"Azovstal at dusk." According to the official statement of the plant's management, the territory is not subject to reconstruction in the form in which it existed until now. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Mythology of the Industrial East
Cro-Magnons worshipped volcanoes, and their distant descendants, the uneducated European peasants, fled from a previously unseen train that seemed to them a fire-breathing monster. According to Carl Jung, the collective unconscious is based on elements common to all generations, so in the 21st century people differ from both the former and the latter in the amount of knowledge, but not in the structure of the mental. Everyone who has ever seen a natural or industrial element up close — a storm, a volcano, or the fiery interior of a blast furnace — will agree: when faced with a force that can wipe you off the face of the earth with one touch, you involuntarily feel as if you have touched a manifestation of God. This is how the human psyche works: a great force always seems sacred — something that was before us, will be after us, and does not depend on us. We freeze in the face of what exists, without asking questions.
Modern experts see the factory as nothing more than a company that produces metal and makes a profit. But for the subconscious, it remains a symbol of power: a force that inspires awe.
And it is this secret tendency to search for idols that has led to the fact that the industrial East has become at least a mythologeme for us. A mysterious world, "where everything is different", which fascinates with mining and factory decadence: the districts smell of burning-acidic metal dust and diesel fuel, eternally tired workers return home from their shifts through gray-black alleys, and above the sad rows of panel houses rise hundred-meter pipes, shrouded in smoke, like a veil. And, of course, dramatic industrial zones: the local factories are larger than European principalities, but they say that because of them the cities have black snow and the birds do not sing...
Is this idea correct? And if so, did Donbas have a chance not to be depressed and what will the war become for it - a catharsis or the last straw that will break the camel's back? We found answers to all these questions.
"Eternal" smoke over Azovstal. Source: Wikimedia Commons
How the Gigantism of Factories Shaped the Depressed East
The Industrial East is a case where the mythologeme grew precisely due to size and scale. And they are, no matter how you say it, impressive: for example, the now destroyed Azovstal plant occupied a fifth of Mariupol and was almost five times larger than the Principality of Monaco, and about 20 thousand people worked there - in the town where the author of the material was born, there were not much more - 30 thousand. Its metallurgical counterpart, the Zot Ilyich Steel Plant, was already seven times larger than Monaco. Rumor has it that it produced so many pipes that Is possible would be to encircle Jupiter at the equator.
Anastasia Ponomareva: «The visual image of industrial zones was often dominant in the city, allowing it to be visible from most points.»
Hyundai Motor's 5-unit plant system in Ulsan. Source: screenshot from video on hyundai.com
To a Ukrainian struck by an inferiority complex, this seems incredible, but the world record holders are much smaller: the system of 5 combined Hyundai Motor plants, located in the Korean city of Ulsan, occupies only 5 square kilometers, and the Volkswagen plant, located in the German city of Wolfsburg, has an area of only 6,5 square kilometers. Ukrainian records have traditionally gone unnoticed…
Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg. Photo: High Contrast on en.wikipedia.org
Of course, not all giant factories in the East can (or could before the war) boast the size of Azovstal and Zot Ilyich Iron and Steel Works, but a small mono-city — a settlement completely focused on a specific enterprise or group of enterprises — is enough for a smaller scale. After all, factories were often chosen not by size, but by number, for example, in Makiivka, with a population of about 340 thousand people, there were 12 factories (most of them have now closed).
Zot Ilyich MMK is 7 times larger than Monaco. Source: screenshot from video
The history of industrial Donbass began in the 19th century, when Europeans discovered this region. At that time, foreign investors built small craft factories here - they quickly started working and, accordingly, quickly paid off. Gigantism was already brought to the East by the Bolsheviks: the party sought to transform industry, a symbol of planned economic discourse, into something grand. Gargantuan factories were supposed to be, for uneducated peasants from the hinterland who came to the city to work, the same deity with which they do not argue. And even the cities of this region were designed so that they seemed like a "street leading to the factory."
