A publication by Andrea Popyordanova, accompanying her project The Orchards of Mladost, developed in 2022 in the “Mladost 1” district of Sofia in collaboration with the Centre for Social Vision.
The Orchards of Mladost
Concept, text and visuals: Andrea Popyordanova
Year of development: 2022
Published by: Centre for Social Vision
The Orchards of Mladost explores the unexpected presence of fruit trees in the residential complexes of the post-socialist district of Mladost in Sofia. Existing largely outside formal urban planning, these trees form an informal ecological and social infrastructure shaped by everyday practices of care and use by local residents.
The project unfolds as a walk through the neighbourhood, accompanied by a map of selected trees and stories about the people who interact with them. Together, the walk and the publication trace a self-organised urban ecology that exists alongside official planning systems and reveals alternative forms of urban knowledge, memory, and care.
More information about the project here.