Sofia - a city for people
Sofia - a City for People is a pilot project of Sofia Municipality for the study and analysis of public spaces in the city center according to the methodology of Danish architect and urbanist Prof. Jan Gehl. The project started in early 2017 with an official invitation from the Mayor of Sofia Municipality Yordanka Fandakova and Arch. Zdravko Zdravkov to Gehl Associates to advise Sofia Municipality on the development of a strategy for public spaces and the improvement of public life in Sofia.
The project is part of Arch. Zdravkov’s focus on the policies of Sofia Municipality for the development of public spaces for pedestrians and cyclists with limited car traffic and a shift towards a more human-centred urban environment.
Partners of Sofia Municipality under the project are Gehl Architects and Studio Placemake. The Gehl project team is comprised of Henriette Vamberg - managing partner of Gehl and Lisa Müller - architect. On the Bulgarian side, Placemake Studio (Silvia Chakarova, Nurhan Redzheb, Galina Alexova, Pavel Yanchev, Despina Kaneva, Stela Kaloyanova, Maialen Landa Oregi and Zornitsa Mitkova) coordinates the project and the field studies.
The final result of the project is the Report on Public Spaces and Public Life with analysis and recommendations for the development of public spaces in the central part of Sofia.