Climate change and Urban Environment Strategy

1. Climate change and Urban Environment Strategy Antoaneta Yoveva, architect, Director of Sustainable World Foundation(SWF), Bulgaria Email: ayoveva@mail.bg, tel. +359 888 739342, address: bul. Hr.Botev 37, Sofia 1606, Bulgaria

2. EU Policy document • For new EU member states (Bulgaria Romania and may be others) the document THEMATICSTRATEGY ON THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT is not yet poplar enough • Still some measures are in place and as good practices in Sofia are good examples and are worth to be shared

3. SWF projects and influence • Our projects deal with physical environment, urban policies, methodologies for local authorities(indicators), investment projects for urban development and planning, architecture and design, housing refurbishment and renovation, etc. , (more than 25 initiatives realized with EU funding and from other international donors, our good practices for climate change follow )

4. THEMATICSTRATEGY ON THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT • Sustainable construction methods& techniques • Urban design • SustainableUrban Management • Sustainable Urban Transport

5. Sustainable construction methods& techniques Some of the most relevant recommendations included in this report are: • Compliance and responsibility to the Kyoto Protocol commitments. • Public money to be spent on projects that respect therequirements of sustainable construction • Development of Horizontal Standardised Methods for the Assessment of theIntegrated Environmental Performance of Buildings • Taxes and all otherregulatory mechanisms used to help motivate the stakeholders to achieve moresustainable construction

6. 1.Sustainable construction methods& techniques • The use of resources to become more sustainable - decentralised utility systems (recyclingofgrey water, energy production, for waste collection) • Education and awareness raising campaignsmust prepare all relevant actors to achievea more sustainable built environment and a more efficient use of the built environment

7. 1.Sustainable construction methods& techniques Objectives due to be defined at the European institutions level and adapted to each member state’s reality in terms ofclimate: • Improve indoor and outdoor air quality; • Improve indoor and outdoor comfort conditions (thermal, acoustic and visual); • Improve the energy efficiency of buildings by implementing appropriate construction methods andtechniques (passive solar design) internalising the best of the local climate conditions; • Reduce CO2 emissions per capita and per sector; • Integrate renewable energy systems (active solar and wind) and energy management systems forpermanent monitoring; • Specify systems to maximise efficiency in operation, making room for flexible performance • Reduce waste and facilitate waste separation; • Reduce water demand and implement grey water recycling systems at the local level; • Reduce running and maintenance costs.

8. The three main thematic objectives that this report addresse are: Re-designing and retro-fitting existing urban areas to support sustainable development Sustainable design for greenfield sites Knitting the urban fabric together to achieve an integrated city wide vision, including viewing urban areasin relation to their hinterlands 2. Urban design

9. 2. Urban design Key urban design themes as the focus of policy objectives, legislation, targets, guidance andresearch • the re-use and regeneration of urban land • density of new development • location of new development – relation to public transport and other accessibility factors • design of green structures and city landscape • streets and movement structure (pedestrian and cycle environment, public spaces, public transport) • promoting mixed uses • designing for affordable housing • accessible public amenities and services for all social groups; • appropriate conservation, renovation and use/re-use of cultural heritage • sustainable, high quality architecture and building technologies

10. 2. Urban design An appropriate urban density must allow for: • Efficient public transport systems • Affordable urban infrastructures and services • Easy access to collective facilities. • Creating community identity. In order to achieve the former objectives, the following actions should be taken:- Increase density in urban sprawl areas so as to avoid excessiveland consumption;- Consider the use of ‘maximum standards’ to discourage low-density developments.- Adjust density in central areas to maintain acceptable quality of life levels.- Preserve green areas among existing and new urban areas.- Develop decentralised nodes in large urban areas.- Use available technologies to adjust densities to quality of life.

11. 3. SustainableUrban Management Most of the recommendations for the EC concern funding initiatives, due to beaccomplished either in framework of existing programmes. • Dissemination and Promotion of Good Practice and Methods (IntegratedUrban Local Plans by means of Local Agenda 21 Sustainable Cities Campaign) • Promoting the key role ofactive national policies as political and financial measures supporting Local Agenda 21approaches and methods. • Good practice demonstration networks/handbooks to spread information on availabletools. • Dissemination of information on LA21 and EMAS as urban management toolsby strengthening the support given to networks of local and regional authorities, • Facilitating the exchange of information and through awards, eco-labelling andbenchmarking. Training actions of both local authorities and representatives ofNGOs should be part of this dissemination

