New urban ethics: how Kyiv suburbs are rethinking the urban environment

 

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Partner material

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To uncover the mechanisms of the new urban ethics, we have chosen three main themes: parks, hybrid spaces (squares and residential neighborhoods), and mobility (transport infrastructure). We will consider each of them chronologically: from the pre-war state through the challenges of reconstruction to plans for the near future, and finally we will focus on key obstacles and practical proposals for overcoming them.

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GREEN AREAS OF IRPENY,
THE STATUS QUO

Today, the community has 17 green areas, including 6 large parks, a city embankment over 3 km long, and over 10 squares. Key examples of restored and new spaces include:

• Irpinskaya Embankment (over 3 km): combining the natural landscape of the Irpin River floodplain with bike paths, beach areas, gazebos, and sports fields; restored after 2022 as a symbol of unity, with plans to extend into regional trails for sustainable tourism;
• Volodymyr Pravyk Park (over 10 hectares): a central green artery with pine plantations, bike paths, and playgrounds;
• Central Park (6 hectares): opened in 2016 on the basis of a pine forest between Universytetskaya and Literaturna streets; divided into a children's area with soft covering and swings, a sports area with bike paths and rental, and a recreational area with forged barbecues in the shape of deer, an artificial lake, and a temple;
• Writers' Park: a cultural and historical hub around the former recreation center of writers;
• Pokrovsky Park (2 hectares): the largest wooden sculpture park in Ukraine, created in 2016 on the basis of a pine forest, with figures of animals, fairy-tale heroes and cartoon characters;
• "Neznaika" park: in fact, these are three parks merged into one green zone in the very center of Irpin - "Irpin" park, Victory park, and, in fact, "Neznaika" park, reconstructed in 2018, with recreation areas, playgrounds, and sculptures;
• Dubky Park: in 2018, places were created for family recreation, walks with strollers, and cycling. Specially equipped areas for barbecues and walking pets.

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Numerous public squares, hybrid spaces with landscape design, such as Freedom Square and Creative Spirit Square, “green oases” integrated into residential development with promenades, mini-parks and coastal areas, as well as the popular Buchansky Park or “Schaslyvy” Park in Hostomel and adjacent forest areas can be considered part of a single green agglomeration. The total area of ​​green spaces is expanding under the Program of Prospective Development for 2022–2026, with a focus on restoring biodiversity, minimal intervention in the terrain and integrating recreation with housing.

From thickets to hubs: how Irpin discovered its green code

Irpin is not a post-industrial zone, a rural hinterland or a blank slate. It is not by chance that it has been nicknamed the “city of parks” since 2015. The first stage of the development of green zones in Irpin began back in 2014, when the city set out to improve its “forest” territories. As he says Roman Shelevey, Head of the Department of Urban Planning, Architecture and Land Resources of Irpin, Back then, parks were any area with bushes where companies gathered to relax, mostly without any infrastructure.

"These were wild forest areas within the city limits — thickets without paths, without lighting, without landscaping, where companies would come to have a drink or just sit. Gradually, we transformed these places: we laid lawns, paved paths, made bike routes, installed lighting and benches. And it had an effect: people started visiting here with their children, walking their dogs, and doing sports."

Irpin's parks have already evolved beyond classical recreation, becoming platforms for active urban policy and tools for suburb branding: places where the community forms a common identity, popularizes the city, and learns to co-create.

It is not always necessary to invent new locations - it is often easier and more correct to make comfortable the spaces that the residents themselves have already chosen. If people like a place - there is no need to rebuild it beyond recognition, you need to provide it with amenities, level the landscape, restore the path along the river, put a bench or make a normal entrance for wheelchairs.

A delicate approach to landscaping is more appropriate when it comes to sensitive landscapes, such as the floodplains of the Irpin River. The very fact of carrying out construction work on the floodplain has caused a lot of discussion and fears that landscaping and the ecosystem are incompatible. Volodymyr Karplyuk, co-founder of the MOLODIST Investment Group and Chairman of the Irpin Investment Council, from 2014 to 2018 he held the mayor's chair and advocated that the space near the river could be used by all categories of citizens: "Irpinskaya embankment is one of the largest urban projects of the city, created from scratch as a space of harmonious combination of nature and modern infrastructure. The first stage was solemnly opened on August 19, 2018, and later the project expanded: a sports alley, skate park, playgrounds, bike paths, and recreation areas appeared.

