CREATING OPEN COMMUNITIES TO DESIGN INITIATIVES FOR NEXT GENERATION SMART CITIES

Part IV – The Experience in Bulgaria

What is happening in BULGARIA on the path of implementing and using smart technologies as part of the future of “smart cities”?

• Participation of a number of Bulgarian cities in the European Commission’s “WiFi4EU” initiative  – Promotes free Wi-Fi for citizens and visitors in public spaces such as parks, squares, public buildings, libraries, health centers and museums throughout Europe. This way, everyone can be connected, regardless of where they live. According to the European Commission, 232 out of a total of 265 municipalities in Bulgaria have received a WiFi4EU voucher.
• Another example is the entry of radio networks into the Bulgarian market, which are designed for the implementation of the Internet of Things (IoT)  – solutions related to air monitoring, waste disposal, agriculture, management of the support networks for the water and sanitation and energy sectors.

The objective prerequisite for finding effective and working solutions is the availability of the latest generation telecommunications networks, both in the radio part, such as 5G and the IoT network of “Vivacom”, based on the LoRaWAN standard , as “Vivacom” is the only mobile operator with such a network in the country, and the telecom’s wide-ranging fiber-optic CORE infrastructure, allowing speeds of up to 10GB for Internet access and data transfer in the client part and ten times higher speeds in the backbone part through DWDM technology.

In Bulgaria, there are already a number of successful practices in the field of smart cities –  for the implementation of innovative solutions in various areas – public transport management, urban video surveillance, smart parking, smart garbage collection, access control, air quality monitoring, digital education, e-administration and telemedicine.

• Energy management and smart street lighting : using sensors, data analysis and automation to optimize the energy efficiency of buildings, street lighting and electrical networks. Successful examples are: Plovdiv, Pazardzhik, Stara Zagora and Banite Municipality.
• Sustainable transport: The development of intelligent traffic management systems, improvement of urban public transport, use of shared vehicles and development of infrastructure for charging electric vehicles. Similar projects have been implemented in the cities of Sofia, Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Burgas, Pleven, Varna, Sliven, Blagoevgrad.
• Waste management:  Solutions to improve the efficiency of waste collection and recycling, optimization of waste collection routes and sensors to monitor waste levels in containers. Good examples of this are in Sofia and Burgas.
• City video surveillance with AI elements:  digital monitoring and control systems that solve problems in the field of security and internal order and in terms of compliance with traffic laws. Successful examples can be found in Burgas, Blagoevgrad, Plovdiv, Pleven, Lovech, Kozloduy, Silistra, Nikopol, Tutrakan, Tryavna, Kirkovo, Chirpan, Cherven Bryag, Pomorie, Sozopol, Targovishte, Nikopol, Dryanovo, Sredets, etc.

We are still yet to see project initiatives by individual municipalities and other stakeholders related to:

• Water resources management: technologies for monitoring and preventing leaks, optimal use of water in urban green spaces and optimization of drinking water supply systems.
• Interactive urban infrastructure:  sensors and technologies for better communication and interaction with citizens, including providing up-to-date information on transport, the environment, the availability of parking spaces and other useful services. It is also important to note that national and local governments have a crucial role in the development of smart cities, and the role of each resident is paramount in solving urban problems and adapting to climate change. The conclusions without which we cannot move forward: Here is the idea of ​​releasing some of the control , thus cities will become more innovative and creative. Government and the private sector will not solve the big problems in urban environments alone. They must open their data platforms, provide information services to third parties , maintain shared (ideally open source) platforms with up-to-date information on different projects, allow citizens to intervene and create.
• A highly engaged population (communities) with guaranteed access –  you have to have the necessary infrastructure. Significant broadband access to enter the urban environment is absolutely necessary or nothing will be achieved.

A comprehensive approach to strong governance for the digitalization of government and municipal administration –  this direction would have a positive effect in several directions:

Driving the regional economy through consumption and purchase of services by residents and visitors who come and go in a safe, convenient and comfortable city, as well as creating diverse innovations through interactions.

Creating an environment in which various services are implemented one after another for residents and companies, using various data and new technologies that revitalize the regional economy;