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Opinion of toolsName of the case study Name of tool Opinion of tool - argumentation for choosing the tool The municipalities face the need for defining relevant priority targets. They develop their own criteria within MTC for identifying the most appropriate municipal proposals to compete for financial support at the national BBP level. The Municipality needed a tool to assess and rate the targets for urban refurbishment in a sustainable way by linking social, economic and environmental factors. The tool proved to be useful under real Bulgarian conditions and also flexible enough to meet the dynamic changes in the municipality. The "Green Trace" tool, an initiative for the Municipality-public partnership in the maintenance of public green spaces, working since 1997, was considered a successful one. Opinion of tool - barriers for the tool implementation Name of tool Opinion of tool - argumentation for choosing the tool The choice of the tool was a joint initiative of Bulgarian municipalities and Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (MLSP). No information is available on the criteria that were used to select the tool, however the proposed UNDP Working Model for national-municipal authority partnership served as a basis for the development of the tool. The UNDP management know-how was successfully integrated into the national tool structure. Opinion of tool - barriers for the tool implementation Opinion of tool - assessment by tool users The general view of the tool is that it provides the opportunity to address local issues in the light of identified national priorities in urban regeneration and guarantees the comparability of municipal approaches at the national level. It was learnt from implementation of the tool that it is best applied to various sectors while keeping its general criteria and methods. The success of BBP and its evaluation tool is further demonstrated by the fact that over 100 municipalities "decided to continue the activities with their own resources… some neighbouring countries intend to launch similar programmes inspired by the BBP." (Jacques Wunenburger, Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to Bulgaria. Endorsement of the tool comes in the fact that the tool has been used for seven years; its components and types of urban problems to be tackled have been continuously developed. Municipal Level
The tool contributes to SMEs strengthening, helps to build and measure the capacity of the Regional Employment Services and Labour Offices and encourages public-private partnership. Nowadays Municipal Target Criteria is being successfully applied in 100 Bulgarian municipalities to assess the most suitable projects for potential financing from the BBP national programme. The criteria within the tool are modified in each municipality to be relevant to particular local conditions. The experience and approaches could be discussed and disseminated as potentially useful best practice. The Municipality uses the tool every year when applying for BBP financial support. During 2003-2004 park regeneration (e.g. green spaces) was the target but before this the main targets were buildings with a historical value (e.g. the building sector). Opinion of tool - reviewer\'s assessment The participation of the town inhabitants in the definition of local criteria should be supported and a regular monitoring of results could be included as a criterion for successful implementation of the tool. The BBP in general and the evaluation tool (NTC) in particular stimulate municipalities to take the initiative and try to resolve local unemployment and urban development problems with their own resources. The tool is clearly aimed at sustainability by providing employment opportunities that have visible results and that benefit the local urban environment. However, in some cases short-term social considerations (only temporary employment is provided, the construction work of each project should be finalised within one season) are reported to prevail. In areas of specific historical heritage where is needed a restoration unqualified labour is not appropriate to implement. What tools were used to assess sustainability? Municipal Target Criteria (one of Two-level Target Criteria) National Target Criteria (one of Two-level Target Criteria) More information |