Publications – Izyum Recovery Project

In the structure of our cities, certain spaces are of great importance – they are not just physical locations, but living monuments that preserve the stories of the people who use them. Memorials, community centres, nature reserves play a crucial role in preserving history, building community, and creating spaces for healing and connection. Importantly, these places are most effective and meaningful when they are created and managed by the communities they serve, with inspiration and support from the outside.

Alternative public memorials: Spaces of living memory

A growing trend in urban design is the creation of alternative public spaces that serve as living memorials. These spaces are intended not only to commemorate those who have died in wars, struggles for freedom, or natural disasters, but also to provide a place for reflection, healing, and public gatherings.

Memorial to the abolition of slavery Nantes (France), 2011, source of the photo – https://www.publicspace.org/works/-/project/g290-memorial-de-l-abolition-de-l-esclavage

One striking example of such a space is the **Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery** in Nantes, France. This site is more than just a place of remembrance; it is an interactive public space where people can walk along a path lined with the names of slave ships, abolitionists and historical events. The memorial invites visitors to engage with history on a personal level, fostering a deeper understanding of the struggle for freedom and human dignity.

The French Quarter also has such special places.

French Quarter, source – from archive of NGO ‘IZYUM_Recovery”

The term ‘deserters’ was used to describe soldiers or civilians who refused to continue their participation in the war for various reasons, whether due to moral objections, fear, or deep disagreement with the regime’s ideology. Their execution in this part of Tübingen serves as a stark reminder of the brutal measures taken by the Nazis to maintain control and suppress dissent.Today, the French Quarter has become a vibrant neighbourhood, but the memory of these tragic events remains, offering a place of reflection to those who visit. This wasteland stands as a solemn monument to the courage of those who defied the oppressive forces of their time, paying the ultimate price for their beliefs. It is a place that encourages visitors to remember the past, honour the victims and reflect on the cost of standing up to tyranny.

Another example is the Stolperstein project, which is being implemented across

Europe. Small brass plaques embedded in sidewalks mark the lastknown places of residence of Holocaust victims. These simple, decentralised memorials remind passers-by of the lives lost in their neighbourhoods, keeping history alive in a subtle yet profound way.

Public spaces: Recovery and communication centres

In addition to memorials, other types of public spaces are important for building and sustaining community. These include community gardens, public squares, and city parks, which are designed as centres for recovery, recreation, and social interaction. These spaces offer more than just a place to spend time – they become the heart of the community, where people can come together to share experiences, support each other and build stronger bonds.

For example, **The High Line** in New York City, a former elevated railway converted into a linear park, serves as a vibrant public space where locals and visitors can enjoy art installations, greenery and breathtaking views of the city. This project, realised through community engagement and innovative urban design, transformed a derelict building into a thriving public space that fosters social interaction and a deeper connection to the urban environment.

The source of the photo – https://www.learningwithexperts.com/gardening/blog/the-history-of-high-line

The sourse of the photo – wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Line

Similarly, **The Healing Fields** in the United States are temporary installations of thousands of American flags, each representing a victim of a tragedy such as 9/11 or a natural disaster. These fields serve as temporary memorials where people can come together to mourn, reflect and support each other in times of crisis.

The importance of public initiatives

the source of the photo-https://www.healingfield.org/events/list/

The true strength of these spaces is that they are shaped and developed by the communities they serve. When local people take the lead in creating and maintaining these spaces, the result is a more authentic and relevant environment.

the source https://www.healingfield.org/events/list/

Local authorities ensure that the needs and values of the community are reflected in the design and function. Working together to create such centres fosters a sense of pride and responsibility, encouraging ongoing care and management. This is particularly important for memorial spaces, where the emotional and historical significance of the site is deeply connected to the collective memory of the local community.

However, while the local community should be at the forefront of the creation and management of these places, external perspectives also play an important role. Visitors and experts from other cities or countries can bring fresh ideas, innovative approaches, and examples of what has worked in other contexts. This cross-pollination of ideas can help local communities think outside the box and create spaces that are not only functional, but also inspiring and forward-looking.

Public spaces are therefore vital to maintaining the social fabric of our communities. Whether they serve as living memorials, centres of recovery, or spaces for everyday interaction, these places are crucial for preserving history, strengthening community, and promoting healing. The most successful and meaningful ones are those that are managed by the local community with support and inspiration from outside.

Продовжуючи розбудовувати та розвивати наші міста, важливо надавати пріоритет створенню та підтримці цих просторів, гарантуючи, що вони залишатимуться місцями коммунікаціїї громади, пам’яті та зростання для наступних поколінь.

