Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration

Video lectures

A starting point for understanding recovery, in the form of short lectures from Ukrainian and international experts.
This is an easy way to dive into key concepts and learn about approaches to spatial planning, architecture, community engagement, safety, and resilience. The lectures can be watched at your own pace, individually or as part of a full learning journey.
Suitable for both beginners and those seeking a fresh perspective on familiar topics.
The videos are dubbed in Ukrainian and have English subtitles.

Illustration

Integrated Planning — The Key to Recovery

    architecture-math-drawing-stationary
    Integrated Planning and Design
  • About the video: This video explains why integrated planning is a vital necessity for post-war Ukraine. You will find out how to combine transportation, housing, economy, nature, and security into a single urban system, even with limited resources. 

    The large-scale destruction in Ukraine has presented cities with unprecedented challenges. Recovery must go beyond mere reconstruction - it requires integrated urban planning that combines physical, social, economic and environmental factors.
    In the video, architect and urbanist Fulco Treffers emphasizes that urban planning must simultaneously address issues of mobility, housing, security, and economic opportunities while responding to contemporary challenges such as war and climate change. The examples of the Kyiv region and the vision of Mariupol's recovery demonstrate how a strategic approach can balance heritage preservation, development, and sustainability.
    Oleg Drozdov draws attention to the need to coordinate planning at different levels, from regional strategies to local decisions. He places a special emphasis on the problem of outdated Soviet mass housing, which requires deep renovation to meet modern energy efficiency and safety standards.
    Both experts emphasize that Ukraine's successful recovery requires flexible legislation, public engagement, and international cooperation.

  • Speakers: Fulco Treffers and Oleg Drozdov

    Fulco Treffers (NL, UA) – is a Dutch architect, urbanist and researcher specializing in sustainable regeneration, integrated planning and community engagement. He is a co-founder and director of Ro3kvit: Urban Coalition for Ukraine. He is actively working in Ukraine to develop approaches to the comprehensive recovery of cities and communities.
    Oleg Drozdov (UA) – is an architect, co-founder of drozdov&partners and Kharkiv School of Architecture. He is known for his projects that combine modern architecture with a deep contextual analysis of space. He actively works on the development of architectural education in Ukraine and promotes integrated approaches to planning and urban renewal in the postwar period.

  • Recommendations for deepening the topic

    The recovery of cities and communities requires a holistic vision, taking into account spatial, social, economic, and environmental interconnections. We offer a selection of resources that will help you better understand the integrated approach and find your place in these processes:
    ● Urban Recovery Framework від UN-Habitat — is a practical guide that offers a structured approach to integrated urban and community recovery. It shows how to integrate housing, economy, environment and security into a coherent system and will be a reference for those working at the strategic level. Learn more
    ● Key European frameworks for integrated planning — are strategic documents that shape a modern vision of cities as holistic, sustainable, and equitable spaces. They set guidelines for the integrated reconstruction of Ukrainian communities in the process of European integration. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the following: New Leipzig Charter, NEB Compass, Urban Agenda for the EU
    ● Cities after the war: international experience of post-war reconstruction — is a resource with examples of urban reconstruction after destruction, analysis of successful solutions and mistakes that should be taken into account in Ukraine. City After War
     Spatial planning in Ukraine: Profile 2023. An up-to-date analysis of the state of spatial planning in Ukraine, which shows what exactly needs to be changed to create a comprehensive system of management of the development of territories. See the profile
    ● Open course “Introduction to the Capacity Building for Ukraine's Recovery Program” on the EU Academy platform. A free online course for those who want to develop professional skills in planning, project management, and community engagement in reconstruction. Start learning

Illustration

Urban Planning in the Context of Demographic Change

    Artboard 22
    Inclusive Design Process
  • About the video: The video explains how the war has changed the structure of Ukraine's population: aging, depopulation, and massive internal and external migration. The example of Mariupol shows how to plan for recovery in the face of uncertainty and why it is important to consider not only numbers, but also social ties that influence the return and integration of people into communities. 

