UREHERIT Urban Forums in Zhytomyr 

“Urban Forums” are hackathon-like two-day events focused on solving specific spatial issues and breathing new life into urban territories. The Forums involve bringing together diverse local stakeholders - municipal politicians, architects, developers, entrepreneurs, representatives of state agencies and the local community – in order to discuss local contested spatial issues, build trust between stakeholders, and come up with concrete joint proposals for improving the common living environment. Such Forums are relatively fast-paced and „huddly“ events, usually involving long nights, continuous rapid prototyping and visualization.
The final product of a Forum can vary – sketches and drawings in presentation format, a brief for an architectural/urban planning competition, a Youtube video recording or a series of radio shows – but in any case, it is an exercise in imagining and visualizing possible development scenarios for a particular territory. Urban Forums are first of all a platform for open and public discussions on values and vision of a place.
In Estonia, Urban Forums appeared in 2009, and since then the 17 Forums have been organized in seven different Estonian cities and municipalities, most recently in June 2022 in Tallinn Old Town.
In the case of the two Urban Forums in Zhytomyr, the focus will be on the vision for the city in the context of post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. Both forums will have 5 teams with about 6-8 participants each.
The Forums will focus on two distinct areas in the city: the area surrounding the building of the “Kosmos” cinema, and the Sokolovskyi Quarry. The Urban Forums will be organized by the Estonian Association of Architects and NGO Ro3kvit Urban Coalition for Ukraine in cooperation with the city of Zhytomyr. The Forums are funded by the European Union as a part of an international cultural project titled “UREHERIT”.

FOCUS LOCATIONS FOR ZHYTOMYR URBAN FORUMS:

Urban Forum 01 - “Kosmos” cinema, 28-29 September 2024

The first Urban Forum will focus on the building and the area surrounding the “Kosmos” cinema in South-East Zhytomyr.
The cinema was built in 1988. For a cinema of its era, the “Kosmos” cinema had the unusual luxury of having two halls with the seating capacity of 200 and 700 people. Interestingly, films were not the only feature in the cinema's entertainment portfolio - discos and festive events such as weddings, anniversaries, etc. were also held here. The cinema operated in the building until 2006, but now it is empty and serves as a cause for a number of problems associated with this area of the city.
At the Forum we will develop future scenarios for this building and its surrounding area, looking at it through the lens of various user groups, accessibility, possible functions and historic background. We will explore the roles that the building may still have in the community, its architectural value in the context of modern Ukraine and discuss its role in improving the safety and social cohesion in the district.
Presentations of the teams' work (English)Presentations of the teams' work (Ukrainian)