Anastasia Ponomareva, architect, urban planning specialist, member of the Urban Curators team
“The visual image of industrial zones was often dominant in the city, which allowed it to be visible from most points. The plant was supposed to become an alternative. Land managers even reduced the plots next to the houses to a minimum - so that people could not support their budget with their own grown products and had to go to the plant.” For small mono-industry cities, the choice, as noted by Anastasia Ponomareva, an architect, urban planning specialist, member of the Urban Curators team and a native of the city of Makiivka, is still only one: either to the plant or to leave.
The technique of “using architecture to show mere mortals that they are nothing against supernatural power and its deputies” is not new: it was used by the builders of the majestic pyramids, ziggurats, and cathedrals. However, unlike Gothic temples, industrial temples form a working community, and therefore change the rhythm of urban life. Hard monotonous work muffles and erases personality, the space of a factory city does not offer the means for self-development, and the lack of knowledge and cultural demands becomes the very hopelessness that ultimately pushes people to hard monotonous work. The circle closes.
Donetsk Metallurgical Plant. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Of course, not everyone falls into this anti-samsara, and one can work but not be a manager. But a sad fate awaits society, which as a whole lives in the "rhythm of the factory" not only physically but also spiritually, because every industrial giant will sooner or later reach a point that is natural for all industrial zones - a painful death.
Yuzivka (the first name of the city of Donetsk) in the early 20th century. Source: Wikimedia Commons
The scenario looks like this. Industrial reserves always start off with a bang — it was in American Detroit during the auto boom at the beginning of the last century, when yesterday’s technological super-breakthrough, which replaced the horse-drawn carriage, finally became cheap and accessible, and therefore everyone urgently needed it. It was the same in Donbas at the end of the 1895th century, when, upon hearing the name of one of the cities or towns of the Ukrainian East, Europeans would fall into stock market hysteria: in the period from 1900 to 5, generously watered by English, French, and Belgian investments, 40 factories grew here every year, and shares of local enterprises guaranteed up to 3% of income compared to the standard 5–XNUMX%. Youth transitions into a turbulent working life: for industrial zones, this is a period when the elite received super-incomes, while the poor declined, because neither the morality of the times of "wild capitalism" nor the party's ideology provided for concern for the environment and workers.
And, eventually, death begins to loom on the horizon: technology requires constant modernization, and since the re-equipment of the giant is too expensive, the owners abandon it, and over time, when production becomes unprofitable, the colossus, whose legs once seemed steel, falls. In the case of explosive changes, this happens very quickly, because sharp technological leaps make the old way of production completely meaningless. This was the case with Liverpool, Manchester, Detroit and hundreds of other industrial Eldorados, including the cities of Donbass.
Industrial landscape of Makiivka. Source: Wikimedia Commons
"Mines and factories create infrastructure around themselves: schools and kindergartens, cultural centers, cinemas, clubs for symbolic money. But (and this is the weak point of industrial cities) if technology is not updated, production becomes inefficient and closes, and all the infrastructure associated with it dies. For example, in the city where I was born, Makiivka, many factories and mines have already closed." And this decline, believes Anastasia Ponomareva, is very clearly visible, because, for example, the city kindergartens of Makiivka are thriving, while those that were taken care of by the already dead factories are not functioning, but are just surviving.
Abandoned factories become ghosts, and their cities face the global question of psychological individuation and separation. The symbiote can, of course, be cut off, but will this operation be compatible with life?
Inna Dobrovolska: "We have a very active society, so when an underground group starts holding cultural events that are interesting for young people in the former industrial district, a new practice is gradually created and the atmosphere of the city changes. But in order for the system to continue to work, a comprehensive cultural policy with long-term funding is needed, which will include not only events, but also permanent institutions and educational programs."
