Innovative practices in Bulgaria
Sharing innovations for improving local self-government
Sustainable Development Indicators
Public Environmental Centre for Sustainable Development
Background
The team working at the Public Center for Environment and Sustainable Development - Varna (PECSD), inspired by the achievements of the organization Sustainable Seattle decide to create indicators for sustainable development with active citizens participation. In 1997 the Public Center implements a project entitled Sustainable Varna , funded by the Democracy Commission, Embassy of the USA. The aim of the project is to prepare and publish the Sustainable Varna report. The 25 experts involved in the project activity define 34 indicators, which describe and determine the state of the anthropogenic ecosystem of the city. The Center expects that these indicators will become a tool for planning and decision making for local politicians, businessmen, media and citizens organizations.
The team working at the Public Center for Environment and Sustainable Development - Varna (PECSD), inspired by the achievements of the organization Sustainable Seattle decide to create indicators for sustainable development with active citizens participation. In 1997 the Public Center implements a project entitled Sustainable Varna , funded by the Democracy Commission, Embassy of the USA. The aim of the project is to prepare and publish the Sustainable Varna report. The 25 experts involved in the project activity define 34 indicators, which describe and determine the state of the anthropogenic ecosystem of the city. The Center expects that these indicators will become a tool for planning and decision making for local politicians, businessmen, media and citizens organizations.
Practice
With the financial support of the MATRA CAP Program to the Embassy of the Netherlands, the handbook Community Indicators. Measuring Progress Towards Healthy and Sustainable Communities developed by Tyler Norris Associates Redefining Progress and Sustainable Seattle , is translated. In this way the Public Center provides a resource for Bulgarian municipalities, which facilitates the creation of sustainable development indicators. The handbook offers contemporary concepts and definitions for indicators and describes in detail each step in the process of their development, supported by a number of practical examples and case studies. The handbook has a print run of 500 copies and is disseminated free of charge.
In April 1999 the Public Center organizes a seminar which brings together representatives of different Bulgarian municipalities and NGOs working on diverse aspects of sustainable development. During the seminar, by means of role play, participants recreate the whole process of developing indicators. Based on two detailed case studies for a small and a large town, participants go through all necessary steps for creating indicators:
- forming a working group consisting of people with different vision, experience, profession and cultural or ethnic background;
- identification of the values and visions of the community about the future of the town and grouping them under different headings;
- selecting of indicators and creation of a system of viable indicators for assessing the achievements and the attainment of objectives according to the group vision for the future, as well as developing criteria for their evaluation;
- providing current data about the indicators by applying various types of research and appropriate methods for authentic data collection;
- announcement of the results achieved.
The ideas and experience collected during the seminar are presented in a publication entitled An Example of Creating Sustainable Development Indicators , whose main objective is to become a useful and practical handbook for Bulgaria. The booklet comprises concrete examples of various systems of indicators, developed for the municipalities of Varna, Assenovgrad and Velingrad. 500 copies are printed and disseminated free of charge through the Center s partners, at seminars and consultation meetings, etc.
In the next three years the Public Center plans to publicize its experience in this field, striving to create a network of organizations developing sustainable development indicators and will search for financial possibilities in order to develop such indicators in other municipalities, institutions, universities, etc.
With the financial support of the MATRA CAP Program to the Embassy of the Netherlands, the handbook Community Indicators. Measuring Progress Towards Healthy and Sustainable Communities developed by Tyler Norris Associates Redefining Progress and Sustainable Seattle , is translated. In this way the Public Center provides a resource for Bulgarian municipalities, which facilitates the creation of sustainable development indicators. The handbook offers contemporary concepts and definitions for indicators and describes in detail each step in the process of their development, supported by a number of practical examples and case studies. The handbook has a print run of 500 copies and is disseminated free of charge.
In April 1999 the Public Center organizes a seminar which brings together representatives of different Bulgarian municipalities and NGOs working on diverse aspects of sustainable development. During the seminar, by means of role play, participants recreate the whole process of developing indicators. Based on two detailed case studies for a small and a large town, participants go through all necessary steps for creating indicators:
- forming a working group consisting of people with different vision, experience, profession and cultural or ethnic background;
- identification of the values and visions of the community about the future of the town and grouping them under different headings;
- selecting of indicators and creation of a system of viable indicators for assessing the achievements and the attainment of objectives according to the group vision for the future, as well as developing criteria for their evaluation;
- providing current data about the indicators by applying various types of research and appropriate methods for authentic data collection;
- announcement of the results achieved.
The ideas and experience collected during the seminar are presented in a publication entitled An Example of Creating Sustainable Development Indicators , whose main objective is to become a useful and practical handbook for Bulgaria. The booklet comprises concrete examples of various systems of indicators, developed for the municipalities of Varna, Assenovgrad and Velingrad. 500 copies are printed and disseminated free of charge through the Center s partners, at seminars and consultation meetings, etc.
In the next three years the Public Center plans to publicize its experience in this field, striving to create a network of organizations developing sustainable development indicators and will search for financial possibilities in order to develop such indicators in other municipalities, institutions, universities, etc.
Results
- International experience in the area of developing indicators for sustainable communities has been researched. A guide entitled Indicators for Sustainable Communities is translated.
- The experience has been shared with other organizations working in this field.
- Over 25 representatives of NGOs, local government and media are trained in the methodology and concrete steps of creating sustainable development indicators.
- A handbook entitled An Example of Creating Sustainable Development Indicators is published. The model offered is based entirely on the Bulgarian experience accumulated in the field of creating sustainable development indicators.
- International experience in the area of developing indicators for sustainable communities has been researched. A guide entitled Indicators for Sustainable Communities is translated.
- The experience has been shared with other organizations working in this field.
- Over 25 representatives of NGOs, local government and media are trained in the methodology and concrete steps of creating sustainable development indicators.
- A handbook entitled An Example of Creating Sustainable Development Indicators is published. The model offered is based entirely on the Bulgarian experience accumulated in the field of creating sustainable development indicators.
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