Sofia’s Urban Environment – News in Brief
Image source: Metropoliten Sofia
Sofia Municipal Council has approved the plan for two subway extensions. The third line planned to be 6 km long will link the Military Academy with Arena Armeec Hall and Poligona residential district. Another stretch of 2 km. to the first metro diameter will connect the Business Park with the Simeonovo lift. There will be two stops along the route that aim to provide an underground transport to Sofia Ring Mall and to make a connection between the metro and the lift.
The construction of the new routes is scheduled to start in 2021.
Five metro stations along the stretch from Patriarch Evtimii Blvd. to Krasno Selo district are expected to be put into operation this fall. By the end of the year, three new stations should be operational towards Vladimir Vazov Blvd., and in 2020 another 4 km, stretching from Ovcha Kupel residential district to the ring road near Gorna Bania.
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The construction of a new settlement situated 20 km. away from the capital in the region of Plana mountain, between Sofia and Samokov, is planned to start as of this spring. The town, with a capacity to accommodate some 3 000 people, will be named Plana Heights. It is scheduled to be completed within 5 to 7 years.
Kindergartens, elementary school, retail space, sports facilities, etc. are planned to be built on an area of over 2 000 decares. The costs of laying on electricity and water to the area, as well as repairing the surrounding roads, will be at the expense of the landowner.
Residents of Plana Heights will be able to invest both in finished construction and the purchase of land they will be able to build on. According to preliminary estimates, the prices of most houses in the town will be close to those of a three-room apartment in the outskirts of Sofia.
The project for the new settlement is owned by the Israeli businessman Avinoam Kartieli, president of the “Bulgaria – Israel Binational Chamber of Commerce”. You can find additional information about the idea of building the new settlement here.
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The municipal initiative Vision Sofia published a survey on Sofia’s morphology with combined databases on the buildings and the demography of the capital. The survey provides information on the construction of individual areas, population density by neighborhood and demography (age, education, etc.), concentration of certain types of buildings (administrative, business, residential, type of construction, etc.), heating sources and other demographic and morphological indicators for the territory of Sofia.
The survey aims at drawing specific conclusions and recommendations for urban planning in Sofia. Details and link to the full report with charts and thematic maps can be found here.
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In addition, the team of Vision Sofia also published the results of another survey – the identity of Sofia, the symbols and stories that create the image of the capital and position it as an attractive center for people, ideas and capital. The report explores, analyzes and summarizes all the signs of identity related to architectural, historical, visual and other symbolic landmarks, as well as the business face of Sofia – what attracts foreign tourists and investors and its image in the eyes of tourists and expats.
Details and full text of the report can be found here.