Industrial zone revitalization strategies
The answer to the question of what to do with a dragon's corpse so that it doesn't poison the earth was found in Liverpool, Manchester, Dresden and many other cities that have undergone one of the most popular architectural procedures today - art revitalization. We have already written about how in the second half of the 2010s in the East they tried to pull off something similar and about the results of this campaign. They turned out to be contradictory - it both "fired" and revived, but in general it turned out that it is easier to revitalize the corpse of a dragon than a dying dragon: a significant part of local factories, albeit without modernization, are still working (of course, except for those bombed and those that have already been cut into metal during the occupation).
The Automatic Mills Project, Pardubice, Czech Republic. Sometimes the changes barely affect the appearance, but the functionality always changes. Photo: Petr Polák
Landscape architect and spatial planning specialist Inna Dobrovolska believes that the art modernization of the East is possible, but on the condition that at a certain stage we give it the features of a system. The specialist is sure that enthusiasm will not get you far: "We have a very active society, so when an underground group starts holding cultural events that are interesting for young people in the former industrial district, a new practice is gradually created and the atmosphere changes. But in order for the system to continue to work, a comprehensive cultural policy with long-term funding is needed, which will include not only events, but also permanent institutions and educational programs. The funds found should be directed to participatory methods - organizations that develop the community should hire specialists who work with locals: hold workshops, meetings, etc. to awaken and involve them, which will allow for a high-quality result for further planning."
Yang Zheng Kindergarten Project, Tianshui, China. Industrial buildings are always spacious, and this literally provides space for creativity. Photo source: interiordesign.net
So, for factory towns, it is necessary to develop a separate strategy for community formation, which will help solve the problem of attracting people from depressed areas who are used to thinking not about development, but about survival. And we will be able to put a tick only when the mood changes, and the locals understand that their opinion matters. Ms. Inna is sure: "This is a big job, and it will not happen without the participation of not even architects, but sociologists, engineers, ecologists and many other specialists who can help develop versatile strategies."
Inna Dobrovolska, landscape architect and spatial planning specialist
Changing the community is a great, but not the final solution, because if people change, but cities don't, then the space will begin to drag the community into the past. The next stage after revitalization, the specialist noted, should be the work of architects, namely the integration of industrial zones into cities: "Each industrial district requires functional zoning that follows the "mixed use" approach, that is, a strategy for balancing the components: the residential sector, commerce, educational and cultural infrastructure and production, integrated into a single ecosystem of the city. The model can be implemented only with the availability of funding and an appropriate regulatory framework that promotes synergy between different elements of urban space."
So, an industrial district should be a harmonious mix of the residential sector, commerce, educational and cultural infrastructure and industry, but production should not be the first among others. However, modern architectural practice does not stop there: it "enters" the territory of the factories themselves. You will not surprise anyone with green spaces in industrial zones: trees and even decorative lakes perfectly balance the mass of industrial buildings.
The idea of modernizing the territories of industrial cities and their factories is also supported by Anastasia Ponomareva, an expert who worked in Sloviansk as part of one of the revitalization projects supported by USAID. However, she believes that we should start not with the restoration of old industrial zones, but with resolving the issue of the quality of those still operating: some of them, the expert says, should be renovated, and some should be honestly and permanently closed. "I disagree with those who believe that it is more profitable for us to keep outdated factories operating. Production, technologies, and environmental standards should be updated. We cannot ignore the fact that a factory pollutes nature, hiding behind the thesis that it also drags infrastructure. The ends do not justify the means."
And only after solving this problem, the expert believes, will it be possible to start revitalization. However, not everything is so simple here, because it will not work to impose the Western model on Donbas - in our case, it will have to be combined with other methods. After all, a cultural approach will not solve the problem of stagnation of production and the death of cities: "When my colleagues and I tried to find a solution in Kostyantynivka and Seversko-Donetsk, we realized that the answer can only be comprehensive. For example, to combine several neighboring cities into one system, and then each will have the infrastructure that the other needs. This is generally a very good idea for all eastern regions, because some of the cities here are inferior." For example, if we take the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka area, Anastasia Ponomareva gives an example, then somewhere there is no cinema, somewhere there is a swimming pool, somewhere there are places for recreation in nature, and people compensate for this by traveling to neighboring settlements.
