SPATIUM International Review UDC 711.2(497.2)"2006/2010" No. 23, October 2010, pp. 1-8 Review paper 1 DOI: 10.2298/SPAT1023001D

CURRENT CHALLENGES AND INNOVATIVE APPROACHES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERIPHERAL REGIONS IN (THE CASE OF MUNICIPALITY)

Elena Dimitrova1, University of Architecture, Civil Engineering & Geodesy, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Urban Planning, , Bulgaria Angel Burov, University of Architecture, Civil Engineering & Geodesy, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Urban Planning, Sofia, Bulgaria

The paper approaches territorial cohesion in SEE from the perspective of social equity with regard to the opportunity to choose to live in one’s native place without compromising the quality of life. It is interested in border areas – both physical and virtual; in real life situations as meeting points of theories and policies influencing human lives; and in the emerging challenges there that often make us question once and again our concepts and actions as experts. Based on the Bulgarian case-study analysis, the authors discuss the effectiveness and current challenges of real-life implementation of EU and national policies aimed at sustainable development of peripheral regions. The rural peripheral municipality of Ivaylovgrad is an indicative case study for the ongoing processes in the peripheral regions of Bulgaria and the efforts to overcome a continuing loss of working places, services, markets and further isolation from the rest of the country since the early 1990s. The paper presents a critical view of initiatives and projects undertaken by interest and local groups in the period 2006–2010. Possible innovative approaches for regional revival are considered and conclusions are drawn about the importance of creating development strategies sensitive to the existing and emerging socio-cultural patterns. Key words: SEE, EU cohesion policy, sustainable regional development, socio-spatial networks.

development projects and emerging power life implementation and effectiveness of EU INTRODUCTION1 relations (Csurgo et al, 2008); (c) the role of pre-accession and cohesion policies, as well In the context of an increasingly urbanized knowledge in reconnecting social and natural as broader issues of the ‘continuity-change’ world with decreasing and scarce resources, a systems and in the development of indicator dichotomy in regional development and 2 question inevitably emerges that has to be systems capable of supporting joint learning the challenge of developing as a rural region in answered – whether we should consider by resource users (Parkins et al, 2001; Reed et an increasingly globalized and urbanized peripheries a problem or an opportunity to find al, 2006; Bruckmeier and Tovey, 2008); (d) world. The paper provides arguments stating a better way for a balanced urban-rural multiple factors influencing the dynamics of the need to formulate policies in a way more relationship (RSA, 2009). The topic of rural sustaining activities (Pantic and Miljkovic, persistently sensitive to ‘life on the ground’ regions in Europe is nowadays being 2010); (f) potential effects and challenges of processes and in measuring and estimating researched with a growing awareness about the interaction by socio-spatial networks in remote policy success and failure in the long term and complexity of issues and interacting factors. rural regions (Mulder et al, 2006). from multiple perspectives. In accordance with EU cohesion policy priorities (Davoudi, 2010), Recent research studies are increasingly The paper discusses regional policy issues as it is focused on people and processes in space focused on process-oriented aspects: (a) rural traced in the particular context of a Bulgarian as determined by a particular cultural context; development continuity (Vergunst et al, 2009); peripheral municipality, but also situated at the (b) co-operation between actors within rural meeting point of several broader topics: sustainable regional development and its 2The paper is partially based on analyses undertaken 1 Hristo Smirnenski Blvd. 1, 1046 Sofia, Bulgaria peculiar dimensions under the dynamic within a university research project (UACEG, contract [email protected] BN 103/2009) peripheral/border conditions in Europe, real-