During the design, we sought to preserve the natural landscape of the Irpin River floodplain: we limited intervention in the ecosystem, used ecological materials and local plant species. After the deoccupation of Irpin in 2022, the embankment was damaged - the railway bridge, lighting, and landscaping elements were destroyed. However, today everything has been restored, and it has once again become a place of strength, relaxation, and pride for Irpin residents.

Thanks to the reconstruction of green areas, Irpin even got into the Book of Records of Ukraine - for the number of created and renovated parks and squares. But the number of green hectares is not the main thing. Irpin's parks have already evolved beyond the boundaries of classic recreation, becoming platforms for active urban policy and tools for branding the suburb: places where the community forms a common identity, popularizes the city and learns to co-create.

It is this transformation of space into a living organism of events and dialogue that formed the basis of the Irpin Travel project, which he talks about. Daryna Katkalo, advisor to the Irpin city mayor: "The Irpin Travel project originated in 2018. Its goal was to show — to both residents and guests — new objects that were appearing in Irpin. It was a kind of infrastructure marketing designed to interest people in the city, encourage them to come and see the changes with their own eyes. It was important for Irpin residents to feel involved in these transformations, because the city constantly held festivals, events and initiatives aimed at popularizing newly created or renovated parks, squares and the embankment.

Residents were involved not only in discussing or opening new facilities, but also in directly participating in the events themselves - in parks, on lawns, in the amphitheater. This approach has proven effective: when people feel that a space belongs to them, they naturally want to tell others about it.

"With the start of the full-scale war, many people came to Irpin to see the scale of the destruction. Fortunately, this stage is already behind us - the city is actively recovering."

Indeed, the terrifying picture of destruction is gradually changing to the image of a city intently immersed in restoration and slow (due to the ongoing aggression from the Russian Federation) but irreversible progress.

City parks — a strategy for the future

Among the projects currently being developed by the Irpin Architecture Department at the initiative of the Irpin Investment Council and in cooperation with the BRAVE Society are "Banksy Square" and the extension of the Irpin River embankment. The first idea grew out of a symbolic episode for the city: after deoccupation, Banksy graffiti appeared on the facade of one of the destroyed buildings. Part of the wall with the drawing was preserved, and now they plan to create a small square on the site of one of the other dismantled buildings - with an art object in the center, lighting, comfortable benches, and a green area.

The second direction is larger: transforming the Irpinskaya embankment into a single recreational axis that will unite several communities. The plans also include creating a full-fledged bicycle and pedestrian path that will stretch from the Warsaw highway through Pushcha-Vodytsia and Gostomel to the highway to Zhytomyr. Wide green strips have been preserved along the river, which allow you to form a natural line for recreation, sports and walks. This project is designed to unite different areas into a holistic ecosystem of space - where nature and urbanism coexist, not compete.

"Our plan is to create a single embankment throughout the community, along which both cyclists and pedestrians could move without hindrance. We see this as potential for intermunicipal cooperation: we hope that neighboring communities will join, and then this will truly become the regional bicycle ring - not just a local path, but a regional recreational axis," Roman Shelevey explains the idea.

Another area of ​​development for Irpin's green infrastructure is the Potoky tract, a natural area of ​​about three thousand hectares adjacent to the city from the Kyiv Forestry Department. It is actually a wild forest, with only natural trails used by local residents, mostly those who walk their dogs or seek peace and quiet in nature.

The city team, together with specialists from the NGO Urban Reform, is developing the idea of ​​transforming this territory into a network of natural routes — cycling and hiking — by analogy with American national parks. This is not about large-scale construction, but about delicate arrangement of space: marking routes, arranging places for recreation and observing nature. A similar approach is planned to be used when creating Muzhelovsky Park — another green location that currently has a wild, undeveloped character.

