Skip to main content

UN4Kharkiv: Integrated Rehabilitation of Settlements (Territories) in Ukraine

With a pilot project in the city of Kharkiv

Introduction

un4kharkiv logo

To support the immediate reconstruction efforts in cities and other human settlements, the Ministry for Communities, Territories Development and Infrastructure of Ukraine has elaborated a draft framework for the Programme for the Integrated Rehabilitation of Settlements (Territories). To test the approach in the proposed framework, the Ministry initiated a first pilot project on the development of a reconstruction plan in the city of Kharkiv. The Plan is expected to become a blueprint for the reconstruction of other Ukrainian cities and towns.

The objective of the project is to support efforts of the national and local governments in Ukraine for the planning of and preparations for rebuilding and reconstruction of cities to support achieving the SDGs and based on the “building back better” principle. The project will result in the development of:

1.    A vision for the Master plan for the city of Kharkiv. The Master Plan is being developed under the leadership of and with substantial expert contribution from the Norman Foster Foundation on pro bono basis.
2.    The revised draft national framework Plan for the Integrated Rehabilitation of Settlements (Territories) and relevant supporting documents for the draft Plan.
3.    A proposal for the establishment of a mechanism for financing city-level infrastructure projects and a list of potential donors to support city-level projects in Ukraine.

To support the development of the reconstruction Master Plan, UNECE established the UN4Kharkiv Task Force which now comprise more than 16 United Nations agencies and international organizations. Through the Task Force, UNECE plays the role of a matchmaker by bringing together international organizations, the best professionals in the world of architecture, planning and engineering, and cities.  

 

Project events

5 June 2023 - UN4UkrainianCities Project Kick-Off Meeting

13 December 2022 - Workshop on knowledge sharing of Helsinki's experience with civil defence shelters

25 November 2022 - Promoting circularity in rebuilding Ukrainian cities

18 November 2022 - Workshop “Energy-efficient buildings and progress towards carbon neutrality in Ukrainian cities”

3-7 October 2022 - Information on the project - presented at the 83rd session of the UNECE Committee on Urban Development, Housing and Land Management, San Marino

28 September 2022 - Workshop on Housing Policies and Emergency Architecture

26 September 2022 - Workshop "Affordable, decent and healthy housing for Ukrainian cities"

5 September 2022  Thematic workshop on urban transport with focus on electric urban transport

28 May 2022 - Meeting with local architects of Kharkiv on the city’s master plan

24 May 2022 - Second Meeting of the UN4Kharkiv Task Force

5 May 2022 - First Meeting of the UN4Kharkiv Task Force on with the participation of representatives of twelve United Nations agencies and other international organizations

18 April 2022 - A meeting with the city government of Kharkiv, Architect Norman Foster and representatives of the Norman Foster Foundation[1], on, to discuss the planning of the work on the pilot project on urban reconstruction in the city of Kharkiv. Read the press statement by the Norman Foster Foundation

12 April 2022 - “Building Back Better Kharkiv” - First coordination meeting with the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine and city government of Kharkiv to discuss the cooperation on a draft reconstruction plan of the city of Kharkiv

UN4Kharkiv online coordination meetings between the Kharkiv city government, UNECE and the Norman Foster Foundation take place on weekly basis. In addition, there are also weekly meetings between the international and local architects to work on the master plan.

News/Media

UN helps develop master plan to rebuild Kharkiv (26 June 2023) (Ukrainian)

Italian designers and British architects will team up to rebuild Mykolaiv and Kharkiv (21 January 2023)

5 projects at the core of Norman Foster’s Kharkiv reconstruction masterplan (09 January 2023)

An architect's dream of rebuilding a battered city in Ukraine (4 April 2023)

Architects for Ukraine, the Norman Foster Foundation master plan for Kharkiv (19 December 2022) (Italian)

Mayor of Kharkiv and Norman Foster present the approach for the Kharkiv reconstruction master plan (16 December 2022)

Terekhov on the work on the Kharkiv General Plan: We are creating an economic model of the city (23 November 2022) (Ukrainian)

Executive Secretary visits Kyiv to discuss UNECE support to Ukraine reconstruction (13 October 2022)

Michelangelo Pistoletto launches a message of peace with symbolic sculpture in Kharkiv (25 August 2022)

UNECE continues to mobilise international architects to help Ukrainian cities build back better (19 August 2022)

Local architects to contribute to the development of the new master plan for Kharkiv (07 June 2022)

UNECE to coordinate UN Task Force on new Master Plan for the city of Kharkiv (06 May 2022)

Papers/Reports/Publications

Urban Rebirth: Economic Considerations for Reconstruction in Kharkiv and Ukraine (DRAFT), Edward Glaeser and Ian Goldin (2022)

____________

[1] The Norman Foster Foundation is a host organization for the UNECE Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Housing in Spain. For more information on the Centres of Excellence, please visit https://unece.org/housing/charter-centres.