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on social equity with respect to opportunities problems of the south-eastern peripheral political changes brought additional challenges created in living places; and on the emergence region of the country being already clearly to the region and required completely different of value-based identities and communities in visible and addressed by state policy in the approaches to meet them. peripheral regions as an important factor for early 1980s. In 1981 the region was already enhancing social capital – mentioned in all strongly lagging behind the rest of the country Regional policy in the period 1990–2010 official documents on sustainable development in both industry and agriculture, with resulting and territorial cohesion, but in many cases still serious demographic tendencies of After the democratic changes in Central and Eastern Europe during the 1990s, planning strongly underestimated or misunderstood. depopulation. In the period 1965 ‐ 1985 the activities were generally abandoned and Strandzha-Sakar region lost about 45 000 The case study discussed the municipality of neglected for almost a decade – partly because inhabitants, while at the same time the Ivaylovgrad, located in a border region in the of the extreme shifts in social and economic population of large industrial centers in the south-eastern periphery of Bulgaria. Varying life and partly due to a general region increased. There were also considerable regional policies applied from the mid-1980s misunderstanding about the liberalization of inner migrations inside municipalities, from to the present day at different levels of society after the shift from a centralized villages to municipal an secondary centres. governance and under different political economy. Planning practice was then restored The key political document providing policy systems have attempted with no significant thanks to both external and internal measures for regenerating the Strandza-Sakar effect to stop and reverse the unfavourable and encouragements and was based on a and Ivaylovgrad region23was adopted in 1982 unsustainable trends of socio-economic decentralized approach (Regional Development (Statement No. 22/12.05.1982 of the Bulgarian decline and depopulation of the region. Based Act, 1999). The need for harmonization Council of Ministers). The targeted region was on an analysis of available scientific references between socio-economic and spatial planning later on communicated and known as The about the region and personal experience at all levels was confirmed. Republic of Youth. The Statement prescribed a gained through contacts with local authorities, set of strategic measures to slow down and educational and cultural institutions through A National Regional Development Plan and reverse the negative tendencies: support for academic research (1988–1989), NGO activity district development plans were elaborated. small and medium size enterprises, According to the Spatial Planning Act (2001), (2005–2010) and educational field trips development of agri-industrial complexes to a National Integrated Development Scheme is (2008–2009), the paper discusses the need to provide employment all year round, securing to be elaborated. Work has started by re-conceptualize regional policy efforts with a technical, transport and communication stronger focus on bottom-up processes, local developing a Methodology for the elaboration infrastructure, better housing and social capacity-building and partnerships in long- of the National Scheme (to be bound with the services, upgrading social care and National Regional Development Plan). term initiatives designed with the purpose of educational infrastructure, promotion of achieving a higher level of regional and local cultural heritage and tourism; and measures to The Spatial Planning Act envisages the independence. The need for a new regional stimulate people with secondary and higher elaboration of regional development schemes, development policy is asserted, which should education from all over the country to settle in yet work in this field has hardly begun. A be based on integrated approaches, supported the region. second generation of district development by deeper interdisciplinary research and plans is in the implementation phase. It is evaluated through specific sets of indicators A National Research Programme for the recommended that they should be coordinated sensitive to the local and regional socio- Strandzha-Sakar Region was funded and a with district development schemes, but there cultural context. The role and potential of rural series of symposia were organized to discuss has been no substantial evidence of such peripheries are finally discussed in the its findings and policy implementation results. harmonization yet. perspective of more global spatial interactions Although the region saw general development and environmental impacts. tendencies of depopulation, in 1985 The elaboration of municipal master plans was Ivaylovgrad was considered a region with continually hampered by financial deficit, however, in the period 1999–2000 a number of BULGARIAN BORDER REGIONS: comparatively favourable conditions, and the Municipal Development Strategies and relevant REGIONAL POLICY CONTEXT demographic structure was expected to be balanced by the year 2000 through measures Action Plans were prepared in all Bulgarian that were to be implemented. Part of a field municipalities, the updating of which should Regional policy under socialism (1970– take into account future municipal master 1989) research, undertaken within the National Research Programme, focused on the effective plans, to define a territorial basis for economic Regional policy came into focus of the operation of the educational network (primary and social planning. Bulgarian national government in the 1970s, and secondary schools) and tried to outline the Rural multisectoral policies in support of when the consequences of the broad opportunities provided by integrated facilities agriculture were a typical approach in the industrialization processes undertaken in the for education and culture in smaller 1990s, although actual subsidies were very low country since the early 1960s became clearly settlements to increase investment efficiency (due to budget limitations) compared to the visible – fast urbanization changing the ratio of in social infrastructure (Dragiev et al, 1989). levels agreed on with the WTO. There were also urban-rural population in the country, However, no effective action was undertaken by annual campaigns for targeted subsidizing of population concentrated in large industrial state administration and a year later the overall production costs. Later on, through the support centers, and – despite the approved subsidies of EU pre-accession instruments, an enhanced for agriculture–diminishing and aging 2Although not strictly belonging to the Strandzha-Sakar correspondence between the state, SAPARD population, and settlements with fading geographic region, the municipality of Ivaylovgrad was and CAP measures was achieved. functions in rural and peripheral regions. The included in the programme because of the similar Nevertheless, the implementation of these Integral National Plan for Territorial problems the municipality is facing measures was considered rather weak and Development was adopted in 1979, the

