Key insights from yesterday’s strategic review in Restart, shared by our CEO Alexander Shevchenko
Right after our midyear strategic review in Restart I decided to share some of the details publicly. It might be interesting for the urban planners, local administration, newly formed Ministry of Hromadas and Territories. There is no recovery after the war but the recovery during the war. This process for Ukrainian cities and municipalities is critical to maintain the social, economic activity all around Ukraine and minimize the buffer zone along the frontline. Unfortunately, urban planning could not be the only effective approach to protect the cities but only based on the United Defense Forces of Ukraine huge efforts. In our work in 2024 and 2025 based on the current situation for Ukrainian hromadas we plan to deepen and integrate in one methodology and approach four pillars: critical infrastructure, safety, social cohesion (and inclusion), space activation (and self identification). Being part of the official legal process and developing Comprehensive Recovery Programs and Integrated Spatial Development Concepts we at the same time look beyond these procedural documents. In our vision a system change is required to revert the trajectory of hromadas. For this conventional planning exercises such as classic SWOT analysis or basic public hearing are anymore sufficient. Understanding the upcoming EU accession, synchronization with the NATO standards, introduction of the new cross-national frameworks we see of high importance bringing the aspects of, for instance, New European Bauhaus, Ukraine Facility Plan, EU Green Deal to regular recovery projects in Ukraine. We believe that our holistic spatial approach could be a common denominator and a benchmark both for international organizations and Ukrainian hromadas to look beyond purely procedures into the change of life quality for Ukrainian citizens on the ground. Robert Bosch Stiftung