12. 3. SustainableUrban Management • Building Institutional Capacity– Increase institutional capacity of local institutions through Structural Funds and other forms of financial support, environmental policiesand regulatory activities • A Sustainable Cities Civic Leadership Programme for local government officials andpoliticians should be sponsored • Adoption of urban environment management systems (EMAS) • MS to introduce Cumulative Impact Assessment andTerritorial Impact Assessment as part of the impact assessment practices through theprovision of guidance • Proposed An Urban Environment Framework Directive

13. 4. Sustainable Urban Transport • Air and Noise Pollution Air pollution levels, especially sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulates, and hydrocarbons, have been falling, and continue to fall, in many western European cities, • Safety In the accession countries, traffic accidentsare rising, and adecoupling between traffic growth and accidents still needs to berealised. Urban areas play a critical role in traffic accidents • Health Vehicle emissions, such as carbon monoxide, fine particulates, hydrocarbons,nitrogen oxides, and sulphur oxides have severe effects on health. The whole range ofeffects includes premature death, illnesses, medical care, and reduced physicalactivity • Administration inefficient integration between locally managed urban public transport and urban road systems and often nationally managed railway and highway systems,or the interactions between private and public sector involvement

14. 4. Sustainable Urban Transport Flexibility is a key condition given the uncertainty of the future. Overall, the ECshould take action by: • establishing a clear EU vision on sustainable urban transport, and thisvision should be consistent throughout all EU institutions and EU funding; • creating a framework for action, and offering guidance to promotesustainable urban transport at the local level.

15. 4. Sustainable Urban Transport Specific recommendations to the EC for thefollowing targetareas: • Policy Coherence at the EU level; • Sustainable Urban Transport Plans; • Financial Policies; • Monitoring of Progress Towards Policy Objectivesby • Using Indicatorsand Conducting Impact Assessment; • EC Policy Initiatives; • Improved Governance; • Dissemination of Good Practices and Knowledge; • Promoting Awareness about Sustainable UrbanTransport.

16. Sofia good practices • Alternative transport – SWF’s specific project “With a bike to school” biking lanes to several downtown schools, participation in the design of the Sofia master plan • Energy saving solar houses in suburban Sofia areas – SWF’s design work and urban plans • Projects for housing refurbishment in central city parts – technologies, renewable energy resources, etc.

17. Alternative transport – biking lanes specific project “With a bike to school” • The master city plan envisages a system of biking lanes all over the city as an alternative transport • Detailed plans for each district exist and will be realized at funding availability (EU structural funds) • Specific project for 4 Sofia schools – its results are : educated children and provided safe condition for biking to school – its achievements are good and are demonstrated bellow

18. With a bike to schoolproject of SWF – 2002Investment measures realized - safe condition for biking to school

19. Investment measures realized - safe condition for biking to school

20. Safe condition for biking to school

21. Investment measures realized - safe condition for biking to school

22. Energy saving architecture design • New technologies introduced • Energy conservation measures • Renewable energy resources use • Recycling of water • Life style improvement – less energy consumption • Presented is the design of single family house for the suburban areas, which will be constructed in a number of lots

23. Energy saving architecture designA single family house for suburban areas designed for energy saving and renewable energy resources use • Orientation - south, east, windows , “throb walls” collecting solar heat

24. Energy saving architecture designA single family house for suburban areas designed forenergy saving and renewable energy resources use • Green barriers – evergreen trees to north to protect from winds, deciduous to south to allow sun flow in winter

25. Energy saving architecture designA single family house for suburban areas designed forenergy saving and renewable energy resources use • Innovative technologies solar water heating collectors, voltaic batteries, thermal pumps, etc.

26. Housing renovation projects – private initiatives and donor's programmes are ongoing in SofiaMeasures that contribute to climate change: Introduction of renewable resources – geothermal heating insulation and double glazing ventilation systems will be replaced, with more energy efficient ones district heating system - main supply of heat smart control systems resulting in additional savings

27. THANK YOU FOR THE ATTENTION! • We referred to a EU document, which is popular among the EU countries and is still disputable. • However, its principles are important and there is no harm to repeat them again. Some of our projects support it practically and are worth sharing as good practices from Sofia. • Climate change will be slowed down and stopped, if reasonable architectural measures are implemented, alternative transport introduced wider, and lifestyle (daily behavior) for energy saving is made familiar to everybody…