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Renewal and development of cities: Ukrainian experts joined the discussion held by the Aspen Institute Germany

Aspen Institute Germany organized the “Cities under siege” meeting as part of the “Cities of the Future – Transatlantic Urban Project”. Architects, urbanism and urban planning experts from Berlin, Los Angeles and Atlanta took part in the event to discuss ways of urban development and raise awareness of the complexity of this process.

Anna Kyrii, “Responsible Leadership”-6 seminar by Aspen Institute Kyiv alumni, architect and deputy head of the Architectural Chamber of the National Union of Architects of Ukraine, spoke about the reconstruction of destroyed Ukrainian cities and the biggest challenges facing the country related to this.

“Ukrainian cities greatly suffered through the Russian aggression. The destruction is very different: in some places, they are small, and elsewhere, unfortunately, they are on a very large-scale. However, our nation’s fortitude cannot be destroyed, like thousands of houses on the territory of Ukraine; our sustainability is our people. This is our superpower and why we must consolidate the leaders’ efforts, even in the absence of light and connection. Moreover, we are already reconstructing those cities that suffered due to a full-scale invasion.”

Denis Poltavets, Aspen Institute Kyiv program development director, emphasized the importance of the city’s development and its preparation for all possible scenarios.

“Cities are a large social system. Most of the theaters of hostilities after the full-scale Russian invasion were located near towns that were large transport hubs. The role of local leadership here is decisive. It is much better when the cities are ready for such military action. It is also essential to understand that the war continues and the impact on Ukraine is devastating: more than 74,000 residential buildings were destroyed, and even more were damaged. Some cities were destroyed. Therefore, it is necessary to think about our future in the context of reconstruction and the construction of new modern cities,” he said.

Thank our colleagues for a meaningful and productive meeting!

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