UN4Mykolaiv Initiative

The conflict in Ukraine has caused extensive destruction to urban areas and critical infrastructure, including housing, industry, cultural landmarks, transportation, water and energy systems. 

Despite these difficulties, the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of the Ukrainian Republic has drafted recommendations to guide the reconstruction of cities and infrastructure damaged by the conflict. To implement these recommendations, the Ukrainian Government and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) have established a Task Force of sixteen UN agencies. This team is dedicated to promoting innovative urban reconstruction in selected Ukrainian cities.

As an active partner of the UNECE Center of Excellence of LIUC University – Sustainable Finance for Cities and Infrastructure, the One Works Foundation has been enlisted to assist in the resilient reconstruction of Mykolaiv, one of Ukraine’s key cities. This collaboration aims to restore and enhance buildings, infrastructure, and public spaces with a focus on sustainable recovery.

The development of a strategic, forward-looking concept masterplan is a key component of the UN4UkrainianCities project, implemented by the UNECE, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

A vision for the people

The One Works Foundation is actively collaborating with the Mykolaiv City Council, local specialists, and the community, and is also leading an international coalition of industry experts led by One Works (outlined below). Together, they have examined the city’s current challenges and developed the concept masterplan and strategic guidelines necessary for the successful and sustainable reconstruction of the city.

Building on a robust community engagement plan, including online consultations, surveys, and capacity-building workshops, residents and businesses shared and discussed their views for the future of Mykolaiv. From these activities, the team defined five operational goals and four key themes to guide the concept masterplan and supporting strategies.

Masterplan Operational Goals

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 five foundational pillars.

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.

Click here to read all Technical Reports

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.

  • An in-depth analysis of Mykolaiv's urban fabric was conducted in terms of land use, transport and utility networks, public spaces and more.

    View Report

  • An in-depth engagement strategy was established to ensure inclusivity and consensus-building throughout the project.

    View Report

  • A Macro & Micro Scale Damage Assessment was conducted and analysed by land use.

    View Report

  • An analysis, conducted by LAND, on data relating to green space distribution, population dynamics, and ecosystem processes.

    Read more

  • A comprehensive study, led by Systematica, was conducted for evaluating the efficacy, efficiency, and accessibility of city’s public transportation system.

    Read more

  • A concept masterplan and supporting strategies to guide the sustainable recovery of the city. Read more

  • Five individual projects within the city will act as pilot developments for key aspects of the city.

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  • "As the industrial heart of Ukraine, we need our city to reach its fullest potential during reconstruction!"

    President of Mykolaiv City Council, Dmytro Falko

  • "For One Works, the involvement by UNECE and alongside Lord Norman Foster in the #UN4 project represents an honor and a great responsibility, which we immediately welcomed to support the citizens of Mykolaiv and the Ukrainian Government, contributing definitively and directly to the efforts of the international community in supporting a population so hard hit.”

    President of the One Works Foundation, Giulio De Carli

  • “As UNECE in this important initiative launched to contribute to the reconstruction design of Ukraine, we play the role of matchmaking by bringing together the best professionals in the world of architecture, planning and engineering and cities."

    Paola Deda, Director Forests, Land and Housing Division, UNECE