Table of Content:
I. Introduction …………………………………..1
II. Urban problems with the Ladies’ Market …………..2
III. Why the civil society? ………………………..3
IV. Why the Ladies’ Market? ………………………..4
V. The role of the Ladies’ Market …………………..5
I. Introduction:
Future of Ladies’ market in Sofia is actual topic right now in Sofia, Bulgaria. From 2006 the media has bombarded the public with reports how awful the place is and how the best possible solution of the problem would be the complete removal of the market. This issue divides the city’s residents in two groups. Some people are strongly opposed to the demolishment plans and any interventions should be dealt with attention and respect to people’s opinion. Others think that the problems in the city are solved by hiding them, until they reappear at another place where you can not see them anymore.
In this essay I am going to look at an example of successful civil movement inspired by an urban social conflict. I will analyze why this movement is constituted, organized and managed to gain influence over local politics of Sofia’s Municipality. It should give an answer to specific questions like: is the civil society a relevant factor for determining the outcome of urban discussions or is it more often perceived as unfulfilled ideal. This story should serve as a counterexample to the idea that political decisions remain beyond the reach of the common man and that society could not organize a movement that aims to protect civil rights and interests.
II. Urban problems with the Ladies’ Market
First problems appeared after series of complaints from local residents, who have experienced inconveniences from the placement of the market’s stalls on the sidewalks. After reorganizations some stalls were removed and the sidewalks were cleared for passage. However the quality of the market as a public space kept deteriorating progressively. The company managing the market recently launched a public competition for the reconstruction of the market in the part between ‘Cyril and Methodius’ Street and ‘Todor Aleksandrov’ Blvd. In this regard the municipality ordered the removal of 65 market stalls , which were declared illegal by Sofia’s municipality. Regardless of the attempt for full transparency of competition procedures, projects were to be found across different Medias long before the initiation of the competition. All of these projects treat the area the same way – remove everything only to build something new with disputable aesthetic values, which do not address the real problems of the place. Problems like poor organization, maintenance, hygiene, criminal activities. The author believes that the approach taken by the local authorities for reconstructing the market, threatens to eliminate one of the places with traditional urban character in Sofia. The city is a place where everyone can find a job, education or entertainment. Sofia is characterized by diversity, opportunities and conflicts. One of the few places where you can find all kinds of people: rich, poor, young, old, Bulgarians, Gypsies, foreigners, immigrants, Christians, Muslims, is the Ladies’ market. The question is, is it worth losing it? What are the possible factors that could affect the faith of urban development project of similar scale?
III. Why the civil society?
When discussing the weaknesses of Bulgarian democracy or trivial unfortunate management decisions, civil society often appears as a motive. Developed civil society is the missing link that is supposed to resolve many of our problems and it is the main ingredient of a well functioning democracy. There are programs and policy actions that are justified in the name of its development. However, in public and political discourse it is hard to understand the exact role of civil society. This gives a basis for analysis of the ideologies of public spaces and political myths. Since civil society is an important element of Western democracies and it serves as example for our development, it must be present in our country. So it is perceived by politicians and public as an attribute of the system and not as an independent factor in developing the public arena.
It appears that civil society comes as a new, modern collective object available for the purposes of politicians. It should take over the role of the nation which is no longer so relevant in the context of the liberal discourse that looks upon the individual as a fundamental part of the collective. The popular idea of civil society is an "active" part of society whose members are initiative and rational individuals. They are ready to take action to protect their legal rights thereby becoming the subjects of democracy. To achieve their goals, they merge into movements, associations and organizations. That is why it is common that under civil society we understand the sum of these formal and informal groups.
IV. Why the Ladies’ Market?
Several years ago, the question about reshaping the Ladies’ Market into a modern and European part of the city was raised again . Local municipality, many architects as well as ordinary citizens of the capital took part in active public discussion. Some of the most extreme beliefs are that the land the whole area around is completely unnecessary and that it should be used for building something new. The chief architect of the city Alexander Dikov says "Such oriental views in the heart of Sofia are unacceptable."