Community centers are vital hubs of resilience and recovery, especially in the aftermath of disasters such as war, occupation, and other significant challenges.

These spaces serve not only as physical structures but also as symbolic pillars of hope, unity, and regeneration for affected populations.

Their importance cannot be overstated in the process of territory and community recovery, as they facilitate a wide range of activities and processes that contribute to healing, rebuilding, and fostering social cohesion.

The Importance of Community Centers in Post-Disaster Recovery

Safe Haven for Emotional and Psychological Support:

In the wake of war or occupation, communities often suffer from collective trauma. Community centers provide a safe and neutral environment where individuals can seek emotional and psychological support. Access to counseling services, support groups, and mental health workshops helps individuals process their experiences, reducing the long-term psychological impact of the disaster.

Catalysts for Social Reintegration and Cohesion:

Disasters often fracture the social fabric, leading to mistrust, isolation, and division.

Community centers serve as neutral grounds where diverse groups can come together, fostering dialogue, understanding, and collaboration. By organizing activities that bring together different segments of the population, these centers promote social reintegration and help rebuild a sense of community.

Facilitators of Resource Distribution and Information Sharing: In post-disaster scenarios, the distribution of aid, resources, and accurate information is crucial. Community centers often act as distribution points for food, clothing, medical supplies, and other necessities. They also serve as hubs for disseminating important information, such as updates on recovery efforts, legal rights, and opportunities for rebuilding homes and businesses.

Innovative Activities for Integration and Recovery

While traditional activities like language classes, job training, and cultural events are essential, there are several innovative approaches that community centers can adopt to further enhance integration and recovery:

Storytelling and Oral History Projects:

Organizing storytelling sessions or oral history projects allows community members to share their personal experiences, preserving the collective memory of the disaster while fostering empathy and understanding among participants. These projects can also help document the community’s resilience and inspire future generations.

Art Therapy and Creative Workshops:

Art therapy provides a non-verbal outlet for individuals to express their emotions and experiences. Community centers can offer workshops in painting, sculpture, music, and dance, encouraging participants to use creativity as a form of healing. Public art projects, such as murals or community sculptures, can also become symbols of collective strength and recovery.

Civic Engagement and Participatory Planning:

Encouraging community members to take an active role in the recovery process fosters a sense of ownership and empowerment. Community centers can host workshops and forums where residents can contribute to the planning and decision-making processes related to rebuilding efforts, ensuring that recovery plans reflect the needs and aspirations of the community.

Intergenerational Activities:

Involving both the young and the elderly in joint activities helps bridge generational gaps and preserves cultural heritage. Initiatives such as mentorship programs, where elders share traditional skills or stories with younger generations, can strengthen community bonds and ensure the transmission of cultural knowledge.

Environmental and Sustainable Development Projects:

Community centers can spearhead projects focused on environmental recovery and sustainability, such as community gardens, reforestation efforts, or workshops on sustainable living. These initiatives not only contribute to the physical recovery of the area but also promote a long-term vision of resilience and self-sufficiency.

Processes Facilitated by Community Centers

Rebuilding Trust and Social Capital:

Through regular interactions, collaborative projects, and shared experiences, community centers help rebuild trust among community members, which is crucial for any long-term recovery process. Social capital, the network of relationships and trust that facilitates collective action, is gradually restored, enabling communities to work together more effectively.

Promoting Civic Identity and Agency:

Community centers play a key role in re-establishing a sense of civic identity. By engaging residents in discussions, decision-making processes, and volunteer activities, these centers empower individuals to take ownership of their community’s future, fostering a renewed sense of agency and responsibility.

Enhancing Resilience and Preparedness:

Through various educational and practical programs, community centers help equip residents with the skills and knowledge needed to face future challenges. Whether it’s disaster preparedness training, conflict resolution workshops, or economic empowerment programs, these activities enhance the overall resilience of the community.

Building Networks of Support and Cooperation:

Community centers often serve as connectors between different stakeholders, including local government, non-profits, and international organizations.

By fostering these networks of support and cooperation, they ensure that the community has access to a wide range of resources and expertise, which is crucial for effective recovery and long-term development.

In the aftermath of war, occupation, and other disasters, community centers are indispensable in the journey towards recovery and rebuilding. They provide a safe space for healing, foster social cohesion, and empower individuals to take an active role in the recovery process. By offering both traditional and innovative activities, community centers can facilitate the creation of resilient, inclusive, and sustainable communities that are better prepared to face future challenges.