Urban Forum 02 - Sokolovskyi quarry, 4-5 October 2024

The second Urban Forum will focus on Sokolovskyi Quarry in North-West Zhytomyr.
The Sokolovskyi quarry entered its current state as a result of flooding of a granite extraction site some 25 years ago. This peculiar artificial granite “bowl” appeared in the landscape as a result of intrusive human exploitation with the use of explosives and mining equipment. The quarry is apx. 100-110 meters deep and occupies an area of about 70,000 square meters with a diameter of more than 500 m. Into its depth spirals a road that was used to bring granite to the surface. Today the whole quarry is underwater, however the near-by factory that used to process its granite still operates.
The Sokolovskyi quarry is located at the edge of the city and is beloved by the locals for its lush natural surroundings. The main entrances into the site are from the Hranitna St, Cheska Kroshnya St and Truda St (from the side of the Vilsky Path). Locals and divers from the surrounding towns also use the quarry as a bathing and diving place all year round. What attracts divers to this particular quarry is its depth, clarity of its water and multi-level underwater landscape. The perimeter of the quarry is sandy and features rocks that are often used for jumping into the water.
Although used for recreation, the quarry currently lacks any kind of infrastructure and is therefore unsafe. Several user groups - water sports enthusiasts (divers), hikers, families with children and groups of young people wanting to have a good time at the beach - are all interested in the area, but have different and often conflicting interests.
At the Urban Forum we will look at the Sokolovskyi quarry through the lens of its various user groups and develop possible futures for it, exploring if this peculiar quasi-natural landscape can serve as a place of healing.
The full program of the forums is available here.
Presentations of the teams' work (English)Presentations of the teams' work (Ukrainian)
Meet the team leads:
Ülar Mark
Ülar began his career as an architect but soon realized that no single building guarantees the quality of urban spaces. This led him to focus on urban planning, becoming the chief architect of Narva, Estonia's third-largest city. Over the next three years, he studied the impact of master plans and participatory democracy on city development, discovering that politics and planning alone don’t ensure good design. He gained insights into urban function through cellphone positioning data studies and represented Estonia at the Venice Biennale of Architecture.Ülar has taught architecture at the Estonian Academy of Arts and served as chairman of the Estonian Center of Architecture (ECA), where he organized events like the Flash Lectures and Urban Forums. Today, he leads Urban Mark Architecture, working on projects ranging from urban planning to set design. Recently, he’s been exploring the intersection of architecture and AI through new ventures.
Lembit-Kaur Stöör
Lembit-Kaur Stöör is a lead architect at KOKO Arhitektid and a partner at ÖÖ-ÖÖ Arhitektid. He earned a master's degree in architecture and urban planning from the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA) in 2001. Throughout his career, Lembit-Kaur Stöör has designed various buildings, from private houses to public ones. In addition to his architectural work, he serves as a member of the board of the Estonian Association of Architects.
Marjo van Schaik
Marjo van Schaik began her career in the corporate sector. Subsequently she worked at National Opera and Ballet in Amsterdam. In 2009 she founded her own company Mare and combines research, design, curating with teaching and strategic management. Since 2016 she has been working in many cities in Ukraine also in Zhytomir. In 2018 Spaces of Culture, her PhD research on the development of cultural venues in the network society, was published by NAI publishers. Currently she is doing research on cultural strategies and public space for Ro3kvit, Urban Coalition for Ukraine. Also, she works as an artist together with Ukrainian designers. Since I have been doing research after cultural and urban strategies in Zhytomir some years ago, I feel connected to the city and to the topic, therefore I look forward to being a teamleader at the forum.
Mariana Kuzemska-Danyliuk
Head of the Urban Department at Cedos think tank. Her main areas of interest are community development and participatory approaches in urban planning. She is a lecturer in the Cultural Studies program at the Ukrainian Catholic University and a cultural manager. In recent years, Marianna worked as the coordinator of strategy, research, and education programs at the Culture Strategy Institute in Lviv, Ukraine. She also worked at the Lviv City Council, where she coordinated the working group responsible for drafting the "Strategy for the Development of Culture of Lviv 2025."
Daryna Pasyuta
Daryna Pasyuta is an urban planner of the Ro3kvit Urban Coalition for Ukraine with experience in Ukraine and the Netherlands. For me it is important to work with communities on the ground and to share experiences with future generations of urban planners in Ukraine, searching together for answers to today's new challenges.
Karin Bachmann
Karin Bachmann is a renowned Estonian landscape architect known for her sustainable and community-focused designs. As a co-founder of Kino Maastikuarhitektid, she has led projects ranging from urban parks to environmental planning, blending ecological principles with functional design. A prominent voice in landscape architecture, Karin regularly collaborates with artists and architects, contributing to exhibitions and discussions on urban development. Her innovative work has gained recognition both in Estonia and internationally.
Siim Tanel Tõnisson
Siim Tanel Tõnisson is an Estonian architect, co-founder and partner at stuudio TÄNA. The main focus of the studio has been on public space and democratic design. Besides his practice, Siim is currently one of the vice presidents of the Estonian Association of Architects, with a focus on housing affordability and spatial education. Siim is teaching at the Estonian Academy of Arts and several other institutions.
Ra Martin Puhkan
Ra Martin Puhkan is an Estonian architect and co-founder and partner at stuudio TÄNA. The main focus of his work and studio has been on public space and democratic design. Using architecture as a tool for redistribution. Ra has participated in many workshops and also been teaching at intrest schools and pre-academic courses. From this year Ra is also tutoring a main design studio at the architecture department in Estonian Academy of Arts. Interest in linking teaching and helping Ukraine is what binds the motivation together for leading a team.

About UREHERIT project:
«UREHERIT. Architects for heritage in Ukraine: recreating identity and memory» - is a three-year-long European cultural project which aims to build competence in the fields of heritage protection, regeneration of culturally meaningful sites and projects in Ukraine. The project addresses heritage as a resource for sustainable cultural, social, environmental, and economic recovery, while solving challenges of preservation, re-definition and highlighting the national and local cultural identity in Ukraine. The broader goal of the project is to encourage the local communities of Ukraine to build a new, democratic, and sustainable Ukraine with a unique yet European cultural DNA. Within UREHERIT a total of four Urban Forums will take place in Ukraine in the period between 2024-2025, with the first two Forums serving as pilots.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author (s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EACEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.