Cities of the Future: Greener, Thirstier, Hotter, More Resilient? Be Ready at Green Transition Forum in Sofia, Bulgaria

As part of the European Green Transition Forum 6.0 in Sofia on June 4, 2026, the Sofia Development Association (SDA) organized an international roundtable on urban heat islands and on planning and implementing measures for adaptation to and mitigation of the effects of climate change.

Experts in ecology, urban planning, and environmental protection, together with representatives of local and national authorities from Austria, Bulgaria, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic, participated in the discussion “Cooling Cities: Urban Heat Islands, Climate Resilience and the Future of Urban Living.” The roundtable was also the closing event of the Be Ready project, within which Sofia’s first climate festival, HEAT FEST 2026 (June 4–6, 2026), was organized.

Climate change and its growing negative effects on urban environments, people, animals, and vegetation were central to the nearly three years of work carried out by the partners in the Be Ready project, led by SDA. At the project’s conclusion, not only are the results achieved by the partner cities visible, but also new areas where future efforts by experts, policymakers, scientists, and environmental advocates should be directed.

Barbara Mušič, an architect, urban-planning expert, and researcher at the Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia, outlined the challenges cities face in planning urban environments, particularly regarding access to data, analysis, and planning. Dr. Bernhard Pucher of BOKU University (Vienna) addressed important issues related to water use and recycling, noting that “green cities are thirstier cities,” and that efforts to increase urban greenery inevitably encounter the problem of limited water resources. Petr Pavelčík from the Czech Republic presented practical solutions used by Czech cities to conduct targeted analyses of urban heat islands and plan specific measures to address the issue.

Polina Dikova, Chair of the expert community Regenerati.org, highlighted critical aspects of the impact of climate change and human activity on soil, as well as the need for cities to undertake revitalization measures, urban agriculture initiatives, and other actions to preserve soil quality and quantity. Irina Mateeva of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds presented measures developed under the RESTORIVER project related to the protection of urban water bodies and the maintenance and creation of rain gardens. Such measures are necessary not only to combat urban heat islands but also to preserve biodiversity. Similar concerns were raised by Alexander Dutsov of WWF Bulgaria, whose work focuses on biodiversity conservation, particularly large carnivores, and on finding practical solutions for protecting their habitats and supporting coexistence with humans.

The third part of the roundtable focused on cooperation among businesses, local authorities, and civil society in finding practical solutions for climate adaptation. An important initiative is the “Vodim” program, a long-term “Clean Water from Source to Tap” program supported by Mastercard, UBB, and KSB Group. Alexander Peev, General Manager for Corporate and Social Responsibility at KBC Group in Bulgaria, shared key results of the program, including the construction of public drinking fountains in urban areas, public awareness activities, and work with students and schools to encourage better understanding and protection of water resources.

The Be Ready project includes research, pilot activities, strategic planning, and cooperation with all stakeholders in support of a safer, healthier, and more climate-resilient urban environment. The roundtable presented to an international audience not only the challenges facing the future of cities and climate, but also demonstrated how integrated, data-driven, and citizen-engaging approaches can support climate-resilience efforts in urban areas across the Danube region.