On 15 July, an excursion was undertaken to the French Quarter, situated within the municipality of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

The objective was to gain first-hand experience of this specific quarter and to identify the factors that make it distinctive. This will inform the adaptation of its elements and approaches to the Izyum quarter and other Ukrainian quarters with similar characteristics.

The tour was conducted by Andrea Garcia Enzel, a team member and partner of the IZYUM_recovery project. Mr. Enzel’s company, ARCHITEKTENWERKGRUPPE, is headquartered in Tübingen and has been responsible for the implementation of various projects in the French Quarter during the course of its development /1993-2008/

A concise historical overview is provided below:

The French Quarter is a mixed-use residential area that was constructed in Tübingen between 1993 and 2008.
Following the withdrawal of the French military from several large barracks in the south of Tübingen in 1991, the city saw an opportunity to modernise the area, which had suffered from urban planning deficiencies in some parts.
The land that had been converted was used to create housing and commercial space, which were both in short supply.
Following decades of practice whereby uses were separated, which resulted in mono-functional and lifeless residential and commercial areas in almost every community, Tübingen made a conscious decision not to resort to this planning principle. Instead, the city pursued the goal of recombining housing and work based on the European city model.

The quarter is worthy of examination from a multiplicity of perspectives. Its approach to development is noteworthy, as are its efforts to attract investors and the attention of the city’s population to its development. Of particular interest are the green solutions it has devised for the revitalisation of existing buildings and the surrounding area, its commercial component, and the organisation of places of remembrance for those who died during World War II.

Approaches to Development
During the tour, it became evident that the majority of buildings in the neighbourhood exhibited distinctive characteristics. The cityscape evinced no sense of uniformity, a quality often observed in Ukrainian cities with post-Soviet buildings. Each and every house in the French Quarter is distinctive in its own right.
The urban fabric is characterised by a notable absence of uniformity, with no prevalence of grey facades of identical height and alignment. Furthermore, the expression of individuality is not confined to the incorporation of glazed balconies in the ‘I see it this way’ style. The appeal of this neighbourhood lies in the straightforward and effective implementation of solutions that enhance the building’s aesthetic and functional appeal. It is noteworthy that these solutions are not novel, having been employed in the construction and revitalisation of the area in 2008. However, their continued relevance in the present context is evident.

The first photo 1 illustrates a house that has undergone a process of revitalisation. The architects incorporated lightweight metal structures into the facades, which function as open balconies. Furthermore, the addition of an upper floor has been incorporated to increase the available living space. It is noteworthy that all the buildings in the vicinity have commercial premises on the ground floor. This was a clearly defined stipulation set forth by the municipal authorities in Tübingen. It is the commercial component that imbues the quarter with a certain vibrancy and interest. The ecosystem of a 100% residential neighbourhood is inherently inferior to that of a neighbourhood which can serve itself. This approach to the organisation of residential hubs is also highly relevant in Ukraine today. In the contemporary era, it has become imperative for individuals and communities to cultivate autonomy and decentralisation.

The second photo 2 depicts the inaugural edifice constructed in the French Quarter. The construction company and the architects were charged with the task of designing a building that would capture the attention of the residents of Tübingen and stimulate new investment. Accordingly, the decision was taken to construct a facade of diverse character, incorporating a variety of volumetric and colour solutions. As can be observed in the photograph, no two sections are identical; each is characterised by a distinctive combination of balconies, windows, doors, cornices, and other architectural elements. Despite the inevitable criticism from all quarters, the solution proved effective in fulfilling its primary objective at the time. The construction of this building prompted a surge in property purchases in the area, which in turn inspired developers to pursue further projects in the neighbourhood.

The French Quarter is a car-free zone, so there’s no vehicular traffic allowed. The central part of the quarter is designed in such a way that pedestrians can safely move around the space without having to worry about giving way to motorists who have parked in the pedestrian zone. This is especially true in Ukraine, where it’s common practice to park vehicles directly at the entrance to private and apartment buildings, on lawns, on playgrounds, almost anywhere there’s a free space. Instead, it seems that the entire infrastructure is actually ready for the movement of vehicles in case of fire or an ambulance. Residents can also drive closer to their homes, but this requires written permission. If you don’t have it, you’ll be fined.

photo 4. The multi-storey car park in photo 4 was to be an effective solution for parking residents’ cars, because just because cars are not allowed in the middle of the block, it does not mean that residents do not have them. That’s why it was decided to build a five-storey car park where a built-in lift would take the car to the floor with free spaces. However, due to technical problems with the lift and the high cost of its maintenance, this already implemented idea had to be abandoned.

the article was prepared by Anastasia Gulak / curator of the IZYUM_recovery project/ the second part of the article will be published next week.

check the reels from French Quarter visit

What is the philosophy and essence of the project?
Kharkiv residents Kateryna Kublytska and Anastasiia Gulak are connected by their work at the architectural and construction company Portal-21 (Anastasiia is its founder and Kateryna is its director), and by a number of projects with Izyum.