Roman Shelevey: "The idea is to improve the existing trails - not with asphalt or tiles, but with gravel, which preserves the natural appearance of the forest. We plan to install wooden benches, create several picnic areas, places for walking dogs - and at the same time leave the "wild" character of this territory as much as possible, unlike the already improved city parks."

Irpin is guided by the practice of progressive urban parks in the world, which combine comfort with respect for the ecosystem. In New York, Copenhagen or Zurich, paths in recreational areas do not destroy the landscape, but rather emphasize it.

When it comes to the balance of intervention, Irpin is guided by the practice of progressive urban parks around the world, which combine comfort with respect for the ecosystem. In New York, Copenhagen, or Zurich, recreational areas are designed as living ecosystems: paths do not destroy the landscape, but rather emphasize it, drainage systems work together with natural flows, and every element of landscaping — from benches to lighting — is inscribed in the environment, not imposed on it.

"Ukrainians in general are a nation that loves comfort. And if the city sets a certain bar for landscaping, people no longer want to return to the old "wild" formats," Roman Shelevey believes. "Therefore, even in such natural tracts as Potoky, it is necessary to provide minimal but thoughtful intervention: convenient paths, places for rest, safety points. This allows you to make the forest open and friendly to humans, without disturbing the natural environment."

In fact, it is enough to choose a few existing routes, equip them a little, connect them with exits to the main routes - and that's it. It is not about construction, but only about organizing the space that people already use. Such zones are active only during the day, so we are not even talking about lighting - just natural daytime routes for walks.

This logic of careful, rather than demonstrative, development is gradually being adopted by business. Development companies that are shaping new residential neighborhoods in Irpin are increasingly working within the paradigm of environmental responsibility, perceiving improvement not as a marketing gesture, but as a contribution to the long-term sustainability of the urban environment. Volodymyr Spivak, director of the "BRAVING" Society and the "MOLODIST" Group, notes: “In creating squares, parks, squares and the embankment, we have never tried to defeat nature, instead we have sought solutions that allow us to preserve its authenticity and at the same time provide comfort for people.

During the implementation of each project, the existing forest massif was preserved as much as possible: only dry or emergency trees and shrubs were removed, and dozens of new trees, bushes and flowers were planted instead. We used soil aeration technologies, drainage systems, water-permeable eco-covers, and energy-saving lighting. Such solutions not only minimize interference with natural processes, but also create conditions for biodiversity - birds, squirrels, and small animals live in Irpin's city parks that cannot be seen in such large cities as Kyiv or others."

Hybrid spaces

If parks and forest areas have become a symbol of natural renewal for Irpin, then squares and streets are places of the return of communal life. They form a new hybrid urban fabric, where space simultaneously performs many functions. In a post-war city, such locations are transformed into centers where the community learns to live on, but not to forget. Big business is actively involved in the restoration of iconic squares and memorial zones. Volodymyr Karplyuk recalls: “After the deoccupation of Irpin, more than 70% of the city’s infrastructure was damaged, but the main public spaces — parks, squares, squares — mostly survived. One of the most affected was the Creative Spirit Square, where a stele was destroyed during the shelling. The “MOLODIST” company, together with the Irpin City Council, financed its full restoration, and already in 2023 the stele once again became a symbol of creativity and the city’s revival.

Our group of companies, together with leading architectural bureaus in Ukraine and around the world, has developed 20 projects for the reconstruction and development of the Irpin community. In particular, in cooperation with the Vovk+Partners Architects team, a pre-project proposal was prepared for the expansion and improvement of part of the Pokrovsky Park along the Alley of Heroes of the Anti-Terrorist Operation, where later, with the support of the VIDVAZHNYH Society, the MOLODIST company and others, the memorial “On the Shield” was installed. We also initiated and implemented the installation of the bronze sculpture “Resistance” on the Central Square, dedicated to Ukrainian defenders. A number of new urban solutions have already been developed: the creation of Freedom Square on the site of the old market, preliminary proposals for memorial complexes that will become places of strength and memory, not tragedy.

