On October 12th, 2021 SDA and Sofia Municipality exchanged experience with partners from Neckar-Alb Region, Prague and Slavonski Brod from their common cluster Unused/ underused areas as public spaces’ potential.

Sofia shared its experience from the Idiation design seminar about open air stages, held on 28th of September. SDA’s team shared the interactive methods used to keep the audience and the stakeholders engaged. Furthermore, the team updated the partners about the progress of the pilot project Toplocentralata and mentioned the main points on which the Urban Regeneration Agenda of Sofia will focus.
The following discussion focused on ways to turn underused public spaces, open and built, into places offering social, educational and / or cultural services spaces. The social dimension of this process was also taken into consideration. The partners suggested that this scope could be achieved through improving the relationship with the existing communities. The cities agreed that the identity of a space could emerge by implementing a participatory management model and enhancing cultural activities.

On October 18th Sofia Development Association took advantage of the possibility to hear the experience of the partners from thematic cluster Recovery and economic valorisation of large-scale post-industrial heritage in private or public property. On November 2nd it will be held another peer to peer learning session of the thematic cluster Matchmaking between vacant commercial / business spaces in the city and potential users.

The AGORA project is implemented under the INTERREG Danube program and is co-financed by the European Union funds (ERDF, IPA II).