In particular, Anastasiia was often in the city as a passing visitor, as she has been involved in the restoration of buildings and critical infrastructure in the eastern regions of Ukraine as part of GIZ programmes since 2017. And Kateryna, since the beginning of the great war, has been inspecting local buildings after ‘arrivals’ and recording war crimes. Now, together with the team, they are also working on the Izyum_Recovery project.

read the full article

Everyone can explain what democracy is. Power of the people. What exactly does it mean? In short, we elect presidents and deputies of all levels according to our own preferences, thus delegating to them powers on our behalf. Then, as a rule, we are disappointed in most of them, and then everything goes in a circle, and there seems to be no way out.
But why does this happen? Those who have realised that the main function of the state is not to plan and regulate the lives of citizens by law, but rather to promote the development of the individual, understand that democracy is not exactly what is happening in many countries today.

Let’s recall some history. Where did public life take place, for example, in ancient Rome and Greece? What pictures do we see in our minds, shaped by books and films? These are the squares where important events were discussed, the arenas where people were entertained by various spectacles, and we can also recall ancient baths and markets.
Every historical centre of any European city has such places that remind us of the past social life. And, for some reason, it is to them that one is drawn most of all. They are the centres of attraction for the whole city, people go to them. They like to stay there, visit cosy cafes, and socialise. This is the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, where there is a copy of Michelangelo’s famous sculpture of David, Piazza San Marco in Venice, Freedom, Vague, Concorde squares in Paris, Rynok Square in Lviv and many others. These places excite you and you want to come back to them again and again.

What do we see in modern cities, and not just ours? Most of them are devoid of such attractive places for people. Instead, roads and pedestrian paths lead us not to cosy centres of communication, but more often than not to another urban thoroughfare, which means that when planning neighbourhoods, all sorts of problems were taken into account: transport, economic, engineering, but not the need of an individual to communicate not only with neighbours and work colleagues, but also with other residents of a particular territorial unit. It can be a small village, a neighbourhood or a city block. But in order for such a unity of people to take place, other planning decisions are needed when designing the urban environment, which will contribute to the development of public life, and with it, ultimately, responsible democracy. When we talk about responsible democracy, we mean that before society realises that a decision is in its favour, it needs to be discussed, opponents’ opinions need to be heard, and if they are well-reasoned, we need to try to agree with them. This is how beliefs are formed, and with them a person grows up, becomes more educated and able to make useful decisions, not vice versa. You might say that it is impossible to force a person who has been pushed to the wall by a stream of passing cars for many years and only dreamed of returning home or getting to their place of work to communicate with strangers, alien to them, and even on important topics. And you would be right.

Creating attractive places where people can feel free is a crucial task for architects, artists and residents themselves. Indeed, such places should be designed in such a way as to take into account the historical, local and cultural characteristics of a particular part of the living environment. Without community involvement, it is impossible to create a full-fledged project for a residential neighbourhood or district, no matter how creative and talented the team of architects and artists is.
That is why this practice has been used in developed European countries for quite some time. It works, various models of residential neighbourhoods with community involvement have already been created and the living conditions in them are being studied. And the residents of these neighbourhoods feel much more confident because they have contributed to the creation of their own environment. The main thing is that all this was done as a group, issues and problems were discussed and the necessary decisions were made. This is how responsible democracy develops. This is how we should do it here.

Because after such a terrible ordeal, not only our cities and villages have to change, but also we ourselves. Our society, which has demonstrated that it can make decisions on its own, must be united not only at the state level, but also at the level of individual territorial units. Such a unity of communities, architects, artists and local authorities should give a huge impetus to the development of an individual, and this should be the main goal of any state if it wants to be truly democratic and not slip into totalitarianism, where we have already been.

Common spaces: centres of memory and recovery

Alternative public memorials: Spaces of living memory

Public spaces: Recovery and communication centres

The importance of public initiatives

Community centres or a hubs of recovery?

The Importance of Community Centers in Post-Disaster Recovery

Innovative Activities for Integration and Recovery

Processes Facilitated by Community Centers

IZYUM_recovery members together with Partners from Germany visited ‘French Quarter’ in Tübingen

To “Start” Izyum

Perspective on Democracy-Architect.