    The war has dramatically changed the demographic landscape of the country: millions of people were forced to leave their homes, the population is aging, and the birth rate is falling. This creates serious economic and social challenges that require responsible solutions today.
    Mass migration is changing communities as internally displaced persons (IDPs) settle in new territories, while many Ukrainians abroad face uncertainty about their return. Economic conditions, security and social stability will play a crucial role in shaping migration patterns. In response, efforts are being made to support the return of refugees and to engage new residents in rebuilding the country.

    Cities must plan for recovery in the face of uncertainty. Scenario planning helps assess future needs for housing, education, jobs, and infrastructure. Projects such as the Mariupol Renaissance illustrate how urban recovery can balance immediate reconstruction with long-term development by integrating infrastructure, economic renewal, and demographic strategies to create livable and resilient cities.

    In addition to economic opportunities, migration is influenced by cultural and social ties. Community life, shared traditions, and the quality of public spaces can facilitate both return and long-term resettlement.
    Ukraine's recovery depends on a strategic approach - a combination of urban planning, economic revitalization and international cooperation to build a sustainable and prosperous future.

  • Speakers: Nathan Hutson and Mykola Tryfonov

    Nathan Hutson (USA) – Professor of Urban Planning and World Bank consultant on trade and transport in the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region. He is currently involved in a project assessing how different war scenarios could affect trade patterns and economic restructuring in Ukraine and its trading partners. He has experience in maritime, rail, urban mobility, Soviet-era housing, and historic preservation
    Mykola Tryfonov (UA, NL) – is an expert with over 15 years of experience in project and investment management in both business and municipalities. Prior to the war in Ukraine, he worked for the municipality of Mariupol and is currently an international middle management advisor in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

  • Recommendations for deepening the topic

    Rebuilding cities and communities in the face of demographic change requires a sensitive and strategic approach - taking into account new social structures, migration flows, housing, security and infrastructure needs. We offer a selection of resources that will help you better navigate these complex processes and develop solutions rooted in reality:
    ● IOM Ukraine's Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM)This is a source of operational information about internally displaced persons: geography, number, living conditions, intentions to return. The material will be useful for those working with spatial planning, humanitarian programs or integration strategies in communities. View
    ● City Resilience Action Planning Tool (CityRAP) by UN-HabitatA practical tool for small and medium-sized cities that want to develop a resilience action plan - taking into account the risks, vulnerabilities and needs of their residents. Suitable for local urban teams working in uncertain environments or with limited resources. View
    ● City Resilience Framework by Resilient Cities NetworkAn analytical framework that helps to understand urban resilience in a broader dimension: institutional, social, and infrastructural. It provides a language and structure for planning cities where the priority is not only survival, but also the long-term well-being of communities. View
    ● OECD report “Rebuilding Ukraine by Reinforcing Regional and Municipal Governance”A strategic document that explores the role of local governments in rebuilding the country. If you work at the intersection of urban studies, public administration, and local development, this material will help you navigate European approaches to decentralization and community capacity. View
    ● Urban Resilience Dialogues podcast by Resilient Cities NetworkA series of conversations with experts from around the world on how cities are adapting to crises, from climate disasters to war. The podcast will be an inspiration for those who want to hear the lived experience of urbanists, architects, and municipal leaders who are looking for a balance between urgent action and long-term visions. Listen

Illustration

Urbanism Under Fire: Planning That Saves Lives

    Security badge
    Safety and Resilience
  • About the video: The video explains how architecture can become a tool for survival. You will learn how to plan a safe environment in wartime: create shelters, emergency routes, decentralized infrastructure, and how to reduce risks through competent design. The example of Kryvyi Rih will be used to discuss specific solutions for resilient cities.