Against the backdrop of reconstruction and reconstruction, another dimension of urban development is being formed - a human one, sensitive to the needs of the community. Designing does not begin with drawings, but with a dialogue with people. The Urban Reform team offered the city its own methodology of "urban happiness design", within which public space is considered as a shared experience, and not as a set of improvement objects. Oleksandra Naryzhna, founder of the Urban Reform NGO and co-founder Urban Reform School, explains how this logic is transforming Irpin from a “sleeping suburb” into a city of shared life: “We create solutions that grow out of people’s requests. During the research, we found that residents value naturalness, safety, accessibility, and the opportunity to be together the most. For them, Irpin is, first of all, nature near the house, green routes, and space for communication. At the same time, people feel a lack of shady areas, cultural events, children’s and youth spaces, as well as a need for simple places for daily leisure.

That’s why we create spaces that work for all generations — with shade, benches, lighting, water, children’s areas, and event spaces. These are flexible, natural spaces that live in the rhythm of the community, becoming a backdrop for communication, leisure, volunteering, or simply relaxing after work. This is how Irpin moves from the role of a “sleeping suburb” to a full-fledged city of shared life, where public space is the basis of trust, dialogue, and a sense of home.”

What Urban Reform formulates as “urban happiness design” and on the drawings, Irpin developers are trying to implement in space. Volodymyr Spivak explains: “For example, our projects of the residential complex “RIVER PORT” and the embankment by the lake in Irpin are examples of modern urbanism, based on the idea of ​​​​the harmonious coexistence of nature, architecture and man. From the very beginning, we planned them as a single ecosystem, where residential development naturally integrates into the recreational space, creating a new quality of the urban environment. “RIVER PORT” is a modern residential complex with a coastal zone, promenades, children's and sports grounds, places for recreation by the water and a shuttle station. The architectural concept involves preserving the natural relief and openness to the water environment: the blocks are located in such a way that from each space you can feel closeness to nature. This is a “city within a city” taking into account the principles of sustainable development — without excessive density, with green courtyards, natural landscaping, energy-efficient solutions, and priority for pedestrian zones.

If green spaces are not connected and residential areas lack convenient access to places of work or recreation, residents continue to live in a “dotted route” mode, where every trip requires a car.

The embankment near the residential complex is a joint project of the “VIDVAZHNYH” Society and the architectural bureau Vovk+Partners Architects. It includes jogging and cycling paths, picnic areas, an amphitheater, an art zone and a shuttle station. This is an open space used by both the residents of the complex and the city community, a kind of modern public stage that inspires interaction, creativity and relaxation.

Mobility: the soft framework of the city in harsh conditions

Despite the rapid reconstruction, the urban fabric of Irpin remains fragmented. Parks, squares, residential areas, the embankment - each of these elements is qualitative in itself, but without thoughtful connectivity they resemble a patchwork quilt. If green areas are not interconnected, and residential areas do not have convenient access to places of work or recreation, residents continue to live in the mode of "point routes", where every trip requires a car. That is why the issue of mobility and interconnection comes to the fore today.

In the spring of 2025, the project “Irpin — Design of Urban Happiness,” implemented by the public organization Urban Reform in partnership with UN-Habitat Ukraine, reached the finish line. The goal of the painstaking process was to create a new urban “system of walks, meetings, and renewal.”

“We look at Irpin not only as a suburb of Kyiv, but also as an independent living organism, where nature, streets and people are interconnected,” explains Oleksandra Naryzhna. “The network consists of four key components: forests, rivers, streets and parks, which together form the soft framework of the city. The forest is a resource of silence and renewal, rivers are natural corridors connecting districts, streets are places of movement and communication, and parks are centers of communities. We pay attention to each link to form a sequence of routes – from short walks to longer journeys between the forest and the center, where each segment gives a feeling of joy, safety and presence in the city. A walk becomes a way to get to know and experience Irpin – a city where you can once again feel that life goes on.”

