Urban fear. Fear and security in the big city

Many still believe that living in the rural hinterland is safer than in the city with its chaos on the roads, lack of quality housing and the possibility of catching the flu or COVID in a crowded subway car. But it turns out that statistically, the risk of death from violent crimes or as a result of an accident is 20% higher in rural areas than in cities. Since medical facilities and police stations are located mainly in urban areas, a person who has been injured in a village will have to wait longer for help. When it comes to a serious injury, minutes are everything. In this sense, the medical reform in Ukraine, which reduced the number of rural hospitals and dispensaries, made the life of people outside the city even more dangerous than 20 years ago.

Epidemics of plague, smallpox, and dysentery in cramped urban slums are a thing of the past, as is the tradition of surrounding cities with fortress walls. Neoliberal cities are digitized, they offer people many opportunities for self-realization, as well as police protection and XNUMX-hour medical care.

According to a recent survey conducted by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, citizens in various countries around the world are most concerned about the following problems: traffic jams (46%), air pollution (42%), crime and violence (42%), corruption (40%), unemployment (34%), population growth and urban densification (34%).

The Safe Cities Index (SCI), calculated by the Economist Intelligence Unit, is used to measure city safety and compile ratings.

 

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The ten safest cities in the world in the 2022 rating are as follows:

• Tokyo, Japan (92,0);
• Singapore (91,5);
• Osaka, Japan (90,9);
• Amsterdam, Netherlands (88,0);
• Sydney, Australia (87,9);
• Toronto, Canada (87,8);
• Washington, DC, USA (87,6);
• Copenhagen, Denmark (87,4);
• Seoul, South Korea (87,4);
• Melbourne, Australia (87,3).

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Tokyo's police force is the most efficient in the world, and the people are law-abiding. And so: Tokyo is the most densely populated. 37,4 million people live there, and the population density is 6224 people per square kilometer! In Tokyo, it is almost impossible to do something illegal and go unnoticed.

But taking into account the difference in mentality and culture with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, the most interesting for Ukrainians is the experience of their European neighbors - Amsterdam and Copenhagen (density - 4908 and 4400 people per 1 sq. km).

Amsterdam is a provider of digital technologies for security and city management. The city hall even has a position of digital urban planner, and this specialist leads a rather large multidisciplinary team. The role of the team is to harmonize the development of the city and prevent the marginalization of its districts. Urban digital planners create digital duplicates of neighborhoods and experiment by modeling construction, traffic, lighting, while taking into account the problems and wishes of residents.

The population of Amsterdam is very tolerant, tourists and guests of the city note that even in a dense crowd, people do not show aggression towards each other and are very friendly. It also gives the capital of the Netherlands an image of a safe place.

Copenhagen is also a leader in digitalization. Even here, great attention is paid to crime prevention through close cooperation between schools, youth clubs, social services and the police. In total, 87% of the city's population feel safe during the day and 77% at night — and these are very high figures. An Epinion study in Copenhagen at the end of 2022 found no increase in concern even after measures to save on street lighting.

The municipality believes that high social cohesion and the absence of a gap in the level of well-being also play a role. Copenhagen Lord Mayor Sophie Hestorp Andersen says: "Being able to move freely around your neighborhood - whether you live in Nørrebro or Nordwest - without fear of violence or abuse is the basis of a good life." Residents of Copenhagen are most dissatisfied with bicycle theft — 28% of respondents called it the biggest problem at the moment.

Statistics vs feelings

Today, almost every city has developed or is developing its own security concept related to the use of digital capabilities. Another common point is the belief that commercial and business development creates a safe and comfortable environment. But in reality, strategy developers stumble at the very first step, trying to find a starting point, to find out how safe the city is now and what criteria to focus on. The problem is that real security and people's sense of security can vary greatly.

The New York subway has been free of graffiti for ten years, and now it seems no less safe than the subway in Copenhagen. But the myth that using the subway is the fate of the marginalized and losers is still alive. In 2022, New York had 433 murders, the second-lowest in the city's history (2017 saw just 414 murders). City Hall announced that the Big Apple, with a population of 8,5 million, is now one of the safest places in the United States. Instead, the results of sociological surveys suggest that the residents themselves have a different opinion. 70% of citizens say they feel less safe than before the COVID pandemic. It's a dangerous situation for New York City Mayor Eric Adams, whose approval ratings have plummeted because of residents' fear of violence. Today, only 29% of citizens support him, and the rest believe that under his leadership the city is developing in the wrong direction.

The study of the phenomenon, when the real security of a place and the sense of security of residents are very different, is one of the most urgent tasks. People overestimate the real danger due to fear caused by excess information about crimes, deaths, threats; fear caused by mistrust of the police and authorities. Even the term urban fear appeared, and today in urban concepts of security there are separate sections dedicated to how to overcome it and calm people down.

