The Living Lab in Sofia operates at the district level, focusing on the Zapaden Park neighbourhood in Krasna Polyana district and addressing long-standing challenges around citizen participation, administrative capacity, and the quality and maintenance of public spaces. Building on lessons from previous local experience, particularly the URBiNAT project, the Living Lab co-evaluates past Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) interventions to better understand implementation challenges and respond to citizens’ concerns about municipal delivery, long-term maintenance, and the sustainability of green spaces.
Through spatial mapping and participatory discussions, local stakeholders identify suitable sites and assess key conditions, including municipal ownership, public accessibility, community engagement, and the readiness of the district administration to participate. Citizens, district officials, technical experts, and other local stakeholders then use VR headsets, touchscreens, and mobile interfaces to collaboratively explore and refine 3D visions for tailored NBS, such as rain gardens, urban green infrastructure, and measures addressing urban heat.
To translate these shared visions into actionable solutions, strategic backcasting workshops map concrete implementation steps and milestones from a desired future back to the present. The Living Lab aims to move beyond piecemeal interventions by developing a comprehensive concept for the park, informed by stakeholder feedback and best practice, while strengthening dialogue, trust, and local capacity for NBS delivery. Finally, a hands-on physical NBS pilot, such as a micro-forest, wildflower meadow, or rain garden will be implemented on-site, providing a real-world testing ground for co-creation and demonstrating how citizen involvement can contribute to more sustainable and better-maintained urban green spaces.