Bell Station project, Darebin, Australia. Many of the revitalized buildings and spaces have been given a multifunctional purpose. For example, you can hold an event here or just chat. Photo source: interiordesign.net
The cultural revitalization of Donbass should also include the interests of those who miss the great industrial past. Reading the book “Understanding the Ukrainian East,” one begins to realize that some residents of cities that once existed in the context of factories may perceive a complete rethinking of the territories of former industries as a complete denial of their own past.
"Studying Kostyantynivka, we came to the conclusion that there is not a single resident there who would not feel pained by the lack of production facilities: the city has lost 12 out of 13 factories - one working and two more that are barely breathing. People feel differently: some are stuck, some are afraid, some are interested... But there is no indifference, which means that they are ready to invest time and effort in restoration. However, not everyone needs art objects - some just want a cool museum that will preserve the memory of the old days." Anastasia Ponomareva sums up: we need to approach the situation creatively and satisfy all interests.
Anastasia Ponomareva: “People feel different things: some are stuck, some are afraid, some are interested… But there is no indifference, which means that they are ready to invest both time and energy in recovery.”
Oleksandr Melanchenko, regional consultant on budget issues of the Association of Ukrainian Cities, notes: Donetsk region needs good comprehensive ideas, and organizers need patience and common sense. He is sure that this region cannot be changed in a day: "If someone just comes there with a cultural mission, they will not be greeted with open arms. I tried to shake up Kramatorsk culturally, but in the process I came to understand that we need to start not with a series of events, but with the return of traditions that were destroyed here back in the days of the USSR. And starting with basic things - trips to the theater and the philharmonic. But this requires a system, and it is impossible without the participation of the authorities. People here are used to the fact that the authorities, to put it mildly, inspire in the right direction, so why not use this for good purposes?"
May Lee State Office Complex, Department of General Services; Sacramento, California. Industrial areas have a complex layout that allows for maximum expansion of their functionality. Photo source: interiordesign.net
The expert indicates the reference point from which the "rocking" should begin, namely doctors and teachers: "When doctors and teachers change their habits, engineering thought follows them. And then there is the matter of technology. It's like in business: you put up a pharmacy, and tomorrow there will be 30 more pharmacies nearby. People will start to follow suit! Grant support would also be very useful here. People should understand that you can make money from the revival of the region."
Post-war reconstruction: take on the development of a plan, not the head
In the short term, revitalization is relevant only for settlements that are lucky enough not to be in the zone of intensive shelling by the end of the war. The rest of the industrial territories of the East should be discussed in a completely different light - a plan for full-fledged post-war revival will have to be developed for them.
The "recovery zone" will have three regions: cities that the wild eastern tribe will have time to free from people and buildings - in other words, wipe them to zero; settlements that will hold out, but suffer damage incompatible with further functioning; cities that will emerge from a ten-year occupation. The latter will most likely resemble their own version of 10 years ago, just as a person recovering from a serious illness resembles themselves in photos taken before the illness.
Bakhmut. This is what it looked like a year ago. Photo: Tyler Hicks/© The New York Times
So, what methods, besides the already mentioned revitalization, will we have to apply in order to bring life back here in at least some form?
Oleksandr Melanchenko: "Donetsk factories are reduced to metal, non-locals live in mining settlements, agriculture is in shambles. As for Luhansk and its "chemical triangle", after the occupation, universities began to close down, and the managerial intelligentsia simply left."