For example, in Liverpool, the mayor and police commissioner initiated the creation of special security centers at bus stations and tourist destinations throughout the region. Any person who is frightened or in danger can turn to such a center, where they will be given first aid and supported while waiting for the arrival of the police or friends. This initiative is part of LCR Pride Foundation's "You're Safe Here" program. The very fact of the existence of such points already psychologically calms people. Churches used to play a similar role, but in countries that have gone through the process of secularization, the door of the church during off-hours is most likely to be locked.

For developers, a situation where people are hyper-concerned about security is quite profitable.

It helps to advertise and sell condominiums, build closed neighborhoods, and also impose additional, excessive security services - this opinion was expressed by the Canadian researcher Leslie Kern in the book Selling the scary city. She studied the real estate market in Toronto, which is objectively one of the ten cities in the world with the lowest crime rate, and found that people are willing to overpay for apartments securitized at the level of bank or military facilities. Urban fear turns into a general problem that reinforces the negative processes of gentrification (increasing real estate prices and social stratification).

Thanks to politicians using fear as a tool to control people, urban fears are often magnified. Today, for example, many residents of the USA and Europe feel like they were in the Cold War period of the 25th century. "Security? She is nowhere to be found. The I-XNUMX corridor begins at least in Denver and stretches south through Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and Trinidad. Along it are military bases, NORAD, the Air Force Academy, a large reservoir/water supply, dense population, and more. The main targets in the event of a nuclear attack," writes a resident of Denver on the Quora social network.

Security and urban design

The 60s and 70s were marked by a number of breakthrough studies on the relationship between urban design and security. Jane Jacobs coined the term "eyes of the street"; criminologist Ray Jeffrey formulated the concept of "Crime Prevention Using Ecological Design Theory" (CPTED); architect Oscar Newman in the book "Protected Space" supplemented Jeffrey's concept with practical constructive examples; Christopher Alexander published the book "The Language of Patterns", which lists design elements that can prevent crime and reduce fear.

Ray Jeffrey believed that the environment should be such that it encourages desirable behavior from childhood itself, creating an environment that is conducive to the child and his needs for development, cognition, etc. It was the first CPTED strategy that focused the designers' attention on the role of street lighting and on the dangers of unlit places. The ideas of modern performances in abandoned buildings or industrial zones are also inspired by Jeffrey's ideas about deactivating the negative atmosphere of a place with the help of some mass actions. For example, fairs in parking lots, although they create certain inconveniences for motorists, make this space more public, attracting attention. Therefore, criminals have less chance to remain unnoticed. Untended places provoke criminals.

Newman developed the idea of ​​transparency and published the results of a study that said that high-rise buildings are more criminogenic than low-rise buildings. He believed that only in small and medium-sized communities can people feel territoriality—responsibility for the territory—and control their neighborhood, yard, building. Even budget housing should be built with quality materials and have a good design so that the visual contrast between the houses and the streets for the poor and middle class is not so strong.

Christopher Alexander called for the control of nature and appealed for neatness and quality of landscaping. He considered quality to be a manifestation of inner beauty that resonates with human need.

In the USA and many European countries, Alexander's ideas about maintaining the order of the lawn before the entrance to the house have been brought to an absolute.

Further research on the relationship between design and security at the end of the 1982th century. were no longer so revolutionary, after all, even George Kelling and James C. Wilson's XNUMX broken window theory that building maintenance and quick repairs are vital to preventing further vandalism is also an outgrowth of Ray Jeffrey's ideas.

A modern view of the theories of the XNUMXth century.

In 2011, the UNICRI (United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute) published the third generation CPTED concept. The authors of the concept emphasize the importance of technology, the possibilities of wireless communication, and also rethink the thesis of Ray Jeffrey and turn to Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which he created back in 1943. They proceed from the fact that, having satisfied the needs of the basic level, people will inevitably begin to think about the quality of the Internet connection, the number of cultural events and opportunities to express themselves in public initiatives.

Every city today has neighborhoods of three types: basic, medium, and high-level. Dull facades, tall fences, monotonous architecture, poor sidewalks, lack of bike lanes, and disorderly parking are the hallmarks of basic neighborhoods. At the same time, a large number of housing, a sufficient number of shops and fitness centers play a minor role, because food and health are basic needs. But such areas are unattractive for walks and for tourists, cultural and public events are rarely held here, neighbors do not know each other. Individual residents may be enthusiastic about garden design, but their front gardens suffer raids by poachers for flowers, and the works of local artists and sculptors displayed in public spaces fall victim to vandals.

Dependence on state or corporate intervention is also a sign that the district occupies lower positions in the ranking. Demolition of houses due to the construction of a highway, closure of a hospital or school - people are not involved in the planning of housing and infrastructure, or their opinion is not taken into account at all.

Quarters of the middle level differ in landscaping and design. Driveways and parking here are protected by barriers, and parks and playgrounds are fenced. City-wide events are rarely held in them, residents do not like noise, garbage and the invasion of outsiders. In fact, such territories are closed to non-residents and the city in general. Their residents are proud of their place of existence and protect their private property, but are not ready to spend energy and time on solving city-wide problems.

