1. PUBLIC SPACE
A public space regeneration strategy, aiming to balance the
socio- spatial development and strengthen the identity of the city of
Sofia
P1 Graduation presentation by Ana Skachokova
mentor :Qu Lei

2. 1.
Introduction
and
problem
statement
2. Aim
3.
Relevance
4.
Methodology
5
Tools

3. Context and
Problem
definition

4. Site location
0 2.5 5 10 km
source: Sofia Municipality
Sofia capital of Bulgaria

Based on documents by Cartographic Research lab University Population: 1 232 088 inh.
Alabama





5. What are the driving forces?
Change of the political regime Globalizing forces
The removal of the symbol of the communist regime - the The Global city, without any particular characteristics, through
pentagram, from the seat of the communist governance the eyes of a global street artist.
in the center of Sofia in 1989.
source: Bulgarian Telegraph Agency

6. City center
Compact city (pre 1945) Housing estates
Suburbia
International business centers
Urban sprawl Gated communities Densification Slums 0 2.5 5 10 km

7. City center
Compact city (pre 1945) Housing estates
Parking Void or commerce
Private
Suburbia
Nature
International business centers
Infrastructure Private
Disappearing
Urban sprawl Gated communities Densification Slums 0 2.5 5 10 km

8. Intense urban changes as a result to the regime change
Fixed planing policy
Isolation of the western in uence Free market
Absence of private sector Urban growth
Restricted market Globalization
Public deveopnet only Privatization
1938 1944 1961 1989 2006
?
2011
New concepts needed for and
integrated city
Communist republic of Bulgaria Democratic republic of Bulgaria New masterplan Political change
Ottoman Empire Kingdom Bulgaria

9. Municipal strategy for Sofia 2015
Source: by author; based on the strategy 2015 of Sofia municipality
Urban centralities
based on municipality masterplan
for So a (2007-2015)
Primary urban centrality
Secondary multy functional centrality
Tertiary multy functional centrality
Area with concntration of public
services and centrality elements
Main centrality axis
Secondary centrality axis
0 2.5 5 10 km

10. Problem definition
+ =
Lack of top -down Development by the
framework private market
Neglect towards the public realm and
public space disapearence

11. Public space transformation
#1 Privatization of the public space
#2 Commercialization of the public space source: arhitektura.bg
In the city center
In socialist housing
estates

12. #2 Commercialisation trends:
The new public spaces
Main shopping malls in construction in Bulgaria
Ruse
Pleven Varna
Shumen
So a Sliven
Burgas
Stara
Plovdiv Zagora
Blagoevgrad
Opened in 2010
Open after 2010 ( currently under
construction)
Project stage
Shopping center The Boulevard source: arhitektura.bg
Is the next
revolution taking place in a shopping mall?

13. #3 Broken city structure
1930: A public space network
connecting important political
2011: A parking garrage network buildings in the center of Sofia

14. Argumentation
For the inhabitants, the changes are perceived mainly in
their lifestyle, in the way that they “use” the city: through
public space network. We need to invest in the in the
“quality of city’s tangible assets” (Friedmann, 2007)-
quality of peoples environment in order to achieve a
prosperity for the city and ensure a continuity of its iden-
tity. We can do this by highlighting its strong spatial
characteristics and cultural assets through public space.

15. How to make a realistic urban project in a context of
fragile economic sittuation?
source: www.worldbank.org

16. AIM

17. Scheme of the project
Context Analyses


 public space
public
b


 transformation trends

Tools
 



 





Opportunities
Results








18. Aim
Top - down framework : city scale Regional scale
Strengthening Identity
An integrated city
I ON
V IS
Improvement of poor/
unattractive areas
Bottom up interventions Local scale
using the cultural assets
as a tool:

19. Aim- role of the urban plan
Communist planning process and Post-communist planning process and
structure Aimed role of Sofia masterplan structure
Public
sector Private sector
Civil society
Civil society Private sector
Planners
Public
sector
Public sector
General Development Plan
/Genplan/
Civil
society

20. Research Questions
How public space and existing cultural
assets can be engaged into a spatial
strategy to form productive public
spaces and activate the neglected
social and public urban realm?

