On 10 March 2026, an international webinar of the Be Ready project, led by the Sofia Development Association, was held to present recommendations for addressing urban heat in European cities. The event brought together nearly 60 experts from across Europe, representing more than 20 projects funded under various European programmes.
The Bureau for Integration and Social Innovation (BISI) is one of the 19 partners in the project consortium. During the webinar, BISI’s Executive Director Denitsa Lozanova presented the recommendations at the national level developed within the partnership.
In her presentation, she highlighted the role of national policies in creating conditions that support local authorities in adapting to climate change and addressing the effects of urban heat islands. The recommendations emphasize the need for better coordination between different levels of governance, the integration of the urban heat topic into national strategic documents, and the encouragement of investments in sustainable urban solutions.
The webinar also presented the results of the project partnership’s two years of work. During this period, 20 local workshops were organized in 10 countries, a specialized methodology for analysing urban heat was developed, local studies were conducted, and 10 pilot actions based on the principle of so-called “urban acupuncture” were implemented. Partners also carried out 10 peer reviews and developed 10 local action plans.
Based on this practical experience, the consortium formulated a set of recommendations aimed at different levels of governance — local and regional, national, the Danube Region, and the European Union — as well as at sectors most affected by urban heat.
The event aimed to encourage synergies between different European initiatives working in the field of climate adaptation and sustainable urban development. Participants exchanged experience and ideas on improving governance, urban planning, stakeholder engagement, and investments in solutions to mitigate the effects of urban heat islands.
The discussions highlighted the growing urgency of addressing this issue, as the effects of climate change and urbanization are intensifying the problem of urban heat in many European cities.
The next step for the Be Ready partnership will be to further refine the developed recommendations, link them with available implementation tools, and present them to the relevant institutions.