99% Invisible Between the Blocks
20 snips
Feb 6, 2024 
Andrew Anderson, a Sofia-based reporter intrigued by the city’s interblock parks, chats with Sonia Hurt, a landscape architecture professor who grew up in Sofia. They discuss the city’s unique urban layout, where open green spaces serve as vital social hubs. The conversation highlights the significant loss of green space since communism’s fall and the need for revitalization. With personal reflections and urban design insights, they explore how Sofia's parks reflect broader themes of community, nostalgia, and hope for the future.
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Interblock Parks
- Sofia's interblock parks, called "Mejdublokove," are a unique feature of the city.
- These green spaces are not formal parks but rather interconnected areas between buildings.
Park Threat
- Andrew was shocked by plans to build on a local park, assuming it was protected public space.
- His experience in England, with stricter planning laws, contrasted with Sofia's approach.
Sofia's Transformation
- Sofia, a relatively young capital, transformed after WWII under communist rule.
- The government aimed to create a modern industrial city, rejecting the "bourgeois fascist" suburban model.