21. Relevance

22. Social relevance
Development in unattractive areas
Two public spaces, two realities, one city
Public space in business center Open space between in
Sofia the housing estate
Urban centralities
based on municipality masterplan
for So a (2007-2015)
Primary urban centrality
Secondary multy functional centrality
Tertiary multy functional centrality
Area with concntration of public
services and centrality elements
Main centrality axis
Secondary centrality axis
0 2.5 5 10 km

23. Social relevance
Two public spaces, two realities, one city
•New meaning of public space for the
inhabitants
•Strengthening Identity and building
the image of the city

24. Academic relevance
In the first stage of the transition of
post -socialist cities ‘Urban’ literature
uses western urban knowledge in
order to restructure the post socialist
cities.
Today problems on the agenda of
the post socialist cities are similar to
western cities.
‘Low cost’ urban revitalization, using
the local assets can become a
valuable approach for the western
cities.
Based on documents by Cartographic Research lab University


25. Methodology

26. Methodology
Use of cultural assets
CS T
Municipal strategy for Sofia 2015
R
Analysis : Public space meaning,
A R T
structure and condition
Analysis : identification of deprived areas;
A socio-spatial fragmentation
CS Case study T Theory R Research (literature; planning documents ) A Analyses (mapping; observation; historical)

27. Theoretical framework
Local scale
Transformation
trends in the Privatization
public space Commercialization
Shrinking Location of the
Additional
problem in the
spatial analyse
Post -socialsit context of Sofia
urban litterature city scale
Fragmentation
Site location
Meaning/ function in Design
the city
Public space Criteria Tool box
Opportunities
Revitalization Good examples
through culture

28. Tools or
Local potentials

29. Theory:

Historical research on the meaning of
Meaning of the public space +

public space in the Bulgarian context



I -VI



Ulpia Serdica - capital of the Roman (and later

Byzantine) province of Dacia.
Main characteristics of the area:
Diagonal route “Via Militaris” connecting
Europe and Asia 
Thermal sources

Fertile soil
Establishment of the basilica St. Sofia


0 2.5 5 10 km
Ulpia Serdica - capital of the Roman (and later
Byzantine) province of Dacia. XVI- IXX
Main characteristics  area:
of the
Diagonal route “Via Militaris” connecting
Europe and Asia 
Thermal sources
Fertile soil 
Establishment of the basilica St. Sofia
0 2.5 5 10 km

Ulpia Serdica - capital of the Roman (and later
Byzantine) province of Dacia.
Main characteristics of the area:
Diagonal route “Via Militaris” connecting 
Europe and Asia
Thermal sources
Fertile soil
Establishment of the basilica St. Sofia
0 2.5 5 10 km
XVI- XIX Sofia- capital o the province of Rumelia, Ottoman Empire. After
being destroyed a tipical organic ottoman structure replaced the straight

30. Local potential # 1
Mineral and thermal springs
Regional thermal centers
with recreation function
Traditional Spa centers
Urban leisure thermal centers
Urban thermal healthcare centers
Current state of the thermal springs

31. Local potential # 2
Strategic location
Pan - European transport corridors Main international roads and connectivity to Sofia’s ring road
Pan-European transport corridors
Corridor N 4: Istanbul-Dresden 0 2.5 5 10 km
Corridor N 8: Varna- Durres
Corridor N 9: Helsinki; St.Petersburg- Alexandroupolis
Corridor N 7: Vienna- Constanza
Corridor N 10: Salzburg- Istanbul