    Due to the war, Ukrainian cities are facing unprecedented security and safety challenges. This video shows how urban planning can increase resilience by combining protection from accidental hazards and deliberate threats.
    Key topics include:● Decentralization of critical infrastructure to ensure reliability during attacks.● Strengthening emergency response through evacuation corridors and public awareness.● Restoration of war-damaged buildings based on pilot projects in Kryvyi Rih as models for scalable restoration.Modernization of public shelters to increase their accessibility and functionality.● Countering disinformation to strengthen public trust and security.● The best international practices from Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Israel are adapted to the Ukrainian context. The video emphasizes community participation, urban planning strategies, and improved legislation to make cities more resilient.● It is not only about rebuilding, but also about protecting the future and ensuring that every citizen has access to a safe and secure urban environment.

  • Speakers: Ruslan Antonenko, Philipp Meuser

    Ruslan Antonenko (KZ, UA) – Professional with 8 years of experience, specializing in small and medium-sized residential construction, public and private interior design. He holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. Since 2016, he has been developing sustainable housing in architecture in semi-harsh and harsh climates. After the full-scale invasion, Ruslan's main goal is to help rebuild and redevelop cities and villages in Ukraine. 
    Philipp Meuser (GER, NL) – Managing director of Meuser Architekten, head of DOM publishing house. Honorary Professor at the A.M. Beketov Institute of Kharkiv University, visiting professor at Brown University in Providence/Rhode Island. Specialization: typology of Soviet mass housing.

  • Recommendations for deepening the topic

    These resources cover community participation in shaping security, as well as environmental aspects of designing for war, which are critical areas for modern urban planning in Ukraine.
    ● Practical guide for facilitators of dialogues on community security
    This manual is a methodological tool for architects, urbanists, and public sector workers working with security at the local level. It helps to engage residents in identifying threats, formulating solutions, and developing trust rather than designing from the top. It contains step-by-step dialogue scenarios, exercises, instructions for facilitators, and examples of risk mapping.
    Why read it: To implement safety spatial solutions based on community participation, not just engineering assessments. Link to the document

    ● Guidelines on the Protection of the Natural Environment in Armed Conflict
    The guidelines focus on the integration of environmental security principles during military operations. For urban planners, it is important as a basis for long-term design of infrastructure that does not harm the environment even in the context of armed conflict. Particular attention is paid to water, landscape, resources, and minimizing damage during recovery.
    Why read it: To plan for recovery with environmental constraints and sustainability in mind. Read here

    ● Building Back Stronger: Urban Resilience Through Post-Conflict Reconstruction
    An analytical article that shows how post-conflict reconstruction can and should be a tool for strengthening urban resilience. The authors examine the cases of Afghanistan, Bosnia, Iraq, and Rwanda, demonstrating that the values embedded in the reconstruction phase determine the future of the city. Read online

Illustration

How Сultural Heritage Becomes Part of Ukraine's Recovery

    users
    Socio-Cultural Aspects
  • About the video: Rebuilding is not only about destroyed walls, but also about what holds communities together - memories, experiences, and connections. This video discusses how to incorporate heritage into the new reality without deepening trauma. Through community experiences and examples of memory mapping, you will see how cultural markers create a sense of belonging and help restore identity.

    It is important to find a balance between heritage preservation and environmental transformation. We are talking not only about officially recognized monuments, but also about places that are important to the communities themselves. For example, Soviet architecture is a part of the familiar urban landscape for some, while for others it is a symbol of difficult historical stages.
    The challenge is to integrate these different views. In Hirske, the Ro3kvit team is working with the community to map the local identity, including industrial and natural heritage. In Rozdil, the UREHERIT initiative focuses on restoration led by the residents themselves, so that historic sites remain part of the living space.

  • Speakers: Dora Merai, Daryna Pasyuta

    Dora Merai – Art historian, archaeologist, cultural heritage expert; researcher and lecturer at the Central European University, Vienna-Budapest. Specialization: heritage policy and management, memory studies, industrial and urban heritage, adaptive reuse of heritage.
    Daryna Pasyuta – Architect and urban planner with 15 years of experience in Ukraine. She has worked on the development of strategies, master plans of settlements, detailed plans of territories and other spatial planning documentation. 

