understand how environmental conditions contribute to disease and how this knowledge can support healthier communities and more effective prevention strategies.

In Sofia researchers will investigate how weather conditions affect patients with cardio-vascular diseases. The study will involve adults, who have cardio-vascular problems, who will contribute information through health assessments, questionnaires, and environmental monitoring over a defined period. The results will help researchers understand how everyday environmental exposures influence cardio-vascular conditions in the local population.

The information collected across the five pilot sites will contribute to the development and validation of new AI-based models capable of identifying relationships between environmental exposures and health outcomes. In the future, this knowledge could support healthcare professionals, public authorities, and policymakers in designing more targeted prevention measures and healthier living environments.
Recruitment for the study is expected to begin September 2026 Further information about participation will be available from Sofia Development Association and Health & life science cluster.

About ENACT
ENACT (Environmental Effect on Healthcare and Wellbeing) is a Horizon Europe research project involving partners from across Europe. The project combines environmental science, medicine, digital health, and artificial intelligence to improve understanding of how environmental exposures influence health and to support future disease prevention strategies.

More information at https://enact-he.eu/

The proejct is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action.

HACK THE HATE, RENEW DEMOCRACY

SDA shares good practices on promoting migrant and refugee inclusion and countering anti-migrant narratives in the 2026 No Hate Speech Week in Strasbourg.

This year’s event has brought together representatives from 44 countries to discuss how democratic institutions, public authorities, civil society, media and technology actors can better prevent and combat hate speech. The conference took place against the backdrop of growing concerns about the spread of hate speech online. In his opening address, Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, underlined the global impact of the exponential spread and proliferation of hate speech and urged for multi-level actions to combat hate speech.

SDA was invited to lead a workshop on inclusive practices and designing public campaigns to counter anti-migrant narratives, together with the city of Barcelos (Portugal) and CEAR (Spain). S. Gabova presented SDA’s initiatives, including the LEAD Online project, GenderEd, and the UNHCR-funded project focused on integration of refugees and building inclusive communities in Sofia. The experience of engaging youth in designing counter-narratives addressing migrant hate through hackathons and leading public awareness campaign attracted great interest from practitioners and civil society organizations in Strasbourg.

SDA’s participation in this year’s No Hate Speech week solidifies its leading position on the topic of migrant inclusion and countering hate speech online in Sofia. We are motivated to continue our work and engage young innovators, experts and practitioners to develop real solutions capable of responding to the challenges of hate speech and discrimination in the digital age.

FIRST CIVICACT CITIZENS PARTICIPATION LAB ORGANIZED IN SERBIA

TUS gathered an intergenerational group of participants to discuss drivers and barriers to citizen participation

On 13 June 2026 in Bajina Bašta the Teacher’s Union of Serbia (TUS) held the first citizen participation lab from the CIVICAct project entitled “Social Dialogue in Education and Strengthening Democracy.”

The event gathered nearly 40 participants, including teachers, school principals, representatives of local authorities, and NGO representatives from Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The lab focused on the results of the online CIVICAct survey about the history and present of civic activism in Belgrade. Participants, divided in groups, debated the differences and similarities in civic activism prior to the 1990s and today, the role of education in a broader societal context, and the importance of civil society organizations for the development of social dialogue, community engagement, and intergenerational cooperation. The first lab set the stage for reflection and analysis, thus building the basis for the second lab which will be held in September. During the second event, participants will delve into co-creation and developing a forward-looking agenda for citizen participation in Belgrade.

The lab encouraged participants to reflect on democratic values and promoting active participation within local communities.

The project is funded by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), CERV Programme.    

BE READY POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS URGE FOR MULTI-LEVEL COORDINATION AND LONG-TERM ACTIONS FOR URBAN HEAT ADAPTATION

Addressing urban heat islands requires coordinated action across all levels of governance, from municipalities to national governments and transnational regional frameworks. Local authorities play a pivotal role in implementing place-based adaptation measures, while national governments can provide the regulatory, financial, and strategic support needed to scale effective solutions. At the same time, the Danube Region offers a valuable platform for cross-border cooperation, knowledge exchange, and the development of harmonized approaches to climate resilience.

The following policy recommendations, developed by the Be Ready partners in synergy with other Interreg Danube projects, outline complementary actions for local, national, and Danube Region authorities to reduce urban heat risks, strengthen adaptive capacity, and foster healthier, more sustainable, and climate-resilient cities. Together, these measures can help ensure that urban development is better equipped to respond to rising temperatures and the increasing frequency of extreme heat events.

BE READY POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS URGE FOR MULTI-LEVEL COORDINATION AND LONG-TERM ACTIONS FOR URBAN HEAT ADAPTATION

This project is supported by the Interreg Danube Region Programme co-funded by the European Union.