How European Cities change: Urbanist Fulko Treffers shared models of transformation with Ukrainian communities
A lecture of the leading Dutch architect Fulco Treffers "Modern Urban Planning, Urban Studies and Spatial Development of European Countries" was held at the Community Recovery Academy. It was discussed the methods of working with the post-soviet heritage, ways to increase green areas in cities, practical tools for community involvement in urban planning and security of public spaces in war.
Fulko Treffers, the founder of 12n Urban Matters, has dedicated more than 25 years to work in urbanism. Together with his wife, he is engaged in the study and cultural development of cities, developing innovative solutions for the effective transformation of public spaces with minimal investments. After a full-scale invasion of russia, he became one of the founders of the RO3KVIT platform, which united Ukrainian and international professionals to rebuild Ukraine. Among the significant projects of the team is the development of the Vision of Mariupol's recovery.
During the lecture, the participants made a virtual trip to the cities of Serbia, Georgia, Romania, Finland, Estonia, Poland and the Netherlands, each of which represents a unique transformation experience.
Specific examples, such as the city of Tbilisi, have shown a successful experience in combining historical development with modern architecture and efficient use of international financing to renew public spaces.
Of great interest is the case of the Estonian Narva, where it was possible to successfully integrate the Soviet heritage into the modern urban space. According to Treffers, the key factor in success was the active involvement of the community in decision-making. Interesting examples are the projects of the renovation of the local gymnasium, where the old building was added to the old building in contemporary style, and a historic castle that turned into a site for cultural events.
The Finnish city of Tampere is a successful example of the transformation of industrial objects into cultural spaces. The city not only retained the industrial heritage as part of its identity, but also created multifunctional spaces on its basis - museums, cinemas and restaurants.
The key to success was the active involvement of local communities in the development of projects,
The speaker also drew attention to difficult cases of urban transformation. In particular, Belgrade can serve as a new example of city development, where ignoring infrastructure needs caused transport problems and dissatisfaction with locals. And the Romanian Timisoara was faced with the problem of excessive commercialization of the historical center, which led to the loss of living function due to high rental rates.
Treffers paid special attention to the experience of his hometown in the Netherlands, which went from the poor farm area to a powerful technological center. After the economic downturn of the 1990s, the city successfully transformed industrial zones through the creation of a public-private partnership and the formation of "ready-made" coalition-a group of responsible stakeholders. The result was the emergence of 1000 new companies, 4,000 housing units and an annual visit to more than 3.5 million tourists.
Speaking of the Ukrainian context, Fulko Treffers emphasized the importance of integration of security aspects into urban planning.
Ten years ago, I never thought of evacuation paths in urban plans. Now it is a must. And you should do it too,
The expert also emphasized the need to preserve Ukrainian identity and adapt existing practices, not to blindly copy the experience of other countries.
It is important to remain true to your identity and develop it, inspired by examples from other countries, but not forgetting about your own experience and community needs,
The lecture has greatly expanded the understanding of modern approaches to urban planning and introduced communities to successful solutions that should be adapted in Ukraine with a compulsory emphasis on the safety and maintenance of local identity.
Community Recovery Academy founded by the Association of Ukrainian Cities and NGO Mariupol.Reborn, aims to prepare municipal managers for the recovery period. The project is implemented with the support of the UK government under the UK International Development and the International Republican Institute (IRI UKRAINE) in partnership with Metinvest and SCM. The educational partners of the project are Metinvest Polytechnic and National University "Kyiv-Mohyla Academy".