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ineffective because of the general low quality projects are completed, products are not Location, natural characteristics and of projects, suspected/reported corruption and effectively utilized and the constructed cultural heritage patronage of intermediaries (UNDP, 2004). The infrastructure is not properly maintained and The municipality of Ivaylovgrad is located in integrated rural development policy with a used. Comparatively low interest by local the transitional zone between the western part territorial emphasis on economic producers is visible in the reported project of the Thracian Valley and the easternmost diversification, provision of infrastructure and submissions in the Rhodope Programme parts of the , in south- services, and environmental protection was (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, 2005). eastern Bulgaria, which is now a south-eastern introduced though the National Plan for the A general estimate of the regional policy border region of the EU. The municipality is at Development of Agriculture and Rural Regions implementation could be the following: that the the Bulgarian-Greek border and close to the in the early 2000s, mostly supported by process is slow and difficult, with insufficient Bulgarian-Turkish one, although the main SAPARD programme. coordination and lacking truly effective railways and roads, part of the pan-European indicators to support policy decisions. The top- Transport Corridors 4 and 9, are bypassing it. Estimated policy results: impacts and down initiatives lack flexibility and sensitivity to shortcomings the particular local context and the bottom-up The first policy steps were marked by rather ones most often demonstrate a lack of capacity contradictory practices. There were some good and continuity. This raises the crucial issue of examples and satisfactory results, but also enhancing social capital and inventing numerous common shortcomings due to possible ways to carry it out in order to misunderstanding the priorities, low quality of guarantee sustainability in the region. project concepts or their implementation, poor institutional capacity and a lack of experience. THE CASE STUDY OF IVAYLOVGRAD Although some municipalities prepared their MUNICIPALITY own local sustainable development strategies (Local Agenda 21), supported by international Being one of the 263 municipalities in the and national NGOs and UNDP in particular, country, with an area of 818 sq. km and the these did not develop as practical instruments population of 6 800 in December 2009 (13000 beyond the provided time-limited grants, as in 1979), the municipality of Ivaylovgrad observed elsewhere (Petrakos, 2001). belongs to a region that can nowadays be classified as border, mountainous, It is important to mention the GEF/UNDP underdeveloped and rural one – the proportion ambitious and large-scale Rhodope Project of agricultural to forest to urbanised land use in (2004–2009), aimed at alternative livelihoods the municipality is 37:60:1 (compared to mean related to the protection of the globally national values 59:34:5); population density is important biodiversity in the Rhodope 9 inhabitants per sq km (70 for the country); Mountains. Along with numerous positive and the ratio of population over 65 years old to results in many of the target settlements, the the one under 14 years is 2 (1.3 for the published project SWOT analysis outlined the country). shortcomings of the process (Stavreva, 2007). The main strengths mentioned comprise There are two main reasons for choosing this existing tourist traditions in some of the case study: (a) its location, natural and cultural settlements, local enthusiasm and successful characteristics, socio-economic development local initiatives at the beginning of the project. tendencies – both its current situation and The list of weaknesses is, however, much long-term development could be considered longer and includes the uneven distribution of indicative of the broader processes taking Tourist Information Centres (TIC) in the region, place in the new EU south-eastern border a lack of network approach and national co- regions in the ; and (b) a chance to ordination, poor motivation of TICs for gain continual personal research experience collaboration with other institutions, strong and establish contact with the changing local reliance on outer funding. Recommendations authorities over a longer period of time, and were put forward to keep the initiative in the from different positions and points of view – hands of local people, providing them with research, NGO activities, an educational additional qualification and organisational project – which provided an opportunity for a capacity, diversification of services and deeper insight into the continuities and building new partnerships. discontinuities in local traditions and culture, the local authorities' estimates of implemented The EU’s PHARE pre-accession programme regional policies in different periods and the focused on various underdeveloped public local people’s attitude to life perspectives, services and assets in the country – it governance and participation. supported the inventory and access to tourist Fig 1. Regional agricultural (a,b)& attractions, development of tourist products, tourist potential (c,d) etc. On-site observations confirm that once the

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Fig 2. Drougth (a) & fires (b), flooding (c) & erosion (d), land abandonment (e) & succession (f)