But if the distance between locations is too great, and they are not connected by convenient public transport lines, pedestrian and bicycle routes, then the idea of ​​walking around the city remains an abstraction. The restoration of Irpin started with an intensive dialogue: several online summits grew into a large-scale offline event that brought together over a hundred architects and designers. The initiative evolved into a permanent working group that took on specific reconstruction projects. (Previously, PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA already talked about this in the material "The City That Doesn't Stop: Three Years of Irpin's Restoration". — Ed. note). The team, which also included specialists from Oresund LLC and Bike City consulting, developed two key strategic documents: the “Irpin Mobility and Transport Infrastructure Strategy” and the “Cycling Infrastructure Development Strategy”. They contain detailed drawings, diagrams, damage analysis and transport flows of neighboring communities, supplemented by public discussions. The transport system became a priority. Even designers from Gensler, the world's largest international architectural and design company, joined the work. In collaboration with Gensler, a pre-project concept of a master plan was created, where Irpin appears as a “city with a green heart” and fifteen-minute bike zones.

Even before the war, Irpin positioned itself as the cycling capital of the suburbs, says Daryna Katkalo: “3,5 km of equipped embankment, cycling routes in every park, a pedestrian central square and 34 km of paths in total! So there are more than enough places to ride a bike. And I can say: we did manage to attract the attention of the cycling community to Irpin. We organized TransUkraine — a cycling marathon that started in Irpin. About three hundred cyclists took part in it, who covered one and a half thousand kilometers — from Irpin to Lviv. Through such events, we formed a culture of cycling tourism and the use of urban space.

As part of the Irpin Reconstruction Summit, the team developed a strategy for bicycle infrastructure that connects parks, squares, and the embankment and ensures safe access to Kyiv. Even earlier, the initiative “Kyiv Region Bicycle Circle” emerged, two rings: a small one (between satellites for recreation) and a large one — 500 km through the tourist locations of the region. The small ring included a route to the capital and a bicycle hub near Akademgorodok. The location was agreed with the district administration and the Kyiv City State Administration, the project received approval from the KODA and provided for a single network of routes for all communities of the Kyiv region. The implementation was stopped by the war.

But we recently submitted all the materials to the Regional State Administration for Regional Development for inclusion in state programs. The state authorities, of course, are somewhere “up there,” so we don’t know how our project will turn out, but I think it’s a matter of time before it will be implemented. The same applies to the city of Irpin: new bike paths are not being built now, because we are at the reconstruction stage. First of all, we need to restore critical infrastructure, housing for residents, and only then can we talk about developing the bicycle network.

Unfortunately, during the construction of the new bridge, which was built next to the destroyed one, the bike path was not taken into account. But I believe that in the future we will find a solution and create a bicycle and pedestrian bridge nearby, which will connect the embankment with the road to the city. This is a really good idea, because such bridges are the safest - when the traffic of cyclists and pedestrians is separated from the car traffic.

If we talk about the idea of ​​combining all the green areas of Irpin into a single system, it is technically possible, but in practice it is a difficult task, explains Roman Shelevey: “Our city has a rather unusual shape - something like a large rhombus, which is crossed in the middle by a railway. For locals, this is obvious: there is the central part of Irpin and the so-called “line” - areas where the streets run from the first to the eleventh line. The city center is more densely built up with apartment buildings, infrastructure and public spaces are developing here. But the “lines” are mainly the private sector, quiet green streets that are not yet so “pumped up” in the sense of public space or cycling.

Theoretically, it is possible to connect all the parks - this requires a comprehensive Concept of Public Space. We have already discussed it with Urban Reform specialists during the development of the Comprehensive Regeneration Program. There are certain developments: the idea of ​​creating a conditional loop in the shape of a Latin “U”, where the central axis would be the embankment with existing bike paths, and connections to other green areas on both sides of the city would depart from it. As for the future, of course, there is an idea to combine the green infrastructure of Irpin with Bucha and Gostomel into a single system. This is logical, because the listed cities actually form an agglomeration. But this requires a common vision of the leadership of all communities and, of course, financial resources.

The idea of ​​integrating green zones into a single system requires not only planning decisions, but also the participation of the development business, which forms a significant part of the urban environment. In this issue, the interests of the community, government, and private business increasingly coincide.

