64 Plovdiv Kapana creative district Bulgaria Historically an important trade and craftmanship neighbourhood for the city of Plovdiv, Kapana was left for a decade in a troublesome zone with decaying buildings. As part of the Plovdiv European Capital of Culture 2019, the neighbourhood was revitalised and transformed into a creative district, the first of its kind in Bulgaria, and a playground for creatives. Through open annual calls, starting in 2014, the cultural and creative sector was invited to help create ‘Kapana Creative District’. The calls invited creatives to negotiate with property owners to set up in neglected or abandoned spaces, with the city covering rent for one year. Later calls shifted funding from rent to supporting creative work so the creative industry could develop in real market conditions. The annual open calls each have a different theme. The first was on setting up the district; the second also had a focus on events; the third on the urban environment; the fourth on French culture; and the fifth on youth culture, circus and street art. Annual thematic open calls will continue to establish Kapana Creative District as a long-term initiative to foster the creative quarter’s development. The future calls will continue to combine artists’ settling in the Kapana quarter and the realisation of events and initiatives in urban environments. In parallel, the municipality has invested in the physical transformation of the neighbourhood, with the elimination of major physical barriers, pedestrianisation of former car streets and squares, and opening of bars and cafés for civic interaction. The neighbourhood has become one of the most magnetic city locations – a centre for artists, curators, culture managers, artisans, writers and musicians, and for people working for it to grow into a recognisable and active urban environment. What?