The region has diverse natural features and Minor after the War. Some of these refugees Historical development context resources. Various landscapes are spread came in place of Greek communities moving among smooth weaving ridges, steep foots of The territory could be considered a typical out at the same time. There are also Turkish, the slopes and narrow river valleys in-between. example of a periphery artificially created Roma and old Albanian communities. Biodiversity is well preserved in its natural through continual military confrontation and With the establishment of the new political mosaic pattern, with some of the top political decisions, as observed in many other order in Europe after WWII (1945), the concentrations for Europe, including plenty of places in Europe (Armstrong, 2004). permeability of the border strongly decreased endemic and rare species (BSPB, 2002). This In the historical retrospective, despite the and the region practically remained a closed variety has been enriched by pastoral and varying ethnic composition and conflicts area at the periphery of the Eastern Bloc for cultivation patterns, some of them maintained appearing all around, the Ivaylovgrad region over four decades. More than ten years of for several thousand years. The region is an has been prosperous and engaged in active transition after the collapse of the 'Iron Curtain' important part of the European Green Belt with exchange with settlements downstream the in 1989 were marked by constraints in trans- its high natural conservation value of preserved River (Hebros, , Meric) for border movements because of the EU’s stricter and regenerated habitats due to almost 50 centuries. It has been bound with today’s regulations (on border safety, trade and other years of political and military division along the (Adrianopolis, Odrin), which has technical standards) and the Greek national Iron Curtain. There is good potential for remained a very important urban centre in the policy, while the border regime with diversified agricultural development due to the south-eastern Balkans from antiquity until provided better mobility of people and goods. transitional temperate Mediterranean agro- today. During the first half of the 20th century, climatic conditions. There are considerable The pre-accession process and Bulgaria’s EU after the Russian-Turkish War (1877–1878) possibilities for accommodating the demands accession in 2007 gradually improved the which brought independence to Bulgaria, the of cultural, rural and ecological tourism (Fig. trans-border movement of people and goods region remained at the periphery of the 1), provided by the unique cultural monuments between Bulgaria and ; however, the . The area joined the Bulgarian from a historical span of three thousand years, restrictions were now relocated to the state after the Balkan War (in 1912), while its various agricultural traditions and local Bulgarian-Turkish border. During this period neighbouring regions were assigned to Greece, celebrations and the preserved wilderness with there was a growing number of active trans- and the town of Edirne remained in Turkey. its scenic setting. Along with these values and border co-operation programmes and available potential, there are new troubling processes The ethnic map of the region is a complex funds with both neighbouring countries (EU challenging the present resource use practices result of the historical events from the early pre-accession instruments and a regional and culture – the patterns of drought and fires, 20th century, generating waves of refugees – development fund). The municipality of intensive rainfalls in combination with fast settling down and moving away. Today’s mixed Ivaylovgrad participated in a number of joint snow melting, soil erosion, accelerated ethnic composition includes mostly Bulgarian initiatives, projects and actions mainly with succession of abandoned agricultural land, the Orthodox Christians and Muslims, the Greek partner municipalities. In addition to the spread of invasive species, etc. (Fig. 2). ancestors of whom have lived here since existing two border crossings between the two before the Balkan War, and the vast majority of countries, five more were planned and a whom came from Southern and Asia bilateral memorandum was signed in 1995