Volodymyr Spivak: "The "Kyiv Region Bicycle Ring" project, which involves the creation of a ring route connecting Irpin, Bucha, Gostomel, Vyshgorod, Kyiv and other communities of Kyiv region, is not only a tourist product, but also an example of a modern vision of mobility. The "BRAVE" Society, together with its partners, worked on this large-scale initiative. We consider convenient cycling infrastructure as part of a single ecosystem of urban space, where a person has the opportunity to move without a car. During the construction of the Irpin embankment, we laid a full-fledged cycling route, which has become one of the most popular recreational routes in the city. Currently, work is underway to extend it in two directions. The goal is to create a continuous cycling network that will unite parks, embankments and residential areas into a single transport and recreational network.

In the residential complexes of the MOLODIST group of construction companies and the VIDVAZHNYH Society, in particular in RIVER PORT, Atmosfera Premium and Molodist, we continue this philosophy - we equip internal bicycle parking lots and walking alleys leading to parks and embankments. When citizens see that the city is convenient for pedestrians and cyclists, they begin to perceive the space not as “alien”, but as common. Road safety and space freed from cars bring people out onto the streets.

Volodymyr Karplyuk: "Developing Irpin as a modern city, we have come to an obvious conclusion: we need to move according to the principle of a "15-minute city" - when each microdistrict has its own center of life, a park, a square, a place of power. This is the new urban philosophy."

Towards the 15-minute city

Recreation, despite its importance, cannot be a self-sufficient function of the urban environment. The satellite cities of Kyiv, which have relied on parks, embankments, and residential neighborhoods over the past decade, still remain devoid of their own business core. As a result, thousands of residents travel dozens of kilometers to the capital every day, creating traffic congestion and wasting time.

For the agglomeration of Irpin — Bucha — Vorzel — Gostomel — Gorenka, where more than 120 thousand people live, such a model is economically inefficient, he believes. Yuriy Lozovenko, urban planner, architect, urban infrastructure development specialist at Oresund Company, which participated in the development of the "Strategy for the Development of Transport Infrastructure of the Irpin Agglomeration". The Kyiv suburbs need their own centers of attraction: office spaces, co-working spaces, business hubs, branches of large companies located near housing and public transport.

Yuriy Lozovenko: "In a 15-minute city, all these points of attraction should be formed not by chance, but near transport hubs - near railway stations, bus stations, public transport stops. The essence of the concept is not to limit a person's movement, but to create such conditions that a car is needed only in exceptional cases. So that most everyday needs can be solved near the house or near a public transport stop. Then the need to get into a car every day, stand in traffic jams and waste time on the road is reduced. The idea of ​​Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is closely related to it - that is, development oriented to public transport. This is when dense development and points of attraction are formed not just around housing, but around large public transport hubs, primarily railway stations. For the Kyiv agglomeration, the railway is actually the main framework.

Now, to take a train in any direction, you first need to get to the Kyiv-Passenger station. But let's imagine that most trains also stop in Irpin or Bucha. They are very close - 5-7 kilometers away. Why not make a short stop here for some regional trains or even Intercity? This would allow passengers to avoid having to go to Kyiv again. Large satellite cities can have their own access to the railway network, which is already the most popular way of traveling, especially to the west of Ukraine and abroad. Ideally, trains would go to Kyiv every 15 minutes, passing not only to Svyatoshyn, but also further - through all of Kyiv to Boryspil. Another branch could connect Irpin with Vyshneve and Brovary.

The problem is that today the railway connecting Irpin with Kyiv covers only about 4% of passenger traffic. Although it could potentially serve up to 40% — that is, almost all residents who travel to the capital every day.

Pendulum migration is not only characteristic of the Kyiv region - it is a problem of all large Ukrainian cities and their satellites, which were designed and continue to develop according to the monocentric principle. But if reflashing the routes of Ukrzaliznytsia requires political will at the highest level, then the local authorities and the business elite can independently stitch the city quarters into a single whole. And the audit conducted by Oresund LLC showed that there is also something to work on here.

All components of sustainable urban mobility — pedestrian routes, cycling infrastructure, public transport — need to be developed in a complex manner, as they do not replace, but only partially complement each other.