Oleksandr Melanchenko, regional consultant on budget issues of the Association of Ukrainian Cities
Experts are convinced that in order to find a solution, one must first understand the fact that, despite popular belief, the East is a very heterogeneous region. The Donetsk region stands on three pillars: industry, coal, and the agricultural zone. The mining Donbas — metallurgy and mechanical engineering, salt mining, glass, ceramics, etc. — is a relatively prosperous area. The mono-cities where coal is mined are more difficult, because, according to Oleksandr Melanchenko, “there is no flight” there. But about the agricultural zone of the Donetsk region, in his opinion, one can only say one thing — it is alive and well. The East has very hot summers and few rivers, so there is always a shortage of water here…
Regarding the Luhansk region and the industrial areas of Zaporizhia, Mr. Oleksandr explains: “The Luhansk region is a little different — it is agriculture, many mining settlements and the “chemical triangle”: Seversko-Donetsk, Lysychansk and Rubizhne. By the way, it is a rather promising area, because the workers of chemical enterprises are well educated, and this seriously affected the local atmosphere and infrastructure. Another notable center of the area was the port of Mariupol, which always competed with Donetsk and tried to prove that it was independent.”
Rubizhne, a former crucible of war. Source: Wikimedia Commons
After the war, the expert explains, these zones of the Ukrainian East should be discussed precisely in the context of the conditions in which they were during the last 10 years. Everything will depend on what happened in a particular city: who ruled it, who left it, and what enterprises remained there. "If you want to know the general picture, then, having occupied part of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions ten years ago, Moscow did not actually take them. After boiling in its own juice for 10 years, the pseudo-formations turned into something like Transnistria: random people who ruled here destroyed old enterprises and cut up factories for metal, so the local youth simply left. Also, shortly before the war, a lot of people were lured out of the region: some were promised mountains of gold, some were threatened, and some simply lost their nerve, because the pseudo-government constantly pressured them with propaganda and fanned hysteria, as if Ukraine was about to attack."
Oleksandr Melanchenko adds: everyone who agreed to leave was taken not to the promised Moscow, but to the Urals, and in their place were brought people who see our depressed mining settlements as paradise. “So, Donetsk factories are cut to metal, non-locals live in mining settlements, agriculture is almost non-existent. About Luhansk and its “chemical triangle” I will say that after the occupation, universities began to close down, and the managerial intelligentsia simply left.”
140 thousand square kilometers of Ukraine are mined. Source: mine.dsns.gov.ua
Regarding the next important point of the hypothetical reconstruction plan - the "death strip", that is, cities that no longer exist, Oleksandr says: despite the effect that these piles of stones have on the viewer, in reality the destruction is only part of the problem, because 140 thousand square kilometers of the country's territory are mined, and most of this area is in the East. And this means that until the demining, the destroyed settlements will remain dangerous: "Now funds have already been allocated for the demining of 65 thousand square kilometers, but it should be understood that if we continue to move at the same pace, then in total it will take about 40 years. Of course, if all the countries of the world take the money and come to demine, then the term will be completely different."
So, when we draw a conditional damage map and exchange ideas, the next point in the plan will be, in fact, the creation of the plan itself. So far, experts we spoke with are sure that among the most popular ideas are a modern Zaporizhzhia-Donetsk-Luhanska Sich; a new industrial area - with or without residential infrastructure; an eco-territory that will make the border impassable: earthen ramparts, swamps and ditches with conditional crocodiles that cannot be crossed or pontoon bridges can be thrown over. And the plan that we develop should, one way or another, contain all these options.
"The reconstruction process should be based on a comprehensive strategy taking into account the security factor. I support the concept according to which protective ecological zones should be created in the border territories along the entire line of potential collision, for example, natural obstacles: wetlands, forest areas, artificial reservoirs, etc. " Also, Inna Dobrovolskaya is sure, there must definitely be military infrastructure in Donbas. But the industrial identity of the East was created in pre-Soviet and Soviet times, but it is not a sentence: "We can build anything there - perhaps it will be a network of compact production facilities. Priorities are high mobility and adaptability. When choosing a place for critical infrastructure facilities, one should focus on both air defense and natural protective factors, as well as small-scale industry, which is more difficult to destroy to zero. Factories should be built where it will be difficult for the enemy to reach them."
