Provocatively named, the Greenfield festival from 15 to 18 June in the Stara Zagora park "Bedechka" aims to demonstrate how the public interest for more green spaces in cities is not necessarily in conflict with the investor's interest.

"On Friday and Saturday (16-17.06) on city park stage there will be several bands performing, as well as world-famous misician, the kaval player Teodosii Spasov, and DJ Ivan Shopov. We will organize workshops on nature conservation, bird watching, graffiti, yoga, etc., as well as a festival of amateur cinema, organized with the help of the National Fund "Culture" - says sociologist Parvan Simeonov, who is associated with the eco movement in his native Stara Zagora - the city of lindens, as it is known.  - On June 15, we present our initiative "Urban Encounters", in which we talk about the the initial spark that triggered the development of creative districts and festivals across the country. There, we'll look at the challenges facing the green cause in our country and how the state can be a partner, not an adversary, in making it happen."

Green spaces are the "lungs" of any settlement. Their development and preservation are therefore essential to provide a better urban environment for residents. Unfortunately, this public interest is often overridden by private interest, and the areas that can be designated as parks in this country are becoming increasingly scarce. A good example of such a preserved area is about 74 acres, part of the "Bedechka" park in Stara Zagora. To decide the fate of this part of the park, whose total area is 247 acres, one of the few local referendums in Bulgaria was held in 2017.

• Local referendums are the benchmarks leading to a culture of active citizenship

"It is well known that in this country such referendums hardly generate the kind of turnout that would oblige the municipality to comply with the decision taken - Parvan Simeonov explained Radio Bulgaria. - However, the mayor of Stara Zagora Zhivko Todorov, is to be praised for accepting this referendum as a consultative vote, because some 20,000 people clearly answered "Yes" to a complex question - whether the owners of land in the park should be compensated so that it can be preserved. The mayor complied, the city's master plan was changed, returning the land to park status."

The problem of private ownership of land that is part of parks or green areas between apartment blocks remains unsolved for decades in many cities in Bulgaria. Numerous proposals have been discussed over the years related to tax relief for such owners or the creation of a fund to compensate them, but no such mechanism has yet been enacted at national level.