MARIUPOL REBORN LAUNCHES URBAN RECOVERY ACADEMY WITH OXFORD TRAINING PROGRAMME
The Mariupol Reborn Academy brings together knowledge of urban regeneration following conflict for the first time
Unique resource for cities across Ukraine rebuilding after the impacts of the war
Kyiv, 29 January 2024 – Mariupol Reborn has run its first training course on urban recovery, under the new Mariupol Reborn Academy. The Academy pulls together all the knowledge the Mariupol Reborn team has developed as it has planned the fast recovery and long-term regeneration of the post-war Mariupol. It now provides a platform for communities across Ukraine to learn together and to expand the body of knowledge.
The first training course was run under a new programme set up by Associate Professor of Sustainable Urban Development at Oxford University, Vlad Mykhnenko. The course lasted for three days in the format of online Lunch Talks.
Mariupol Reborn was created by the Mariupol City Council, led by Mayor Vadym Boichenko, to build expertise in rebuilding the city after the war. It has worked with urban planners, experts in desovietisation and cities across Europe that have experience of rebuilding after war, building unique knowledge. The team is now making that available, through the Mariupol Reborn Academy, for all de-occupied and temporarily occupied communities across Ukraine.
Natalua Yemchenko, member of the Supervisory Board of Mariupol.Reborn and Director of Communications at SCM, said, “We are creating an educational process where we will gather the best expertise from Ukraine and beyond to answer specific questions. For example, what is the best energy system to use when restoring cities? What is the best way to rebuild and manage the water infrastructure? And that is just the very beginning, to stablise the situation before moving to regeneration. This knowledge exists, but not in one place and not in an easily-accessible way. There is no package of solutions for rebuilding a city and no manual. The Mariupol Reborn Academy is creating a center of expertise that brings all the knowledge together in one place while also providing the opportunity for further knowledge acquisition and sharing.”
The goal is the expansion of knowledge and the exchange of experience in recovery issues. One of the central activities is School of Urban Recovery, which is designed for municipal leaders and professionals involved in the high-quality restoration and development of the liberated territories.
Vadym Boichenko, Mayor of Mariupol, said, “The reconstruction of Ukraine is one of the main challenges communities will face after the war. There is no doubt that preparation now will pay huge dividends when start this important work, once our heroic military forces have de-occupied our territories. Mariupol is very keen to share the experience and expertise we have gained, helping other communities and learning together. After all, we have a common goal: to bring life back to our cities, and to rebuild them quickly and efficiently so Ukraine can take its part as a modern European country.”
Vlad Mykhnenko, Associate Professor of Sustainable Urban Development at Oxford University, said, “The Mariupol Reborn Academy is the initiative of the indomitable Mariupol residents themselves, people who fight, first and foremost, for freedom and the right to exist. It is an initiative of the entire city community, which works day and night for the victory of a free Ukraine and the de-occupation of their land from the invaders. I spent all my childhood summers on the beaches of the Azov Sea. I have many relatives in Mariupol and in the Donetsk region, who I haven’t been able to contact for months. I’m proud to be able to use my position as a scholar to help Mariupol be a symbol of Ukraine’s unconquerable spirit and a symbol of rebuilding our country on new principles.”
The first course consisted of three sessions over the three days:
Basics of a city: origins, and the drivers of growth and decline
Solutions to the problems of population reductions: case studies from seven European cities from 1917 to 2020
Urban alternatives: identifying the feasibility and usefulness of urban projects for the next generation, looking at a 25-year horizon
The course was attended by 365 people from 15 regional communities across Ukraine. The Mariupol Reborn Academy will hold similar courses throughout the year.
About Mariupol Reborn
The Mariupol Reborn project is being implemented by the Mariupol City Council with the investment support of Rinat Akhmetov’s SCM Group and international donors.