The infamous "Wall" project. We have to do better this time. Source: Wikimedia Commons
As for cities, experts are convinced that we definitely should not build in the style of “the way it was.” “It’s hot in the East and there’s a shortage of water, so the only thing worth building there is very well-protected resource extraction plants and infrastructure for their workers, who will either get to work by high-speed transport or work in shifts for 2–3 months.” Oleksandr Melanchenko also believes that the extracted minerals should be delivered for processing to modern cities, which we will locate elsewhere. They should be built following the example of Slavutych, which was built for displaced persons from the Chernobyl zone — it can be considered a vivid example of a well-thought-out plan: “But in Donbas, everything was built chaotically, so often in order for one street to have normal water pressure, a pipe on another needs to burst.”
Inna Dobrovolska: "The authorities are gradually moving towards an integrated approach to urban development. We have realized that we need to abandon the industry-centric model, but the transformation is taking place in a fragmented manner: it is not the practice of systemic changes that prevails, but projects that give quick results."
When asked what mood currently prevails in power circles, Mr. Oleksandr answers: there are always people who don't care what and where to build, but without a strategy we won't get far. "If there is no sober calculation, there will be chaos and delays. The United Arab Emirates has turned into a super-modern country of skyscrapers in 20 years - this required not only enormous money, but also common sense. If we manage to create an effective plan and attract large funds, we will cope in 5-10 years."
Pitfalls of the recovery plan that need to be brought to shore now
One of the most painful issues for the Ukrainian economy is the reconstruction of the Donbas industry, so this point should be discussed separately. When asked what the new industrial zones of the East should be, experts unanimously answer: suitable for rapid modernization. If we miss this again, sooner or later the region will experience what always happens to "factory" territories.
The scenario is as follows: mono-districts attract people with the same income, needs, and interests, while homogeneous social structures, as is known, do not develop. Eventually, the “industrial” area begins to decline, and the local authorities begin to experience the syndrome of “searching for a special solution” — while problem-free areas of the city steadily receive funding and attention, the problematic ones begin to be perceived as something that “we will solve someday, but this is not an everyday issue, so let it lie in a long drawer for now.” And with each “postponement,” the situation becomes sadder, and the drawer becomes longer.
In this regard, Inna Dobrovolska notes: "The authorities are gradually moving towards an integrated approach to urban development. We have realized that we need to abandon the industry-centric model, but the transformation is taking place in a fragmented manner: it is not the practice of systemic changes that prevails, but projects that give quick results."
Factories, Ms. Inna is sure, should integrate into the urban space, not dominate it: "The approach should be more humane, and the infrastructure elements should complement each other. Production is next to a park, a university, a small business center, and a hypermarket. As for the design of the production facilities themselves, the principles of sustainable development (sustainable approach) should be prioritized: environmentally friendly building materials, energy-efficient solutions, and the integration of green technologies, in particular green roofs and vertical green spaces."
As for architectural solutions, the gray and dusty factory district is a stereotype of the Soviet past. This is what industrial areas in a country where aesthetics were considered a concept hostile to the ruling proletariat were supposed to be and were. However, both the factories built in Ukraine before the arrival of the Soviet occupiers and the modern industrial areas of the world were and are anything but gray. Therefore, architects who will work on projects for new industrial zones in the East should be guided by the concepts of industrial architecture of the Ukrainian past and modern world realities.
Schulz Brewery in Demiivka. Source: renovationmap.org
Such a model can be vivid examples of a bygone era: breweries - the Schulz plant in Demiivka in the neoclassical style, built at the beginning of the 19th century, and the Richert plant in Podil in the Art Nouveau style of the late 19th century, designed by Volodymyr Nikolayev.
Richert's factory in Podol. Source: bzh.life
It could also be futuristic, like the Water Factory Vortex Center in the Australian region of Gippsland, which looks like a huge metal pipe. The shape is symbolic, as the factory carries out a number of procedures to improve the city's water, and the all-metal body of the plant is an ecological and, most importantly, economical solution.
