The Master Plan or towards a Master Plan? Understanding Waterfront Development in Burgas

Abstract

This master thesis aims to unveil and analyze the process of planning and realization of the ‘Super Burgas’ project - a major waterfront redevelopment in the city of Burgas, Bulgaria, and in the same time to position it within the future development of this city using the scenario-oriented method. This will hopefully lead to a better understanding of the planning processes, including the conception of the Master Plan and the interests of the different actors, behind the redevelopment of the area. Based on the planning analysis, the main components of the actual development stage are identified and their main characteristics are outlined as well as the problems and benefits they can cause or bring to the city. In order to understand the project in the context of the city, the thesis attempts first to analyze the historic and current morphology of the city and its life, its current development trends and residents’ relationship to the sea and the waterfront. These form the foundation for the future projections of the Master Plan on the scale of the whole city. Three possible scenarios of the outcome of the planning processes are presented. The first scenario is based on the forecasts of the current Master Plan. The second represents an alternative to it. Finally, the third one is a mixture of the first two. The three scenarios not only outline three future opportunities but also emphasize important aspects that should be taken into consideration when planning for the waterfront redevelopment. All in all, the examination of the complexity of waterfront restructuring from a historical perspective of past, current and future leads not only to a better reconstruction of the temporal planning process of such areas but at the same time it emphasizes the need for open and dynamic planning processes when it comes to the realization of superior visions