UN4Mykolaiv Initiative
The war in Ukraine has already caused, and continues to cause, the destruction of entire urban areas and critical water and energy infrastructure. A condition that is having a domino effect of other basic services for people including water management and public transportation.
Despite the uncertainty of events unfolding across Ukraine, the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of the Ukrainian Republic developed draft recommendations to guide the reconstruction of cities and infrastructures compromised by the ongoing conflict seen across the country.
Based on long-term cooperation, the Ukrainian Government asked for the support of the UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) to implement these recommendations. In response, UNECE established a dedicated Task force composed of sixteen UN agencies working in a coordinated manner to support the efforts of the Ukrainian Government in developing innovative approaches to the reconstruction of selected cities.
As a partner of the UNECE Center of Excellence of LIUC University – Sustainable Finance for Cities and Infrastructure, One Works was invited to help reconstruction efforts of one of Ukraine’s largest cities - Mykolaiv.
Recognising the need to involve the international community and the highest level of professional skills, and building on the experience of working with the Norman Foster Foundation for the Karkhiv Masterplan (#UN4Kharkiv), a second #UN4 initiative was launched together with One Works “The Development of the Future Masterplan for the City of Mykolaiv”.
In December 2022, the memorandum of understanding between the Mykolaiv City Council, represented by Deputy Mayor Vitali Lukov, and One Works was signed in our Milan Headquarters, sealing our commitment and continuous collaboration, together with local institutions and communities, to define the future masterplan for the reconstruction of one of the most important cities in Ukraine.
One Works, through the One Works Foundation (Founded in 2023), is now working in close collaboration with the Mykolaiv City Council, local experts, and the local community, as well as leading an international task force of industry professionals (illustrated below) to analyze existing conditions across the city and begin preparing the future masterplan and guidelines.
An ESG and Innovation driven Master Plan
Environmental, social, and economic sustainability will be at the core of this master plan approach and is critical for creating a vision for the future of Mykolaiv. Most importantly, with cities producing 60% of the world’s CO2 emissions today (particularly transportation, industry, and the built environment) any forward-thinking masterplan needs to tackle these issues to make the cities of tomorrow truly resilient, as we aim to do in a holistic way with the six foundational pillars.
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Review latest economic situation and consider the introduction of new industries.
Sustainably integrate business park networks to boost local economy.
Create incentives to attract new businesses.
Guarantee economic balance by attracting new MLE businesses.
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Promote safe and affordable housing as a pillar for sustainable development.
Establish networks of new and existing neighbourhoods.
Undertake a reform of regulations.
Balance offer and demand.
Use the latest in innovative materials for refurbishing existing buildings.
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Increase accessibility to city.
Reduce dependency on private transport in favour of sustainable choices.
Upgrade road networks in favour of soft mobility and public transport.
Utilise transport systems to promote sustainable development.
Reduce carbon emissions and greenhouse gases.
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Build capacity through public and private stakeholder collaboration.
Create a sustainable, long-term vision shared by all government agencies.
Strengthen cooperation between city departments.
Develop greater insights through investment in data.
Introduce policies to promote innovation and community interaction.
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Preserve the existing natural ecosystem.
Promote landscape as green infrastructure through soft modes of transport.
Encourage harmonious urban landscape with new green belts and corridors.
Create network connecting landscapes and water.
Design green spaces for both recreation and production.
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Support city’s strategic goals through community engagement.
Mainstream community engagement practices in planning framework.
Guide communities and stakeholders in an incremental participatory process, from consultation to empowerment.
Champion sustainable design solutions.
It’s crucial to emphasize that two of the six foundational pillars are intangible, yet they possess equal significance as they facilitate the precise and effective realization of all tangible components proposed by the masterplan. To comprehend how the remaining pillars materialize into concrete projects for the city, the team delineated a series of actions within each principal element, serving as stepping stones toward successful implementation.
Our collaboration with the city of Mykolaiv to create a future masterplan is a real opportunity to unite different cultures to imagine a city capable, not only of rebirth, but of embracing a future with sustainable planning tools that will ensure a brighter future for many generations to come.
Benchmark Pilot Projects
To initiate the successful implementation of the Mykolaiv masterplan, five Pilot Projects will also be identified, each in line with the six design principles - the first of which being explored is the new Innovation District. The final location of these projects will largely be the result of an online community engagement campaign, whereby, using a virtual platform integrated with real time data, local people and businesses can select areas of interest on a map.
Mykolaiv Analysis
For the future masterplan for the city of Mykolaiv, the first phase included a series of studies to clearly understand existing conditions, challenges and opportunities regarding all aspects of the city.
Mykolaiv Design
Second phase of work includes the design of various components of the future city, together with local and imternational partners, based on the analysis conducted.
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An in-depth analysis of Mykolaiv's urban fabric was conducted in terms of land use, transport and utility networks, public spaces and more.
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An in-depth engagement strategy was established to ensure inclusivity and consensus-building throughout the project.
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A Macro & Micro Scale Damage Assessment was conducted and analysed by land use.
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A comprehensive study, led by Systematica, was conducted for evaluating the efficacy, efficiency, and accessibility of city’s public transportation system.
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Coming soon …
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Five individual projects within the city will act as pilot developments for key aspects of the city.