C a s e S t u d y

BULGARIAN TECHNICAL TWINNING PROGRAM

MUNICIPALITY OF STARA ZAGORA, BULGARIA, - CITY OF DURHAM, NC, USA

THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

Emil Vassilev

Chief Architect of Stara Zagora

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 lead to the need of designing a downtown development program.

I. Executive Summary

With expert assistance from USAID, the program was enriched as an idea and complemented in terms of development techniques and implementation. Later, again with assistance from USAID and the Foundation for Local Government reform (FLGR), Stara Zagora was included among the three pilot municipalities in the Technical Twinning Program.

We were especially pleased when the downtown development idea was included as a pilot project within the technical twinning program between Stara Zagora and Durham, NC.

Stara Zagora's downtown area is enclosed between:

• Gen. Stoletov St. to the north

• St. Patriarch Evtimii Blvd. to the east

• Hristo Botev St. to the south

• Otets Paisii St. to the west.

These downtown area borders have been approved by the Municipal Council. Buildings are predominantly mixed - public, public-residential and residential buildings. The most important buildings in the socio-economic life of the city are located here.

According to the strategic downtown development program adopted by the Municipal Council, construction sites within the program were defined - central city square; municipal building and enclosed area; the area to the east from the Art Gallery; the area to the north from the Post Office; the Augusta Trayana Roman Forum; the buildings of the theater, opera, covered market, ex Communist Party building.

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.

II. Situational Assessment/Problem Statement

As I have already mentioned, the need to focus on this specific project was due to the existing construction in a different stage of completion. On the other hand, these sites are important for the city and without them its functioning is hindered. Furthermore, these are places loved and appreciated by the citizens of Stara Zagora and no one is indifferent to their condition The archaeological excavations of the Augusta Trayana Roman city, started more than 15 years ago and turning the central city square into a great hole; the opera building, destroyed by fire in 1991; the unfinished municipal building complex; the theater building in need of immediate repair; the empty building of the former Communist Party; the idea for an universal sports hall, and many others.

These were problems faced by both Stara Zagora citizens and the municipal administration.

By implementing this project we aimed to:

1. Restore and improve opera and theater functioning.

2. Renovate the central city square and turn the Augusta Trayana Roman city into an attractive place.

3. Transform the municipal building complex functions according to project requirements and adapt them to modern life requirements. Finish the area around the Municipality.

4. Build up the area located to the east from the Art Gallery with a suitable building, thus completing the area at Tsar Simeon Veliki Blvd.

III. Solution Overview

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.

Compensations will be required for this, too. This time the compensations are monetary and the money will be invested immediately in the reconstruction of the opera.

The Municipality owns a part of a building, the former Slantse tobacco plant. At present, the building is in a very bad condition. The downtown development project incorporates the idea of selling this building. Its future purpose has not been specified; we left that to the developer. The compensations that we have asked from the developer are:

1. (monetary) Funding for the development of the work plan for the central city square /the next phase in the implementation of the winning competition project ).

2. (material) Reconstruction of 300 m lighting system on Tsar Simeon Veliki Blvd. And reconstruction of alleys, benches, etc. in the Peti Octomvri Park.

IV. Implementation Timeline

A major principle of the strategic plan for downtown development is its openness in time, that is, it is normal to have something amended, changed or dropped out. The implementation began in 1998 and the project was completed in 1999. Both compensation requirements of the Municipality have been met. The reconstruction of street lighting on the Tsar Simeon Veliki Blvd. and the reconstruction of alleys, benches, fences in the Peti Octomvri Park was completed in the spring of 1999. The renovated central city square was officially opened on December 16, 1999.

V. Benefits

In summary, I would like to mention that some important changes in the operations of the municipal administration have occurred as a result of the cooperation provided by the USAID experts and our friends and partners from Durham, North Carolina. These concern mainly two aspects:

1. 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;

2. The wider awareness of municipal initiatives an the involvement of larger groups of citizens in the discussions on them through the media. I would say that the benefit from the understanding and the implementation of this project is significant. What I mean by this, is that the municipal administration has began to show more courage in making decisions in favor of larger-scale solutions. This courage is based, first of all, on the existence of a principle for the implementation of such solutions, the principle of public-private partnership; and, secondly, on the citizen support arising from the transparency and awareness which stimulate public commitment and involvement

3. 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

4. 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.

5. In the end, an overall town planning program is being implemented that would give the look of the city and its downtown area.

My impression is that not only many municipal employees have began to think in this radically different way, but also that many citizens began to believe that finally there is an opportunity to implement construction projects that Stara Zagora citizens could only dream of so far.

VII. Conclusion

This is how the joint efforts of the Municipality of Stara Zagora, USAID and the Durham, NC, consultants under the Bulgarian Technical Twinning Program have led to the development and the initiation of the Stara Zagora Downtown Development pilot project. The goals that were set up, to reconstruct and renovate sites of great public significance by utilizing the principle of public-private partnership to create a beautiful and harmonious environment, are being achieved. The completed building of the drama theater, the beginning of the construction of the buildings of the municipal complex, give us the assurance that this is a timely process accepted positively by the citizens of Stara Zagora. As one of the co-founders of the project, I would like to thank USAID and our consultants from Durham, NC, for their consistent support and wonderful cooperation during all stages of this project. I wish luck to all other municipalities that may find this project a successful one. I can assure them of our willingness to help them if necessary, to encourage them at times of difficulties.