Yuriy Lozovenko: "Without public transport, there will be no high-quality pedestrian connections, because there are distances that cannot be covered on foot. Without cycling infrastructure, you will not create freedom of movement within a radius of several kilometers from home. All components must be developed comprehensively. But, importantly, the development of micromobility requires significantly less money than automobile infrastructure. Often, capital construction is not required - concrete, curbs, asphalt. For example, a green corridor or bicycle route can be an ordinary forest path filled with screenings. Over time, lighting can be added at key points for safety. For example, you can get from Irpin to Novobilichi by bike in 20 minutes through the Svyatoshynskyi forest - if it is arranged competently and without excessive costs.

"As for the pedestrian network, the general principle is simple: pedestrian infrastructure should be as short as possible and accessible to people with reduced mobility (LMV). If a city is convenient for people in wheelchairs, parents with strollers, and older people, it is convenient for everyone."

Does the environment shape society or does society shape the environment?

What or who actually shapes the culture of a city: the space we live in or the people who use it? Recreational areas, embankments, and squares have already become part of the urban experience, but no less important is how they are used. Do city dwellers have time to mentally adapt to the new urban ethics, new behavioral patterns?

Roman Shelevey: “If we talk about Irpin, I can say with confidence: the environment changes people. When a city becomes neat, well-groomed, and comfortable, people begin to treat it with more respect. Of course, there is no ideal picture. Not everyone will take an empty bottle to the trash can if the bin is a kilometer away. If there is no equipped barbecue area in the park, people will light a fire anywhere — even among dry grass or pine flooring, which carries a risk of fire. Therefore, the city’s task is to create safe and comfortable conditions that form the right habits.

But, unfortunately, we have not yet reached 100% awareness. Sometimes we encounter vandalism. In the Neznayka Park, for example, there is a sculpture of chickens, and children like to play on it. Sometimes they break off the head of a metal figure. And here the question is not for the children, but for the parents. Then the same people wonder why the city is spending money on repairs again. This is a classic example: why asphalt the roads if there are potholes? But we repair them anyway. The same thing happens with landscaping - it is a continuous process of education and culture of behavior.

The idea of ​​integrating green zones into a single system requires the participation of the development business, which forms a significant part of the urban environment. In this issue, the interests of the community, the authorities and private business increasingly coincide.

A new ethic, a culture of using shared spaces, is born not from instructions, but from practice: through events, festivals, conversations, daily coexistence, and small gestures of care.

Daryna Katkalo: “I see how what can be called “neighborly responsibility” is being formed. When residents feel involved in the creation of parks, squares, and clean yards, they take care of it. And visitors also take on this culture. Vandalism happens, as in every city, but the general attitude of residents to their space helps to preserve this space.

Today, the nature of city events has changed a bit. If earlier they were mostly cultural and entertainment, now people are most actively united by charity events - in support of the Armed Forces and veterans. One of these is Irpin Fest 4.5.0, which brought together entrepreneurs, including veteran businesses. Then there was a big charity concert. Such events become centers of community, because everyone understands: the restoration of the city is impossible without the support of those who hold the border. People come not just to relax, but to be together, help, make their contribution. This is what is truly motivating today.

Volodymyr Spivak: "We felt that there was a change in the community's worldview. When green areas became well-groomed, clean, and accessible, residents and businesses began to support this culture — to improve their own yards, facades, and adjacent areas."

Volodymyr Karplyuk: “Festivals, sporting events and public events are not just entertainment. They form a culture of community, responsibility and love for one’s city. In Irpin, these events play a key role in the development of the urban environment: it is thanks to the active use of our squares, parks and the embankment that the space “comes to life” and becomes a real community center.

Before the full-scale invasion, dozens of festivals and sporting events were held in the city on a regular basis, including cycling races, fairs, and cultural forums. Cycling races and children's sporting events were especially significant for the development of the tourist infrastructure. In particular, the Irpin Kids Bike children's cycling race gathered more than 500 families on the Irpin embankment every year.

During wartime, city events took on a new meaning — charitable and volunteer. They became a tool for supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine and veterans, demonstrating the strength of the community. Among the most striking examples is the charity concert “Rubezhivka for Victory”, which has already been held twice at the Singing Field in Mykhailivka-Rubezhivka and raised over a million hryvnias for FPV drones for the Ukrainian military. No less important was the veteran festival-fair Irpin Fest 4.5.0 in the “Neznayka” park, which united the veteran community, business and volunteers. And the “Strong Ukrainians” competition among veterans, held on the central square of Irpin, gathered participants from all over the country and became a symbol of indomitable spirit.