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which was included in the agenda on several socio-economic crises of the 1990s, abandoned over the last 20 years, while one occasions. There was, however, a considerable unfavourable geographic position, slow half of 48 villages in all are rapidly diminishing time lag in the implementation of all projects economic restructuring and low productivity, and are at the point of disappearing, with few due to underlying political inertia and mistrust, complicated land ownership issues and elderly people left and no residents of among other technical and financial reasons. shrinking military presence in the region reproductive age. Three new border crossings are now in use in altogether resulted in the closure of major state All of these factors have led to a lack of the region, the first from 2005 and the other enterprises and co-operative farms, loss of community spirit and cohesion, where two from this year. The one between the towns markets and income sources, long-term fragmented individual efforts and separate of Ivaylovgrad and opened in unemployment and further isolation of the livelihood strategies come in place. The September 2010. municipality from the rest of the country. strength and value of the regional cultural During the last five years, the municipality – identity (various forms of heritage and Demographic, socio - economic and especially its eastern part (including the relations, local knowledge and collective cultural processes municipal centre and a few more villages) – memory) are nowadays jeopardized because of experienced increased inner and outer The demographic development in the region the negative trends of depopulation, aging, investment interest. Micro, small and medium- has a lot in common with other rural areas in intergenerational discontinuity, marginalization, sized enterprises appeared in traditional and Eastern Europe. It is defined by speedy poverty and social exclusion in vast parts of the new sectors and branches (building materials region. At the beginning of the transition period transformation and migration patterns in less extraction, farming, winery, light industries, there were certain optimistic expectations than 50 years from the agriculture-based, tourist services, photovoltaic energy parks, predominantly rural society before WWII into about the benefits of openness, but now there etc.). However, most of these were seriously an industrialized and urbanized one, structured is only widespread mistrust and scepticism affected by the global economic recession and around the capital city of Sofia and 26 larger accumulated among citizens living in poverty positive expectations of stabilization were very and downcast entrepreneurs in the and medium-sized administrative and soon replaced by anxiety over a possible next municipalities which suffer from the still economic centres. The intensive depopulation wave of labour and poverty-driven migration. in the Ivaylovgrad municipality, like in other ongoing isolation (results of an inquiry, Poor access to education (only one secondary border regions in South-eastern Bulgaria in the interviews, discussions and content analysis of school in the town and three primary schools 1950s–1970s, took place alongside a natural local published materials during an on fifty villages) and health care (ongoing educational project will be discussed later on). population growth observed at the national discussions for closing down small municipal level. There was an additional peak of outward hospitals in the whole of the country, the one A Municipal Development Plan was adopted in migration in the 1990s, at the expense of small in Ivaylovgrad being on top of the list), 2006 and a number of measures and projects villages and neighbourhoods in the ineffective organization of utility services were undertaken – predominantly the ones municipality. The population in the municipal (waste collection available only in the representing fragmented physical rehabilitation centre diminished at a lower pace and the town municipal town and three nearby villages) and of buildings and infrastructure. One of these is still accommodates mechanical immigration insufficient maintenance of infrastructure and the local TIC, accommodated in a restored from the adjacent parts of the region – well the built environment are the result of a lack of building (a listed heritage site) – unfortunately illustrated by the density map of the a critical mass of users, inadequate state with no financial or organisational resource municipality (Fig. 3). support and very limited local financial committed. The next challenge is the The political shift and the subsequent national resources. A number of settlements have been implementation of the Local Development

Fig 3. Population density of Ivaylovgrad municipality (based on data from 2009) Fig 4. Depopulated villages in Ivaylovgrad

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Strategy – to be prepared and managed by education, consultation and project preparation (natural to technological to cultural and the Local Action Group “Zaedno”, organized related to natural grazing, organic agriculture agricultural) by placing the focus on life after the regulations of the Leader+ approach and eco-tourism. values and respect for nature, and searching in co-operation with administration, the for alternative ways of life. The Bikearea Association is on a mission to business and civil sectors in the three bring people closer to nature, continually NGOs have thus been acting as effective municipalities – Ivaylovgrad, and developing responsible and sustainable agents of change and, being sensitive to real Stambolovo. tourism and recreation across the Rhodope life on the ground, they have initiated the At this stage of development, the region is Mountains, by organising education and evelopment of micro communities and exposed to the utmost level of vulnerability. consultation for local guides and small scale networks of a new identity and culture. The future role and contribution of the accommodation alongside the promotion of recently opened and long awaited border sustainable forest use (Rhudopia product). crossing need to be observed. The challenges The Green School Village (GSV) Association is of the proper management of local resources a youth value-based community of people from need to be adequately met and the local different places, with varied experience and potential well utilized. Therefore, urgent professional interests. The Association actively initiatives for revitalization have to include an searches contacts with local communities, the ambitious enhancement of the local capacity municipality and the region. The GSV has for maintenance and development on the one focused on the revival of the shrinking hand, and on the other an encouragement for Kostilkovo village in the municipality, one of its the colonization of disappearing settlements. main projects being the development of a Non- (Fig. 4). formal Education Centre, planned to be a multifunctional and self-sustaining centre BUILDING NEW PARTNERSHIPS which will become a local enterprise, a research and culture centre developing The NGO sector–activities and concepts commercial and non-commercial services. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have Several youth exchange initiatives were been emerging all over the country since the organised with a special emphasis on early 1990s with a lot of EU, international and spreading the knowledge about natural building national support. Recent regional policy and permaculture. A number of projects (some documents have great expectations from them. of which were supported by the Municipality The Ivaylovgrad region with its distinctive and the Cultural Centre) were very beneficial in values is a suitable field for comprehensive terms of valuable experience and networking. exploration. Acquisition of proficiency in life 'on the edge' and entering into deeper Estimation of the NGO driven process interactions has stimulated a lot of NGOs with Despite often not fully reaching their genuine various scales of work and declared priorities. objectives while adapting to grant Some of them are active on the national scale; requirements and failing to attract additional others are regionally based or focused. There resources, NGOs in the region have are already numerous examples of succeeded in initiating a truly innovative organizations which undertook important first process of enhancing and integrating social steps and innovations for the region, trying to capital to support a re-conceptualization of reconnect the regional potential through life in the border area. Several aspects of their networking and supplementing efforts – activity can be considered as being of sometimes functioning in real synergy and particular importance: continuity. • The enthusiasm of young people The Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation involved in various value-based activities; promotes the 'Green Belt' concept on a national scale and organizes events to raise awareness • The synergy created by linking different about conservation opportunities and levels – from international through national challenges in the border regions of Bulgaria. It and regional to local; has conducted biodiversity investigations in • The active search for and initiation of the region within the Rhodope project and acts partnerships with a large variety of actors strategically by purchasing land of high natural from both the public and private sectors; value. Together with the BSPB it organizes the • The impressive variety of ideas, Kartali annual training in field investigations, priorities and practices coming into monitoring and practical activities. contact and mutually fertilizing each other; Fig 5. Communication, dialogue and co-operation The ARK Nature and Avalon Foundation (Dutch with local communities (For one shared space • The capacity to link into a truly Project, 2009) organizations) initiated the region-focused New holistic way all the aspects of life Thracian Gold Project with an accent on

