News
Shaping Ukraine’s Future Cities: From Strategic Planning to Community Needs
On 16–17 October 2026, the fifth annual symposium “Rebuilding a Place to Call Home: Resilient Cities & Regenerative Neighbourhoods” took place in Lviv, Ukraine. The event brought together 100 architects, urban planners and representatives of government institutions, diplomatic missions, academia and civil society from Ukraine, Germany and other European countries to discuss approaches to sustainable urban recovery and long-term resilience.
The symposium focused on connecting national policies and strategic planning with the needs of local communities, exploring how integrated approaches to urban development can contribute to more resilient, inclusive and climate-friendly cities.
Opening the symposium, Nataliia Kozlovska, Deputy Minister, emphasised the importance of aligning long-term urban development with the realities faced by local communities:
“Future changes must be grounded in the realities that communities face as they are shaping their development today and reach beyond immediate recovery toward long-term resilience and growth. At the same time, I am convinced that lasting solutions can only emerge through genuine dialogue with the people who experience these challenges firsthand. By bringing together policy reform, local communities, experts, and international partners, we create a strong foundation for the sustainable and inclusive development of Ukrainian cities for decades to come.”
Highlighting the role of integrated territorial development in strengthening urban resilience, Rahel Freist-Held, Director of the JGURA project, stated:
“Integrated territorial development is not only a planning tool — it is also a tool for partnership, strategic leadership and more transparent investment decisions. Working at the neighbourhood level, we help support cities that are more resilient, inclusive, climate friendly and responsive to the people who live in them.”
The importance of integrating climate resilience and sustainability into Ukraine's recovery efforts was also emphasised by Martina Kolb, Programme Director of the PROGRESS/EU4ClimateResilience projects:
“Sustainable recovery is inconceivable without resilience, decarbonisation, climate adaptation and barrier-free mobility. EU4ClimateResilience supports Eastern Partnership countries, including Ukraine, in developing effective climate policies and piloting nature-based solutions in EaP municipalities. Our goal is to build back better. Only through collaboration between communities, experts and partners from different countries can we create a better future for Ukraine’s cities and communities.”
Throughout the symposium, participants explored approaches to recovery planning and implementation, from national policy frameworks to neighbourhood-level initiatives. Discussions highlighted the importance of collaboration between policymakers, urban planners, local communities and international partners in supporting a just, inclusive and sustainable green recovery.
The symposium was jointly organised by the Centre for Land and Housing Research at Kharkiv School of Architecture, the School of Public Governance at Ukrainian Catholic University, Ro3kvit: Urban Coalition for Ukraine, and the GIZ Ukraine projects EU4ClimateResilience and JGURA.
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Implementing Partners:
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