"Such events prove that public spaces are not just places of rest, but also spaces of unity and meaning. They remind us of what Ukrainians are fighting for and instill in everyone a sense of belonging to a common cause."

Barriers to progress and challenges of inter-community cooperation

Despite the obvious progress, Kyiv's satellite cities are developing unevenly. There are objective barriers on the way to creating a coherent green and transport framework - first of all, the war, which changed priorities and resources. The restoration of housing and basic infrastructure today outweighs long-term urban initiatives. Added to this are bureaucratic obstacles, a fragmented land ownership structure, and a lack of cooperation between communities, which, despite economic interdependence, are still administratively and mentally divided.

It is in this context, Roman Shelevey notes, that any large-scale ideas remain a task for the future: "People must return to their homes - and only then can we talk about large urban projects. Irpin today is one of the most financially capable cities in the Kyiv region, but, say, Gostomel has much more modest capabilities, and besides, the military administration works there, not the local government, and therefore there is less interest in such long-term initiatives.

In addition to political will and finances, there is another nuance - the form of ownership of the lands through which the park network could pass. Part of the territories belongs to the state, and any initiative within such limits encounters bureaucracy. The state thinks something like this: here is a forest, for example, the Potoky tract, in the same condition for decades. It does not improve or deteriorate - it just is. But as soon as an initiative appears to arrange something, to create pedestrian or bicycle routes there, suspicion immediately arises that "someone wants to hide or appropriate something." Instead of getting to the bottom of it - that it is not about building, but about developing territories for people, for walks, for recreation - the process stops.

For such initiatives to truly be implemented, like-minded people must exist not only at the level of city councils and community heads, but also in the regional administration and government. Only then will there be a chance to create a holistic, living green system around Irpin."

Yuriy Lozovenko: "The lack of cooperation between communities is slowing down the processes. When we analyzed this agglomeration, we saw that there is an invisible fence between them. They are divided administratively and mentally, they do not want to cooperate. But economically they have long been interdependent. There are social infrastructure facilities that serve several communities at once: hospitals, schools, transport hubs. Therefore, cooperation is inevitable. Without it, there will be no success.

So the main conditions are as follows: first, partnership between communities; second, understanding the need for integration and development of local centers of gravity. Each city should have its own nodes with basic services, but between them there should be the shortest and most convenient connections: not only automobile, but also public, bicycle, and pedestrian. We even studied specific cases. For example, the "Synergia" district in Irpin and the industrial zone near the former glass factory in Bucha. The distance between them is only a kilometer, but due to the lack of a direct crossing, people have to take a four-kilometer detour. No one walks on foot, although it would be possible to create a green corridor along the river, lay several pedestrian bridges that would connect these areas. The same applies to Gostomel and Gorenka: now the only connection between them is actually the M07 highway. And this, of course, is a problem."

Oleksandra Naryzhna: "Irpin is developing very quickly - the pace of construction, the return of residents, and the emergence of new initiatives is extremely high. That is why today it is critically important to hear from all participants in the process: local authorities, developers, specialists, and the residents themselves.

Our approach is to move from opposition to co-creation. We do not seek confrontation, but build a space for dialogue to find a balance between development and preservation of what people once chose Irpin for: nature, humanity, peace, a sense of home.

We are convinced that the future of the city depends on shared values, which must be taken into account in every decision, from the planning of the quarter to the design of a bench. It is through this interaction that a new urban ethic of the region is gradually being born - the city as a space of shared responsibility, care and trust.

The new urban ethics of Kyiv suburbia crystallizes not from ideal plans, but from real challenges, where war, bureaucracy and disunity become an impulse for dialogue. Parks that come alive with events, squares that become the heart of community, and mobility that erases borders are all elements of a living system where the city teaches not to consume, but to nurture. Probably, the future depends on shared values: when the authorities, developers and residents move from confrontation to co-creation, then the city or town turns into a space of trust, where every step towards building a green framework becomes a step towards a more humane world.