On 22 and 23 November, two out of the three envisaged focus groups under project “Implementation of innovative measures for mitigation and adaptation to climate change in municipalities in Bulgaria“ took place in Sofia.
Experts from the partner municipalities and from the NTEF team, teachers from the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy (UACEG) and New Bulgarian University (NBU), representatives of professional associations, ministries and NGOs participated in them.
One of the focus groups concentrated on the topic: Local Policies’ Improvement (territorial planning, construction, landscaping, local government).
Should green roofs and green facades be introduced as requirements towards the new buildings, how the city authorities should impose light colors for the roofs and facades of the buildings, how the plant species for the urban landscaping should be selected, whether the sealed with asphalt and tiles terrains in the cities should be unsealed – these and other important topics were the subject of the lively discussions.
The second focus group concentrated on the topic: Education – needed changes for training specialists and building the contractors’ capacity.
Is there a demand for a separate specialty (climate change adaptation), or these changes should be included in the relevant subjects under existing specialties, should there be a change in the formal education, or should the informal education be preserved, what educational form should be used to improve the expertise of the experts, who are currently engaged with the issue, in this number within the municipal administrations, forms of internships for the students at the municipalities, as well as other topics related to the education were included in the discussions.
Analysis of the content of the held discussions and preparation for the third focus group is pending. Within this group proposals addressed to the administration should be made for the introduction of specific administrative and, if necessary, legal regulations.