In 2006 a competition was organized by the municipality and the approved architectural design, had the concept to remove a significant portion of the market and replace it with gardens and recreational areas, two modern shopping centers, gallery, underground parking, souvenirs shops as well as "street of restaurants". The new structures and decorative elements will be designed in a modern style typical for the new business buildings in Sofia. The idea of the municipal employees is to transform the most visited market in the city’s downtown into a nice place for shopping, walking and recreation. Flashy newspaper headlines unambiguously guided public’s opinion towards positive attitude regarding the desired future for this public urban space. Articles describe the plan as a massive urban planning modern design without however indicating the existence of a problem which will turn around the lives of tens of thousands of citizens of Sofia ‘ people who are working, living and shopping at the Ladies’ Market. The decision was taken by the city’s government without any attempt for consensus between the affected parties and without even a public discussion. The market had never logged in the focus of public debates and the initiative for reconstruction is not well known amongst Sofia’s residents.
This is a usual situation in the management of Bulgarian cities. Political parties, chief architects, professionals in municipal departments and design firms prepare and carry out town planning "from above". Government takes non-transparent to voters decisions for urban development that change dramatically the economic and social prospects of large groups of people as well as the environment. In this situation a mobilization of civil is more than expected. The affected local groups become resources of the civil society when they organize as communities that are willing to defend their interests in a public way. Therefore, the development of the conflict around Ladies’ Market reconstruction can be seen as a case study about the power of the civil initiative in Bulgaria.
V. The role of the Ladies’ Market
The Ladies’ Market is often referred as "the oldest" and "the central" market of Sofia. Elderly people go there specifically for the market and for others it is just a stop in the daily route across the city. Employees benefit from the central location of the market especially the ones that use the public transport. The location of the market and the organization of public transport around it are one of the best examples of urban planning in Sofia.
The shopping area, which includes also ‘Halite’ and the Central Department Store , has direct access to virtually all parts of the city. This continues to be an important factor for the importance of the market. The Central Department Store dropped out from the daily life of the ordinary citizen of Sofia, as it has become a shopping mall for luxury goods. ‘Halite’ also moved up the scale and because of rent prices, only the expensive brands could afford opening shops there.
This is compensated by opening of cheap shops for groceries, Arab butcher shops and other in the streets around the market. There are several reasons people go to the Ladies’ Market. The most common one is the cheap prices. Moreover, the market is preferred by the people because it is one of the places where you can find all in one place, especially some unbranded goods that are difficult to find elsewhere. Finally, the market today relies on the long-term presence in this location and thus established habits of citizens that are used to travel a long way to get here to purchase fruits, vegetables and groceries.
The Ladies’ Market is known as a cheap place to shop before the fall of the socialist regime in 1989. Although trade was then organized by state mechanisms, the market allowed some private business, such as the sale of products from the farms of inhabitants of the surrounding villages. Thus, the already established and renowned market started attracting merchants trading goods from abroad. The number of stalls began increasing in socialist times and some of them were placed on the sidewalks. A lot of stores of production cooperatives from Sofia and the country were placed and that expanded even more the role of the Ladies’ Market from a vegetables and groceries market to the so called "Industrial products" market. In the 90s the industrial goods merchants moved from the shops to the stalls and also a lot of imported goods from Turkey started appearing in the market area. In recent days these are being replaced by Chinese goods and goods from various neighboring countries as well.
After the years of economic crisis, the center of Sofia is gradually swept of the open air trade spaces and the Ladies’ Market remains as the only major open air area in the center of the city. This is a happy coincidence for the poorer residents of the capital as the cheapest district in Sofia is not pushed away to the suburban area. It continues to be at the center of the transportation network that provides convenient, cheap and easy access to all of the city’s neighborhoods. The closeness to the Central Station also provides easy connection to the nearby villages and distant cities. It is important mainly for the merchants. Many of the buildings around have unsettled ownership due to perennial lawsuits due to disputes between heirs. Others have remained unclaimed and thus they are managed by the municipality. This provides a number of homes with low or no rent close to the market. The owners – municipalities, law firms or even "unknown owner" are not strict and provide perfect conditions for immigrants who do not want to spend much on accommodation.
The cheapest area of Sofia was not pushed away to the periphery, but began to introduce some of the characteristics of the periphery to this part of the town. Thus was born the negative image of the Ladies’ Market as the ‘black hole’ in downtown Sofia. This development is unprofitable to the local homeowners. They belong more or less to the middle class of society and have no common interests with the poorer people that the market attracts. If in the 90s the market was a remedy of economic prosperity for the owners, today it brings down the prices of properties and the reputation of the whole neighborhood.
The first generation of vendors from the countryside (Turks and Bulgarians from the villages) are being gradually replaced by new merchants (Roma and Turkish Gypsies) that introduce a fresh wave of "non-urban" culture which is hardly tolerated by the local residents.