Through the IURC programme, Semarang City of Indonesia conducted a study visit to Sofia City, the Capital City of Bulgaria, from March 13 to 16, 2023. The visit aimed to promote cooperation between two cities under the IURC framework in the field of sustainable urban mobility. It was to follow up the similar activities where Sofia delegates visited Semarang City in June 2022.
The delegates consisted of three Semarang City officials, led by Mr. Mukhamad Khadhik, Assistant of Government, Semarang Municipality. The other participants were Mr. Endro Pudyo Martantono, a Head of the Transportation Department, and Mr. Yenuarso, a Head of the Partnership Division. They were accompanied by Ms. Sri Indah Wibi Nastiti, representative of APEKSI – Association of Indonesia Municipalities, and Ms. Dini Laraswati, IURC Country Coordinator for Indonesia.
Day 1
The delegates were warmly welcomed by Mrs. Yordanka Fandakova, Mayor of Sofia Municipality, Mr. Doncho Barbalov, Deputy Mayor of Transport and Urban Mobility, and Mr. Ivan Nikolov, Director of the Transport Department in Sofia Municipality.
of Transport and Urban Mobility
Later, they paid a visit to the Traffic Control Center, which manages the traffic light system in Sofia. Mr. Dimitar Petrov, Director of the Traffic Management and Analysis Department, showed the algorithm system that employs the live monitoring of data sources from live traffic cameras, traffic controllers, video surveillance, etc. Afterward, the delegates were offered the great experience to take a city tour in an authentic retro tram. The trams brought them to the park & ride facility which equipped with electric charging stations. The delegates saw the practical solutions to address the congestion challenges in the city center.
in park & ride facility
Day 2
The Semarang delegation met with Mr. Metodi Avramov, Director of “Strategies, Innovations and International Projects” at the Urban Mobility Center and learned the evolution of Bulgarian tram transport. Tram is one of Semarang’s interests that were expressed since the beginning of the cooperation. Sofia is one of the few capitals in Europe that has largely preserved and continues to develop tram transport—one of the most environmentally friendly but maintenance-intensive modes of urban transportation.
Mr. Metodi also explained the parking management system under Sofia municipality territory and the new automated ticketing system in Sofia public transport. The parking zone was one of the good mobility practices that Semarang delegates were very impressed with and wanted to introduce to their city. The discussion was very fruitful; both cities shared the relevant best practices with each other. Next, the delegates visited the Main Dispatch Center for the control and management of tram transport, and they were able to see how to track in real-time the movement of the tram-trains. At the final stop, the delegates attended the introduction of the 14 new low-floor trams and took a ride on one of them.
Day 3
The first destination was the metro driver simulator, where the delegates viewed the demonstration of how to drive the subway train. The view from there gave them the opportunity to observe what was happening directly from the driver’s place. The next stop was the Main Dispatch Center for the control and management of subway train/metro.
The delegates continued visiting the tram depot facilities. The depot included a maintenance and repair workshop building, servicing and washing facilities and a large stabling area. The delegates were very excited to get the knowledge about the operational aspects to build a new depot, as they were planning in the near future.
After lunch, the delegates had several meetings at the Sofia Lab. First, Ms. Mina Antonova of the Sofia Development Association introduced some innovative solutions, including the application created under the INNOAIR project – SofiaCoin. The Sofia Coin, a mobile app, aims to stimulate a more active lifestyle of citizens and contribute to emission reduction. The users who choose to walk, ride a bike, or an electric scooter are awarded various prizes such as gloves, a cycling helmet, or free concert tickets. Later, Ms. Antonia Shalamanova of Sofia Green shared the air quality monitoring and citizen engagement under the COMPAIR project. The most exciting part was her demonstration on the use of low-cost air pollution monitors that were distributed to the citizens, e.g., students and parents. Making air quality data available to the public is the first step to raising awareness about the impact of the air quality. It will open the doors for a wide array of possible actions that can be taken to improve air quality, public health, and general environmental health. Those best practices, Sofia Coin and air quality monitoring, provided examples on how a large database and recommendations were collected, based on the feedback and direct participation of the residents.
The delegates then met with Mr. Vladimir Tomov – Chairman of the Investment Council of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), as well as with the team of the Sofia Investment Agency, in particular, Mrs. Maria Hristova, CEO, and Mr. Viktor Gusev, Head of the Investment Analysis Department. The delegates were interested in the activities and best practices that both agencies apply to attract investors to the city. The meeting participants discussed the continual partnership at the level of business and investment in large infrastructure projects.
At the conclusion of the third day, the delegates met with the representatives of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Sofia, Mr. Murdi Primbani – Minister Councilor, Ms. Margaretta Puspita – Second Secretary Socio-Cultural Affairs, and Mr. Ivan Satria Basri – Political, Protocol and Consular Officer. The Embassy pledged longtime support for the cooperation between Semarang City and Sofia well beyond the conclusion of the EU’s IURC program.
Day 4
On their last day in Sofia, the delegates had the opportunity to discuss in detail their impressions of the visit and to outline the next steps of partnership, led by Mr. Pablo Gándara, Team Leader IURC Asia & Australasia, Ms. Sevdalina Voynova, Program Director of Sofia Development Association and Ms. Elitsa Panayotova, coordinator of Sofia Green project, who are partners in this initiative. The area of cooperation for pilot projects under the IURC framework was suggested, focused on the capacity building of tram transport and parking management. More specifically, the online coaching session would be organized for Semarang City stakeholders, with assistance from the Urban Mobility Centre of Sofia. Both cities also agreed to establish a future partnership beyond the scope of the IURC program, with support from the Association of Indonesia Municipalities (APEKSI) and the Indonesian Embassy in Sofia.
The study visit wrapped up with a cultural visit to the Regional History Museum Sofia and the Bells Monument (or, in Bulgarian, ”Kambanite”).
The IURC team wishes to extend thanks for supporting the logistic preparation to the team of Sofia Green (Ms. Antonia Shalamanova and Ms. Desislava Todorova), Sofia Municipality (Ms. Iva Vylkova), and the team of Urban Mobility Centre (Ms. Gergana Ugrinska and Ms. Bisera Dimitrova).
Media coverage (external links):
Translation: The Indonesian city of Semarang will learn from Sofia how to develop its tram transport
Translation: A delegation from the Indonesian city of Semarang will be on a study visit to Sofia in the field of sustainable mobility with the support of the European Union IURC Program
Translation: THE INDONESIAN CITY OF SEMARANG ON A STUDY VISIT TO SOFIA IN THE FIELD OF SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE EUROPEAN UNION IURC PROGRAM
Translation: Representatives of the Indonesian city of Semarang on a study visit to Sofia for good practices
Translation: The Indonesian city of Semarang on a study visit to Sofia in the field of sustainable mobility with the support of the European Union IURC program
Translation: The Indonesian city of Semarang will learn from Sofia how to develop its tram transport
Translation: The Indonesian city of Semarang will learn from Sofia how to develop its tram transport