  • Recommendations for deepening the topic

    Heritage restoration should be inclusive, respecting both physical sites and collective memory. Community involvement is key to creating a sustainable environment that preserves cultural continuity and works for the future, rather than perpetuating a rift with the past.
    ● Guidelines for heritage recovery after disasters - ICCROM/ICOMOSA framework document with principles for integrating heritage into post-conflict recovery processes.
    ● Hirska Community: Mapping Identity - Ro3kvit How to form a vision of spatial development through local memory even under occupation.
    ● Culture as a driver of urban transformation - EUI Policy LabEuropean practices of integrating culture into planning and local policy.
    ● Urban Media Archive - Center for Urban History An archive of photographs, maps, and oral histories - a source for researching the memory of urban space.
    ● RE:SPOL - Self-organized practices of transformationCommunity-based cultural heritage restoration initiatives currently being developed for Ukraine.
    ● ALIPH Foundation: Our StoriesInternational examples of heritage protection in times of war (including Ukraine).
    ● Heritage in War: A Key to Define the Future of Ukraine - Dóra Mérai An analytical article about heritage as a tool of collective memory and a resource for the future.

Illustration

Shared Recovery: How a Community Initiative Shapes Change

    users
    Socio-Cultural Aspects
  • About the video: The war changed social ties, but recovery offers a chance to revive them through joint action. In the video, you will learn how Ukrainian communities are reviving the tradition of community service and common goods in a modern way, from repairing buildings to creating spaces for veterans. This is about a new social infrastructure based on trust, participation, and shared responsibility.

    The war has devastated communities, forcing millions of people to flee their homes and jeopardizing familiar social ties. At the same time, the tradition of collective action known as “toloka” is being revived, forming the basis of initiatives that support community-led recovery. Projects such as CO-HATY offer housing solutions for displaced people, restoring public space through collaborative efforts. Meanwhile, the Veteran's Hut in Makariv creates special spaces for veterans, supporting social reintegration and psychological recovery.

    Both initiatives embody a shared-use approach - where communities take responsibility for the spaces and resources they use. This is the basis for long-term resilience that goes beyond emergency assistance and creates stable, self-sufficient solutions.

    The traditions of mutual assistance, trust and self-governance inherent in Ukrainian communities can become the basis for recovery.

  • Speakers: Marjo van Schaik, Anastasiia Ponomaryova

    Marjo van Schaik (NL) – Researcher of public space and socio-cultural values, cultural manager. Guest lecturer at the Kharkiv School of Architecture. Specialization: public buildings, culture, identity
    Anastasiia Ponomaryova (UA) – Architect, researcher at ETHz. Co-founder of the Urban Curators NGO and the CO-HATY initiative. Anastasiia's academic education includes a scholarship at the Leventhal Center for Advanced Urban Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her current project focuses on comprehensive, sustainable, and rapid housing for internally displaced persons in Ukraine.

  • Recommendations for deepening the topic

    To gain a deeper understanding of the potential of community-based initiatives in recovery, we recommend that you read a selection of sources that combine practice, research, and methodological tools:
    ● "HOW CAN A COMMUNITY ADAPT TO WAR? A Self-Facilitation Guide" A practical guide for communities looking for ways to establish an internal dialog, understand their resources, and plan actions in response to the challenges of war. View the guide● “Reconstruction of Ukraine: Priorities, Risks, Inclusion” Qualitative research based on 32 in-depth interviews with civil society representatives. It highlights the vision of reconstruction, barriers to participation and the potential of local initiatives. Read more about the study● “Rebuilding” - podcast and video stories about people and spaces of change A series of conversations with practitioners who create a new infrastructure of participation - architects, facilitators, activists. How cities and communities are changing through joint efforts. Watch on YouTube● "Just Sustainability from the Heart of Communities. The Transformative Power of Socio-Cultural Centers" A European study on how socio-cultural centers influence the sustainability and cohesion of communities, including examples from Ukraine. Download the report● “Rethinking Citizenship Education” by Horizontal School A publication on how education contributes to a culture of participation, ownership and local leadership - the foundations for long-term recovery. View the publication● “Enabling Meaningful Public Participation in Spatial Planning Processes” A practical guide to organizing public participation in planning - relevant for communities that create a vision of spatial development in partnership with residents. View the methodology

Illustration

Housing Crisis: Will Reconstruction Solve It?

