Context and challenge
The valley of the Styr and Topillya rivers is located just 3 km from Lutsk and is part of the Emerald Network, a European biodiversity conservation system. Its wetlands regulate water levels, purify it, and shape the microclimate.
The community's initial request was simple — to create a place for swimming and relaxation. But during the research, the "city.rebut" team saw a deeper problem: what attracts people to the valley — the wildlife — is gradually disappearing under human influence.
Photo provided by the NGO “misto.rebut”
This became the starting point for a new approach — creating a space that simultaneously meets the needs of the community and maintains a natural balance.
Concept: “preservation as a form of use”
The developed concept is based on the results of a joint study with Volyn National University, which identified over 80 plant species and 60 animal species in the area. These observations determined the principle: the use of nature is possible only through its preservation.
Main directions of the concept:
- Natural frame.
A system of eco-trails and wooden bridges is being formed that do not create one main route, but on the contrary, disperse the flow of visitors, reducing pressure on the ecosystem.
This structure helps people discover the valley without harming its natural processes. - Space for communities.
An open platform is planned - a multifunctional area for workshops, lectures, sports activities, or regular meetings.
His main idea is to create a place that unites people around nature, not the other way around. - Sequence of actions.
All solutions are arranged by priority:
- first — forming a connection between the community and the valley, involving residents;
- then — technical interventions that streamline visits;
- in the long term — sustainable processes: eco-education, partnerships, natural management.
The concept involves developing the valley without large-scale construction: minimal intervention, natural materials, local plant species. Nature sets the priority, and people become its allies.
Image provided by the NGO “misto.rebut”
The process of collaboration: from participation to community
Work on the Ecopark began in 2024, when the Pidhaitsi Youth Council turned to the NGO "misto.rebut" with a request for the development of the waterfront. The response was a process — participatory development of the concept together with local residents.
The event "Dating with the Valley" became the first open dialogue between people and nature. Participants cleaned the area together, walked the route with ecologist Volodymyr Radziy, and mapped ideas. It became not only a research event, but also a point of trust formation.
To continue the conversation, the team organized traveling exhibitions in religious communities—spaces where residents feel safe and open—to discuss how to connect the religious, domestic, and natural life of a community.
Photo provided by the NGO “misto.rebut”
The project showed that the most difficult thing is not to design the space, but to learn to interact. Residents tried themselves in the role of co-creators of solutions, and the municipality - in the role of an attentive listener. This is how trust is gradually formed in the community, which can initiate changes itself.
"We tried to convey to the community and the municipality that it is important to hear each other." This is not a “bottom-up” or “top-down” approach, but a third way — when people take responsibility together and act," — Taras Datsyuk, architect and urban planner of the NGO "city.rebut"
International support and exchange of experience
Among 91 applications from all over Ukraine, Pidhaytsi became one of the three winning communities of the Ro3kvit program.
The support made it possible to conduct an environmental assessment, involve experts from the Netherlands, and create a concept that combines scientific accuracy and social depth.
Image provided by the NGO “misto.rebut”
Mentors from Ro3kvit, INBO, STIPO, and Play the City accompanied the Pidhay team throughout the entire process — from developing participatory programs to studying in Amsterdam, where Ukrainian communities worked together with Dutch urbanists on the future of their cities.
What's next?
The developed concept is being transferred to the Pidhaitsivska Village Council for integration into the community's recreational zone development strategy. The next stage is working with ecologists, urban planners, and landscape architects on specific solutions and finding funding for implementation.
Image provided by the NGO “misto.rebut”
At the same time, the NGO will continue to support the process of a joint community presence in the valley - through educational events, ambassadors, and local initiatives.
The project was created within the framework of the "Communities - the Heart of Urban Transformations" program with the support of Ro3kvit: Urban Coalition for Ukraine and the Dutch architectural and planning company INBO.
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