32. Local potential # 3
Historical heritage
Two solution for the preservation of the heritage:
neglect or privatization
Cultural and Historical heritage: Cultural and Historical heritage:
areas of protection areas of protection
¹
¹ Þ
¹
¹
æ
æ
¹
æ æ ¹
¹ ^
J ¹
Þ
¹
æ
æ
¹
¹
! æ
D
Þ
Þ
¹
¹ æ .
æ
¹ æ
¹ ¹
D
æ ¹ ¹
¹
¹ ¹
¹
æ ¹ ¹
¹ æ
¹ Þ Þ
æ
¹ ¹ ò
" Þ
^
J Þ
Þ
Þ
¹
¹
¹ ¹
¹ ¹
æ æ
¹ ¹
æ
æ
" ¹
¹ Þ ¹
Þ D ¹ æ¹
¹ ¹ ¹
¹
¹ ¹
æ ¹ ¹
Roman arena around II-III century
¹ D æ
æ
Þ
æ ¹ Þ
¹
æ
¹
¹ ¹ " ¹
¹
¹
¹ æ ¹
¹ ^
J ¹
D
Þ
ò ¹ ¹
Þ ¹
¹
¹ ¹
D
" ¹
æ
¹
¹ Þ æ
æ
D Þ
¹
¹ æ
¹
¹ ¹
ò
"
D
D
æ ¹ ¹
æ
Þ
¹
¹
Þ
¹
¹
¹
Þ ¹
æ ¹ ¹
ò
æ
æ Areas of protection of the CHH
Areas of protection of the CHH Þ
¹ Þ
Areas with a speci c development
D
qqqqqqqq
qqqq
qqq
æ
Areas with a speci c development
qqqqqqqq
qqqqqqqq
regulations -Serdica area
qqqq
D
qqq
¹ Þ
qqqqqqqq Þ
regulations -Serdica area ¹ æ
Þ
qqqqqqqq
Areas with a speci c development
qqqq
qqq
æ
Areas with a speci c development
qqqqqqqq
qqqqqqqq
regulations- Boyana church
qqqq
qqq
¹
qqqqqqqq
regulations- Boyana church
Þ
ò
¹
ò Areas with importnat CHH
Areas with importnat CHH
Þ
Religion sites
Religion sites ¹
æ
UNESCO heritage
UNESCO heritage D Þ
æ
Þ
Protected area with speci c urban
Protected area with speci c urban structure
structure Industrial heritage
Industrial heritage
Speci c landscape without a
Speci c landscape without a status of heritage
status of heritage Ancient religious edifice around IV century.
Protected area of
Protected area of landscape/park/landmark
landscape/park/landmark
Speci c area, cointaining
Speci c area, cointaining heritage sites
heritage sites

33. Public space network
Gated community
Strategy: ‘productive’ public space
Socialist housing estate
Future centrality
Informal settlement
Thermal spring
Public space network
Important infrastructure

34. Oct N
Next steps Oct No
De ning project
De ning project Problem statement
De Problem statement
ning project Theis plan
Theis plan
Problem statement
Theis plan De ning project
P1 P2 P3 P4 P5
Problem statement
Theis plan
Literature study
Oct Nov Dec Jan Febr Mar Apr May Jun Jul
Literature study Post-socialist urban litera
De ning project
Problem statement
Literature study urban literature Public space theory
Post-socialist
Theis plan Public space theory
Post-socialist urban literature Revitalization via culture
Literature study
Public space theory culture
Revitalization via Toolbox ‘public space’
Revitalization via culture urban literature
Post-socialist
Toolbox ‘public space’
Literature study
Post-socialist urban literature
Toolbox ‘public space’ theory
Public space
Public space theory
Revitalization via culture
Toolbox ‘public space’
Revitalization via culture
Analysis
Analysis Toolbox ‘public space’
Analysis
Historical Historical
Spatial Historical
Analysis Spatial
De ne location Spatial
Historical
Case studies
Case study ‘ Productive public space’ Spatial Analysis De ne location
Case study ‘cultural assets’
Tool box “culture”
De ne locationHistorical
De ne location Spatial
Strategy proposition Case studies
Design proposition Case studies Case study ‘ Productive p
De‘ Productive public space’
Case study
Case studies ne location
Evaluation
Case study ‘cultural asse
Case study ‘cultural assets’
Case study ‘ Productive public space’ box “culture”
Tool
Case studyCase studies
Tool box “culture” assets’
‘cultural
Tool box “culture” study ‘ Productive public space’
Case
Strategy proposition
Case study ‘cultural assets’
Strategy proposition
Strategy proposition “culture” Design proposition
Tool box
Design proposition
Design proposition proposition Evaluation
Strategy
Evaluation
Evaluation Design proposition

35. Questions?