    Architecture and Housing
  • About the video: The video analyzes the root causes of the housing crisis in Ukraine - from the outdated housing stock to the lack of a social housing system. It discusses why compensation is only a temporary solution and what approaches are needed to create a truly affordable, diverse and sustainable housing system - not only for displaced people or those who have lost their homes, but for everyone living in Ukrainian cities and communities.

    The war has devastated the housing market in Ukraine, driving up prices and leaving many - internally displaced persons, veterans and returning refugees - without stable housing solutions. Given the limitations of market mechanisms (high cost of home ownership, shortage of rental options, almost complete absence of social housing), there is a need to rethink housing policy and build an inclusive, affordable system.
    In this video, we explore key barriers and possible approaches to overcome them, focusing on the following areas:
    ● Current challenges: market situation, limited availability and lack of different housing formats.● International experience: lessons that Ukraine can learn from social housing models in other countries.● The role of local initiatives: how civic initiatives, government support and investment strategies can contribute to the formation of a new housing system.
    Affordable housing is a universal problem. While certain groups have more pressing needs, recovery efforts should create a balanced, sustainable system that benefits all Ukrainians, ensuring long-term stability and growth.

  • Speakers: Halyna Sukhomud, Nazar Kovalenko

    Halyna Sukhomud (UA) - a Research Fellow at the Institute for European Urbanism, Bauhaus University Weimar, Germany. Associate Researcher at the New Housing Policy NGO, Ukraine.

    Nazar Kovalenko (UA) -
    a spatial development specialist who has been working in urban planning in Vinnytsia since 2017. He has experience working in local government, international technical assistance projects (GIZ), and institutions dealing with urban strategies and urban transformation. Since 2023, he has been the head of the Spatial Development Agency of Vinnytsia City Council.

  • Recommendations for deepening the topic

    To better understand the context and possible transformation scenarios, we recommend reading the following materials:
    ● Housing Crisis: Will Reconstruction Solve It? Ukraine's housing policy needs to be rethought - not only in response to the challenges of war, but as a long-term strategy that takes into account the needs of all. That is why Cedos invites you to participate in the three-day school “Housing Policy in Ukraine” - an event that will bring together researchers, practitioners and community representatives to find solutions together → More about the event● Housing, Land and Property in Ukraine: Residential Damage, Property Rights and the eRecovery Program. The latest IOM study (February 2025) on the scale of housing destruction, property rights issues, and key challenges of digital registration and compensation. → Read● People-centered housing policy: opportunities in the context of recovery. A public discussion by Cedos on how the approach to housing in Ukraine is changing - from a market instrument to a space of dignity and security. → Go to the material● REBUILDING A PLACE TO CALL HOME.Sharing knowledge for Ukraine's recovery. An analytical report summarizing current approaches to rebuilding living environments with a focus on people, sustainability and local participation. → PDF report → Video presentation● Module “Housing Development” of the course “Capacity Building for Ukraine's Recovery”An educational module for municipal specialists and designers developed by Ro3kvit and partners of the New European Bauhaus. → Course description → Course video● How to “fix” the social housing sector in Ukraine Transparency International Ukraine's analytics on the problems and barriers of social housing, ways to overcome them and necessary institutional changes → Read

Illustration

Circular Construction as a Strategy for Ukraine's Recovery

    Green Transformation

Speakers: Natalia Kozub, Lidiia Shymon

Illustration

Participatory Planning and the Role of Residents in Reconstruction

    Artboard 22
    Inclusive Design Process

Speakers: Vadym Denysenko, Fulco Treffers

The project is led by UN-Habitat and supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Illustration