Another striking example of the "future style" is the Brazilian solar energy factory Solar City Tower: it is so unusual that at first glance its image seems to be another invention of artificial intelligence. The building is a flat quadrangle with a man-made waterfall. It is not only a solar power plant, but also an art object and an observation deck - from the windows of the cafe, located right under the waterfall, a magnificent view of the hills of Rio de Janeiro opens.
Water Factory Vortex Center. Source: screenshot from architizer.com
Solar City Tower. Source: archilovers.com
After all, you can choose a model that is both inexpensive, practical and environmentally friendly, such as the Volkswagen Corporation's Gläserne Manufaktur car factory in Dresden with all-glass walls - it is environmentally friendly and does not visually burden the space with massiveness. Or even take an example from the designers of Cantina Antinori Winery - an Italian winery from Marchesi Antinori, the building of which is located underground. The architects came across an idea that in the future could become a solution to many of the planet's environmental problems - the factory was built in a pre-dug pit 15 meters deep, and its roof was covered with a layer of earth 0,3–0,5 m thick and integrated into the natural landscape.
Volkswagen's Gläserne Manufaktur in Dresden. Photo: Toni Klemm on wikimedia.org.
Human factor: do locals want reconstruction?
When discussing the recovery plan, one cannot forget about its main resource — the sentiments of people who live or have lived in the East. Experts who are in contact with local communities say that so far they are quite homogeneous.
Anastasia Ponomareva comments: the people who remained are asking for urgent help. "There is a request for changes, protection, conservation of certain objects and construction of infrastructure. And also - the creation of State Emergency Service centers, fire stations and even new administrative service centers. And with all this, the communities are critically lacking resources - material, human and financial. European philanthropists continue to help, but this is not enough: a system is needed. I also believe that many communities should be united. The regrouping strategy is the idea of locals: in some villages only houses remained, so the residents there want to join their neighbors, who have schools and hospitals."
Regarding the future of these communities, the specialist is cautiously optimistic: there have been examples in history when people very quickly rebuilt cities from which only stones remained, for example, Warsaw and Rotterdam. However, times have changed, and it is very difficult to predict whether the effect of the 20th century will work in the 21st; when there were no social networks yet, the mechanism of conformity of residents was in effect: returning to Warsaw, its residents did not know what they would see, and when they arrived, they stayed. “The key point was that the locals wanted to take the city back, so they took on the reconstruction of even half-destroyed neighborhoods. Will it be the same here? I don’t know. I hear that many are hurting, and many want to go home — to their city, to their landscape. Their vision will be a determining factor in my concept of reconstruction.”
Anastasia Ponomareva admits that she is not afraid of the lack of money, but that not all specialists are oriented towards people, so there is a possibility that the opinion of the locals will simply be ignored. After all, she claims that if this really happens, the first flashback will be received by the people who decide to impose a decision from above: "Does it make sense to rebuild "as it was"? No, because you can build, and the housing will stand empty. We do not need ghost towns! It is important to first collect information about the people and the specifics of the area - do the former residents want to return, what is the condition of the territories, how far from the border the site is located - maybe there should be a fortified settlement here? Or, say, do the residents of a large city that has been wiped out want to build a cottage town in its place?"
Anastasia Ponomareva: "Many historical buildings are currently being destroyed in Kyiv - aren't they being destroyed by the "Shahedi"? War is the worst thing that can happen to us, but, paradoxically, sometimes economic activity can harm the city even more."
Anastasia Ponomareva reminds us that bad architectural decisions can also be powerful factors of destruction. For example, during the post-war reconstruction of Germany after World War II, the authorities there managed to demolish more buildings than were destroyed during the bombings - each time the architects acted strictly according to the latest city plan: "Many historical buildings are being destroyed in Kyiv now - aren't they being destroyed by the "Shahedi"? War is the worst thing that can happen to us, but, paradoxically, sometimes economic activity can harm the city even more."
The post-war reconstruction of the East requires not only architectural solutions, but also taking into account the human factor - the desires and needs of local communities. Only in this way can the region become not only revived, but also viable.