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The University as a partner in the 2008), there is an obvious need for further Developing process-based strategies process professional debate on the strategies to provide should be strongly focused on in continuity. and communicate at both the EU and national The Strategic Choice Approach could be A partnership officially established between the levels. There is also an urgency to counteract particularly useful (Friend and Hickling, 2005). UACG and GSV Association on the occasion of the negative tendencies of depopulation and It is important within the process-oriented the For One Common Space and a Better Place marginalization in SEE peripheral regions, framework to provide monitoring and for Living Project provided a chance to explore which requires innovative approaches sensitive evaluation with a time scope beyond the the development opportunities for both actors, to local institutional capacity, as well as to the framework of a particular project. Transparency as well as for the capacity-building process at peculiar needs and life-styles, priorities and of processes requires indicator systems that the local level in the municipality of culture of the people – those who have stayed have to be scientifically based, but also Ivaylovgrad. In accordance with its educational and those who would be interested in transparently communicable and designed with concept (Dimitrova, 2009), the university team inhabiting and reviving peripheries. Several all groups active at the local level. searched for a real-life case-study to focus on considerations resulting from the analysis of Comprehensible demonstrations and within the Sustainable Development teaching real-life processes in the Ivaylovgrad educational efforts explaining alternative module of the BSc in Urbanism Programme municipality could be particularly relevant and approaches and their expected results could (winter semester 2009/2010). The NGO was in helpful on the way: induce change in activities and practices, an need of potential allies and partners, but also intensified exchange and a common learning methodological support to carry out a public Despite numerous reported results and many process. Stimulating measures should be dialogue with the local people on the issues of positive changes, a general low clearly aimed at key actors and aspects of the mobility, waste management and local cultural effectiveness of current practices and processes. identity. Throughout the teaching process activities has been observed and students were actively involved in analyses of communicated up to the present day. The A long list of policy research issues should local potential and best practices, in preparing major shortcoming clearly visible in many surely include critical preconditions for setting questionnaires and carrying out a survey situations is the discontinuity of initiatives (due into motion gradual social interaction, envisaged by the Project, in presenting both to a lack of financial support, adequate innovative entrepreneurship, balanced good practices and their own development maintenance of products and results, training commodification and successful assessment ideas to the local community, and organizing a services), which results in the disappearance methods of development and transformation creative art workshop with local children. of public trust in the possibility to change the provided by top-down and bottom-up status quo. approaches. Co-ordinated research will The analysis of the outcome proved the guarantee the effectiveness of efforts. existence of considerable benefits for all A shift in the focus of capacity building partners in the project. From an academic seems necessary. Most of the efforts have To conclude, it seems vital to a successful standpoint, the process was valuable with been aimed at the administrative and expert regional policy in a period of a dynamically regard to creating an expert point of view project management capacity. Capacity is evolving world and uncertainty of future sensitive to local processes and challenges however equally needed in the real-life development challenges to continually keep in and stimulating the students’ personal and management of local and shared regional mind that all people matter. professional responsibilities to real-life people resources where local people have their stakes and institutions. – seemingly small but very important in the References long run. 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