The war in Ukraine continues, heightening uncertainty. Yet communities across the country must not only adapt to the present but also learn to envision the future through the lens of long‑term scenarios. It is within this context that Ro3kvit — an international urban coalition created to support Ukraine’s recovery — has directed its work.

Urban recovery is no longer a projection imposed by external experts. As Ro3kvit’s team notes, it has become a process in which communities emerge as co‑authors of their own cities. Urban development strategies increasingly revolve around a culture of participation, empathy, analysis of everyday life, and responsibility for shared spaces.

The year 2025 laid the foundation for this transformation, redefining the country not merely as a territory but as a network of living social landscapes revitalized through interaction and solidarity.

The context in which a new urban culture takes shape

The reality of full‑scale war blurs the boundaries between temporary and long‑term. Plans that once spanned a year now require horizons of decades. City strategies must account for risks that have not yet been documented, while decisions demand flexibility capable of responding to sudden changes without losing stability. In 2025, Ro3kvit worked in conditions where communities sought not ready‑made prescriptions but mechanisms — tools enabling them to make informed decisions and test their resilience in practice.

The emotional climate of the year was also part of spatial reality. War fatigue mixed with pride in the progress made by communities which, despite the risks, continued to build new landscapes of shared responsibility. This is why Ro3kvit shifted its focus toward individual experience — how a person moves through the city, where they find community, how they assess safety, how they relate to the environment. Spatial solutions emerged from this multilayered human material.

Participatory tools as a foundation for recovery

The work in Chernivtsi, Pidhaitsi and Lukashivka developed into three distinct models of how urban recovery can adapt to varied social and geographical contexts.

In Chernivtsi, the team and its partners created the platform PoruCh — a digital and social tool reflecting the city’s ecosystem of opportunities. More than forty organizations contributed to its map, turning it into an instrument for support, self‑organization and local identity. Participation ceased to be abstract; it became something one could open on a screen and instantly see where one’s contribution was needed.

In Pidhaitsi, the focus was placed on the valley of the Styr River — a landscape where natural processes, local routes and social habits intertwine in ways that cannot be replicated by conventional planning. Traveling exhibitions, facilitated meetings and ecological data collection transformed the river valley into a long‑term strategic axis for territorial development.

Lukashivka presented a very different challenge. After occupation, the bonds that hold a community together had frayed. Trust had to be restored not through words but through actions. The first changes emerged during courtyard clean‑ups, installation of benches, planting of flowers. Space became an instrument of rebuilding social cohesion. This experience demonstrated persuasively that urbanism sometimes begins with small gestures that bring back a sense of home.

Drawing on these three diverse realities, Ro3kvit created a participatory toolkit that can be used by communities across Ukraine — especially those that have endured wartime trauma.

District‑level development as the path to holistic urban vision

Work in the Lviv region illustrated that a district is not a transitional unit between the city and the neighborhood. It is a living organism where infrastructure, landscape, traditions and emerging social processes intersect.

In Truskavets, the team rethought the purpose of the former boiler house territory. The proposal envisioned a multifunctional space that supports ecological resilience, active mobility and local initiatives. Two intersecting diagonals running through the area became symbolic anchors of a renewed urban core.

In Stebnyk, researchers addressed the realities of a post‑industrial town where many older residents commute daily to neighboring cities for work. The development concept drew upon targeted spatial interventions — small yet meaningful changes in three key areas capable of launching broader transformation.

In Stryi, the focus shifted to the interaction between the city, major infrastructure and natural resources. The solutions emphasized improved access to the river, increased pedestrian safety and creation of spaces for recreation and recovery. These interventions laid the groundwork for new patterns of movement, interaction and land use.

Education as the foundation of Ukraine’s urban future

Building high‑quality spatial environments requires professionals who can think systemically. In 2025, Ro3kvit implemented educational programs that combined learning with real‑world practical cases.

The Fundamentals of Urbanism for Recovery program helped young specialists understand how to work under wartime conditions. The modules covered mobility, culture, heritage, sustainable construction and circularity. Graduates developed project proposals for specific locations.

Rapid Urban Re‑Innovation offered participants the opportunity to work directly in Nizhyn, study urban processes onsite, test hypotheses, interact with local stakeholders and produce practical spatial alternatives.

The Rethinking Cities program engaged mid‑sized communities from across Ukraine, helping them create integrated development visions and transform them into implementable projects.

Climate resilience and strategic approaches to the future

In Kremenchuk, Ro3kvit worked on a climate adaptation strategy shaped by the concept of a “Healthy City” — an urban environment capable of responding to extreme weather events, changes in water systems and anthropogenic pressures. The strategy established a comprehensive model of blue‑green infrastructure and outlined pathways for implementation through quality documents and pilot projects.

In Kamianske, the team developed a 15‑year resilience strategy encompassing economic analysis, social dynamics, critical infrastructure and local identity. The proposals addressed immediate needs while examining long‑term transformation processes.

Working with vulnerable communities: memory, identity and return

The project for the Hirske community, still under occupation, became an example of how to work with a territory that cannot be accessed physically. The research documented stories of displaced residents, their perceptions of safety, housing, return and the future. The resulting document included scenario‑based pathways for different war trajectories and a community memory archive that may guide future memorialization and development efforts.

Work with the Bakhmut community focused on a vital question: how to create housing solutions that do not erode social bonds. The study proposed an integration model distinguishing between the needs of the displaced community and those of the receiving one, laying out spatial principles for neighborhood planning and relocation.

Circular economy and responsible construction

In 2025, Ro3kvit actively promoted the concepts of material reuse, repurposing existing buildings and introducing bio‑based technologies. Projects in Kryvyi Rih and the Mykolaiv region assessed the potential of reimagining abandoned structures and housing stock through the lens of circularity. The team worked on building concepts, life‑cycle assessments and adaptation of international standards to Ukrainian conditions.

Urban Coalition ‘Ro3kvit’ presents a project for community restoration in Luhansk Oblast