Solutions from Ukraine: Ukrainian teen urbanists unveil innovative projects for urban environment enhancement
Photo: Urban movement "The City Has Me"
The inaugural all-Ukrainian forum for the urban movement "The City Has Me" united teenagers from 16 cities in Ukraine to advocate for projects to enhance the urban environment. Over 350 students underwent a three-month urban planning training and then presented their initiatives to a jury at a pitching session.
The Urban Movement "The City Has Me" reported that.
The project "Open City" from Vinnytsia, which aims to enhance the inclusivity of the city environment, won first place. The team plans to host training to promote barrier-free access, arrange city tours for individuals with special needs, and install sound-based navigation for those with visual impairments. The project is underway, with the team launching a social media information campaign.
Photo: Urban Movement "The City Has Me"
The team from Kharkiv secured second place with their project to revamp an underpass. With the front line nearby, the situation in the city remains extremely tense. As a result, residents are spending more time in safe areas, such as the metro and underground passages. The teens' project focuses on improving one of these passages to make it safe and enjoyable, with the addition of rest and leisure spaces.
Photo: Urban Movement "The City Has Me"
Iryna Ozymok, head of the jury, founder of the urban movement "The City Has Me":
"When the team from Kharkiv performed on stage, my heart sank with the jury. Some of them definitely live or used to live in Saltivka – a place where training takes place in shelters; many institutions are inaccessible due to risks, and life, in general, is full of danger. Despite this, they came together at the Urban Movement and developed a project for their city. The teenagers talked about how important it is to give new meanings to old underpasses. At a time when the world is switching to above-ground infrastructure, in Ukraine, underground pedestrian crossings can become an element of safety. The photos of the object the team chose demonstrated its deplorable condition due to systemic negligence. At the same time, 15-year-old children already have a clear vision of how this can be changed: to remove spontaneous trade, repair structures, provide high-quality lighting, add artistic elements, and consider accessibility for all categories of residents".
Three teams shared the third place at once:
- Mykolaiv with the project "Park of Little Heroes," which involves developing the territory near the hospital.
A team from Mykolaiv. Photo: Urban Movement "The City Has Me"
- Poltava, with the initiative "Pilot Department," offers internships for young people in the city council and public organizations.
A team from Poltava. Photo: Urban movement "The City Has Me"
- Odesa with the project "Know Your Own," aimed at popularizing prominent Ukrainians, in whose honor the city streets were renamed. Among them are Nina Strokata, Sviatoslav Karavansky, Vsevolod Zmiienko, Pavlo Zeleny, Oleksii Markevich.
Ihor Popadiuk, Director of the Investment Policy Department of the Ivano-Frankivsk City Council:
"I am extremely pleasantly surprised by the forum, which brought together teams of young people from all over Ukraine today. I was especially impressed by the projects from Bila Tserkva and Odesa, as well as the winners. All young people demonstrated creativity and energy. This is a new generation that will change our cities for the better. We are confident that these first steps at the Forum will help them learn to manage urban processes better and create wonderful projects for the future of Ukraine."
Photo: Urban movement "The City Has Me"
The forum became a platform for presenting various ideas that schoolchildren developed during their studies. Among them:
- Kropyvnytskyi: analysis and improvement of public transport stops.
- Uzhhorod: project to improve safety on Mynayska Street.
- Dnipro: creating a space for creative youth, "SparkStage."
- Chernihiv: arrangement of the first embankment in the Yalivshchyna recreation area.
- Kryvyi Rih: charity boxes to support homeless animals.
- Zaporizhzhia: creation of a modern stop complex near the local market.
- Cherkasy: installation of bookcrossing shelves.
- Kyiv: multifunctional space "Academic Space."
- Chernivtsi: Rethinking the skate park as part of the Rehabilitation Project.
- Bila Tserkva: reconstruction of the Green Theater.
- Lviv: rethinking the space around the "New Central Department Store" as part of the "Unification of Rhythms" project.
For reference:
Rubryka reported on young people's involvement in demining Ukrainian territories. Read our article "Protecting deminers: How Ukrainian teens are innovating demining in Ukraine."
Also, a tourist location map showing accessibility levels was released in Ukraine prior to the winter holidays. The map allows individuals to check the accessibility of specific locations when planning trips.
