Project introduction

 

Building on a city twinning partnership from 1984, The University of Edinburgh (UoE) and Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (KNU) established a series of joint research twin labs covering the shared research interests. The labs will support research at both universities, position our partnership for future research funding bids, help KNU through difficulties of its current research environment during the war and deliver sustainable research and capacity-building for future impact.  A wide range of activities were carried out including staff and student capacity-building, both in person and online, seed funding of new research proposals and research mobility.

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Due to the war being waged against Ukraine, development is being seriously damaged.  Despite years of economic progress the war has set this back.   By promoting research links in key themes this project will build capacity, carry out needed research lead by KNU and help it to maintain its research capacity, during and after the war. 

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The collaboration includes the establishment of four joint Labs4TwinnedResearch in: 

 

• Environmental Sustainability,

• Geopolitical Relations,

• Impacts of War, and

• Understanding Languages and Culture

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The aims is to foster interdisciplinary research links between our two universities and provide a framework for current and future collaboration. This will deliver a range of activities to develop joint research with in-person fellowships in Edinburgh, virtual workshops and a series of small research projects to August 2023. 

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impacts of war lab (think tank)

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Our team, guided by Prof. Soledad Garcia Ferrari (UoE) and Kostyantyn Mezentsev (Head of Department of Economic and Social Geography (KNU)), will lead the Impacts of War Lab, which  will look to limit damage, achieving justice and aiding reconstruction. The Lab's work includes:

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• A number of research initiatives across both universities, dealing with aspects related with the impact of war.

• Initial work that looks at the planning and implementation of strategies that will support the re-building of urban and rural areas in Ukraine as the conflict comes an end.

•A n online academic workshop, as the first activity to explore the challenges and begin the research, which will continue until September 2023.

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online workshop event

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Post-war/conflict Urban Regeneration    

Dates: 22, 23, 24.03.2023   

  

Description  

  

Colleagues at the University of Edinburgh in collaboration with colleagues at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv jointly organised the workshop “Post-war/conflict Urban Regeneration”. The workshop was primary directed to students from the MSc Urban Strategies and Design of the Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, and students from the BSc Urban Studies and Planning and MSc Urban Studies and Regional Development of the Geography Faculty at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. The students were called to work collaboratively to analyse a specific context and respond to questions on the considerations and actions needed to re-build cities better after crises, while responding to current global challenges.   

 

Aim  

 

The aim of the workshop was to give the students the opportunity to work collaboratively and exchange ideas, knowledge and perspectives in the context of their academic research and practice, and through exploring different urban contexts in a post-crisis scenario. Participant students had the opportunity to discuss the broadness and complexity of issues, forces, processes, stakeholders, and actors within local urban settings, in which forms of urban strategic change (i.e. strategic, development, regeneration, etc.) take place, including decision making processes. 

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Objectives

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• To reflect on the potential priorities and strategies needed within a specific theme of urban development, such as: Housing and habitat, Public Space and green infrastructure, Mobility & social-spatial integration, and Cultural Heritage, considering physical as well as socio-economic and political conditions  

• To explore processes for urban change, identifying formal and informal actors to be involved in the decision making and possible pathways for implementation of the proposed strategic solutions.  

• To discuss drivers for post-crisis/war urban development and regeneration, considering broader current global challenges.  

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Workshop schedule

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The workshop took place online and included lectures on post-war and post-crisis urban development, preservation and participatory planning research, drawing on experiences from academic staff based at both universities. The students were separated in groups according to the thematic approach and interest of their ongoing academic work (i.e. housing and habitat, public space and green infrastructure, cultural heritage, mobility and socio-spatial integration). In these groups and building on the range of experiences, the students were expected to work collaboratively to analyse a specific context which considers the physical, socio-economic and political conditions that will drive reconstruction and regeneration, and build a narrative focused on key principles that reflect on the rebuilding of cities better after crises. The outcomes of their collaborative work were presented for feedback, which was an opportunity to exchange ideas and define a shared framework for intervention. Finally, a roundtable discussion took place to discuss and summarise the findings of the students’ work and how that could contribute to their academic work within their respective programmes of study. 

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The participants worked on an interactive board, to add their notes of reflections around the themes of Housing and Habitat; Public Space, Infrastructure and Wellbeing; Mobility and Socio-spatial Integration; Cultural Heritage, and Public Participation. 

 

Overarching question:

What are the main issues surrounding reconstruction and regeneration in

Ukranian cities in the context of growing European and global challenges?

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Secondary questions:

What are the key challenges that will need to be confronted during and after

the war in the reconstruction of urban place in Ukranian cities?

How can the existing planning frameworks support a reconstruction that is

based on widening participation in decision making around cities?

What are the key socio-demographic challenges that are shaping

relationships and social roles now?

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