Innovative practices in Bulgaria
Sharing innovations for improving local self-government
The Downtown Development Project
Stara Zagora Municipality
Background
Stara Zagora is the sixth largest city in Bulgaria and has a central geographic location within the country. Due to the millennia-old layer on which the city is built, archaeological research and excavations have been going on for decades. This is a significant obstacle to any new construction in the downtown area. Before 1989, significant construction has been started but after the change in the socio-economic environment and the lack of funding, almost all new construction have stopped. The necessity of developing the downtown area led to the need of designing a downtown development program.
Stara Zagora is the sixth largest city in Bulgaria and has a central geographic location within the country. Due to the millennia-old layer on which the city is built, archaeological research and excavations have been going on for decades. This is a significant obstacle to any new construction in the downtown area. Before 1989, significant construction has been started but after the change in the socio-economic environment and the lack of funding, almost all new construction have stopped. The necessity of developing the downtown area led to the need of designing a downtown development program.
Practice
Pilot project goals were:
1. To create a clear image of the condition and public necessity level for each of the separate sites.
2. To establish a principle for their design and construction (reconstruction, completion).
3. To establish a system for citizens' participation in the work on separate sites.
To achieve these goals, a strategic downtown development program was developed with expert assistance from USAID. American experts proposed to present the program for public discussion through:
1. a public advisory council
2. informing the citizens in the media.
The public advisory council was establish on a voluntary basis. The mayor's invitation was accepted by prominent architects, business people, teachers, doctors, journalists. The council had three meetings and made some amendments to the program. The program was then submitted by the mayor and chief architect for public discussion. Many suggestions were made, including from the local association of architects, which were processed and relevant amendments in the program were made.
The program was then submitted for discussion to the Municipal Council and was adopted at the first meeting. Then it was ready for implementation.
The site closest to completion was the theater building. Work on it had started in 1995. The building was finished in mid-1997 and began functioning.
In mid-February, 1998, bids for construction rights for the remaining two buildings of the municipal complex were submitted. Significant innovations were used in the bidding process:
1. Bidders were asked to present their ideas of the buildings and their functions as a volumetric town-planning solution. The municipality required the buildings to be commercial in the most general sense of the word.
2. Bidders were not asked to pay for conceded construction rights, but to compensate for them with part of the built-up area of the future buildings (namely, garages and a hall for the Municipal Council), as well as by completing the area around the Municipality.
The idea for compensations on behalf of the bid winner is not something new for Stara Zagora but now it was applied to a big public building for a first time. In fact, this idea involves a very democratic principle, the principle of public-private partnership.
Currently, the design of the buildings is being developed, as specified in the contract, and the work will begin soon. So far, a competition for the spatial and architectural design of the central square has been organized. The square will unite in an inseparable whole the buildings of the opera, the former communist party headquarters, United Bulgarian Bank, the Museum of History, the department store, the theater and the courthouse. Of course, the competition generated a lot of interest; the Stara Zagora architects alone nominated 8 participants.
The principle of public-private partnership was used as a basis in the development of the scope of work for the competition. When the architect who won the competition developed the design, the Municipality announced a bid for developer(s). As this is a big project, the purpose is to have it implemented by stages, which would allow smaller developers to also get involved in the work.
Pilot project goals were:
1. To create a clear image of the condition and public necessity level for each of the separate sites.
2. To establish a principle for their design and construction (reconstruction, completion).
3. To establish a system for citizens' participation in the work on separate sites.
To achieve these goals, a strategic downtown development program was developed with expert assistance from USAID. American experts proposed to present the program for public discussion through:
1. a public advisory council
2. informing the citizens in the media.
The public advisory council was establish on a voluntary basis. The mayor's invitation was accepted by prominent architects, business people, teachers, doctors, journalists. The council had three meetings and made some amendments to the program. The program was then submitted by the mayor and chief architect for public discussion. Many suggestions were made, including from the local association of architects, which were processed and relevant amendments in the program were made.
The program was then submitted for discussion to the Municipal Council and was adopted at the first meeting. Then it was ready for implementation.
The site closest to completion was the theater building. Work on it had started in 1995. The building was finished in mid-1997 and began functioning.
In mid-February, 1998, bids for construction rights for the remaining two buildings of the municipal complex were submitted. Significant innovations were used in the bidding process:
1. Bidders were asked to present their ideas of the buildings and their functions as a volumetric town-planning solution. The municipality required the buildings to be commercial in the most general sense of the word.
2. Bidders were not asked to pay for conceded construction rights, but to compensate for them with part of the built-up area of the future buildings (namely, garages and a hall for the Municipal Council), as well as by completing the area around the Municipality.
The idea for compensations on behalf of the bid winner is not something new for Stara Zagora but now it was applied to a big public building for a first time. In fact, this idea involves a very democratic principle, the principle of public-private partnership.
Currently, the design of the buildings is being developed, as specified in the contract, and the work will begin soon. So far, a competition for the spatial and architectural design of the central square has been organized. The square will unite in an inseparable whole the buildings of the opera, the former communist party headquarters, United Bulgarian Bank, the Museum of History, the department store, the theater and the courthouse. Of course, the competition generated a lot of interest; the Stara Zagora architects alone nominated 8 participants.
The principle of public-private partnership was used as a basis in the development of the scope of work for the competition. When the architect who won the competition developed the design, the Municipality announced a bid for developer(s). As this is a big project, the purpose is to have it implemented by stages, which would allow smaller developers to also get involved in the work.
Results
Some important changes in the operations of the municipal administration have occurred as a result of the cooperation provided by the USAID experts and partners from Durham, North Carolina. These concern mainly two aspects:
- The use of public-private partnership as a basis for the implementation of significant projects, and in general for the development of projects initiated by the Municipality;
- The wider awareness of municipal initiatives an the involvement of larger groups of citizens in the discussions on them through the media.
- The Municipality does not commit its own funds, except for the costs associated with the bids; the bid winner pays for everything. The deal is quite simple, the bid winner gets the lot and is granted construction right by the Municipality, and in exchange of this develops the design, does the work and provides compensations.
- An opportunity to prioritize the projects by their significance for the city and to have them developed in stages, which always generates a positive public attitude.
- An overall town planning program is being implemented that would give the look of the city and its downtown area.
Some important changes in the operations of the municipal administration have occurred as a result of the cooperation provided by the USAID experts and partners from Durham, North Carolina. These concern mainly two aspects:
- The use of public-private partnership as a basis for the implementation of significant projects, and in general for the development of projects initiated by the Municipality;
- The wider awareness of municipal initiatives an the involvement of larger groups of citizens in the discussions on them through the media.
- The Municipality does not commit its own funds, except for the costs associated with the bids; the bid winner pays for everything. The deal is quite simple, the bid winner gets the lot and is granted construction right by the Municipality, and in exchange of this develops the design, does the work and provides compensations.
- An opportunity to prioritize the projects by their significance for the city and to have them developed in stages, which always generates a positive public attitude.
- An overall town planning program is being implemented that would give the look of the city and its downtown area.
[Nominate]
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