"Green" city and education center: the details of Foster's Kharkiv General Plan became known

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The new urban planning document will be designed for the long term. It provides for the creation of a strategy for the construction and restoration of buildings, communications and transport.

About this reports Said a team of architects led by British Norman Foster at an international forum in Madrid, where they presented the concept. It was also attended by representatives of financial institutions, the United Nations, the European Union, the Government of Ukraine, and the city authorities of Kharkiv.

Design specialists noted that the updated General Plan will take into account a number of aspects related to the reconstruction of damaged city infrastructure. Among them are restoration of housing and services, damage assessment (including transport infrastructure), repair and reconstruction of social sphere objects and critically important objects. 

The vision of the Kharkiv General Plan concept. Development of production and economy of the future. Photo: Kharkiv City Council

In addition, the experience of past Kharkiv development plans will be taken into account. Thus, within one large project, an extensive network of thematic projects will be created, which will regulate different directions.

General plan of Kharkiv. Photo: Kharkiv City Council

According to Yen Goldin, a professor of Oxford University and an expert in the field of technological and economic changes, the General Plan will provide an "economic strategy for prosperity".

"Kharkiv should become a center of knowledge. It is important to attract the country's best talents and create comfortable conditions for them, offer jobs with high profitability, and open business schools. Kharkiv should be a "green" city, preserving the position of an industrial center," the statement reads.

Norman Foster talks about how the Master Plan will be conceptualized and implemented. Photo: Kharkiv City Council

The role of the Norman Foster Foundation in the development of the General Plan. Photo: Kharkiv City Council

According to Mayor Igor Terekhov, in order to modernize life in Kharkiv, it is necessary to build new neighborhoods, ensure the safety of residents, and create IT and industrial parks. The changes also concern the transition to new technologies of water supply, water purification, heat and gas supply, improvement of medical and educational infrastructure, as well as replacement of old transport with a more ecological one. 

"It is necessary to use electric buses instead of old buses, new silent high-speed trams, to update the rolling stock of subway cars," explained the mayor of the city. 

The new General Plan will take into account the aspect of restoring housing infrastructure. Photo: Kharkiv City Council

Norman Foster also emphasized that specialists continue to detail the project in order to achieve all goals. 

"A network is being created that has common goals. This work must gain momentum. We believe that teamwork and a multidisciplinary approach will help us realize this project," the British architect emphasized.

The work on creating a concept for the reconstruction of Kharkiv was presented at an international forum in Madrid. Before that, the city representatives discussed the implementation details with the team of architects-planners. Photo: Kharkiv City Council

In addition, local residents are invited to participate in the process of developing the General Plan. Currently, the city authorities are conducting a survey in which every resident of Kharkiv can talk about their needs and ideas regarding future reconstruction. The most appropriate of them promise to be taken into account in the developed urban planning document.

You can take part in the survey for here

 

 

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