In high-level neighborhoods, there are lively public spaces, popular cafes and shops, exhibitions, fairs, performances, parks with lawns for relaxation and picnics, pedestrian zones and bike paths. A characteristic feature is the absence of visual barriers. These places seem to say, "Welcome all who come with good intentions." It is not high fences that protect well-being and order, but the residents themselves. This does not mean that they are tensely on guard, it's just that people will instantly react to any manifestation of antisocial behavior by calling the police or immediately countering the violator, as they are internally consolidated to protect their territory.

The third generation CPTED predicts that the cities of the future need a quality of life that is at the third, highest level. At the same time, some half-century-old principles can and should be revised. The authors of CPTED of the second generation saw the basis of security in collectivism, the authors of the revised concept put opportunities for self-development and self-expression of a person in the first place. But in general, all three generations of the CPTED concept complement each other.

The postulate of Jane Jacobs about the "eyes of the street" that see everything and are on the lookout around the clock is also subject to criticism. A phrase repeated countless times is often taken too literally. Turning neighbors into the eyes and ears of the police can hinder the integration of new residents of the area into society. Especially if these eyes look unkindly and suspiciously. A toxic atmosphere, when the neighbors are watching your every step, is unlikely to make a person's life happier and safer.

We would not always like to be in plain sight, under cross-eyed glances. Therefore, today architects envision both open and relatively secluded places for recreation in public landscapes.

Christopher Alexander, let's recall, was obsessed with the idea that the neatness and well-kept environment is the prevention of crimes, in particular, neatness and the fight against natural chaos. He explained the criticism of his address and the deconstructivist style in architecture as bad taste. But since then, the accurate approach has already lost its freshness. People are increasingly saying that they would like to see leaves on the grass in autumn, rather than piled up. And shaggy grass thickets and a bright mixture of meadow grasses seem to us better than neat lawns. Dense areas of the forest preserved in the midst of development should, of course, be accessible for walks, but the fear that a maniac may be hiding behind every bush is not a reason to thin the greenery to full transparency. In addition, a share of natural chaos is ecologically justified.

The idea of ​​maximizing street lighting is also under review. Today, architects suggest making street lighting delicate and selective, such that it provides trouble-free navigation, but does not disturb the biorhythms of humans, animals and insects. The light sensitivity of modern surveillance cameras allows you to monitor the area even in the absence of lights.

Initiatives for the joint improvement of streets and abandoned areas by residents are still popular, turning into a good tradition and receiving new confirmations of their effectiveness. For example, a 2011 study in Philadelphia found a link between greening up vacant lots and a reduction in gun assaults.

Discussions are ongoing regarding the optimal density of urban development and population. Urban planners recommend a high density that provides sufficient daylight, sunlight, air and usable open space. But what is enough? Psychologists believe that each of us has an individual perception of the scale of space.

Ukraine: new security

On the map of global violent deaths compiled by the international agency Small Arms Survey, located in Geneva, Ukraine was not a center of peace and security until 2022. The 2020 indicator (this is the latest available data) is 10,79 violent deaths per 100 population. Not comparable to Afghanistan (80,47), but more than in Iraq (6,87). https://smallarmssurvey.shinyapps.io/gpw_2022/

The large-scale aggression of the Russian Federation may eventually become the deadliest war of the 2022st century. And although the exact data is classified, the Small Arms Survey commissioned a study by the Ipsos Ukraine organization, whose employees surveyed Ukrainians about the number of their dead relatives or acquaintances. According to the results of the study, only in the first year of the war, 88, 2022 thousand Ukrainians, combatants and civilians, died. These figures exceed the UN data, which was also collected unofficially, but from open sources, in fact - counting obituaries and figures from daily excerpts. The actual loss figures from February 2014 could be tragically staggering. Especially if you count from XNUMX.

Before the large-scale invasion, Ukrainians differed little from Europeans in defining the city's security markers.

"Of all the cities of Ukraine, I feel the most comfortable in Lviv, because there they pay a lot of attention to the creation of a safe urban space," he says urban planner Maksym Golovko. - You can be sure that a car will not physically be able to drive into your pedestrian space at high speed. All around there are active facades with restaurants and cafes, thanks to which many people are outside and you feel safe with them.

I feel the most dangerous in Kyiv, because I know that the city does very little to make it safe and comfortable for its citizens. If the city treats all citizens with respect, then the sidewalks are convenient to use for people with limited mobility: smooth tiles without chamfers, lowered pedestrian crossings, no potholes, separated flows of pedestrians, cyclists and cars. Then it is clear that the city cares about the weakest and those who need help. Otherwise, the city develops only for those who have the health to go down to the underground passages, and the wealth to buy a car."

Oleksiy Shershen, director of Signify Ukraine LLC, as a specialist in architectural lighting first of all pays attention to the following detail: "Safe city: the first thing that comes to mind is the collective image of the historical part of European cities, which is usually lit in a warm white color. The same is true in Lviv. Warm light creates an atmosphere of coziness, comfort, and safety. Lighting with cold colors of white, on the contrary, promotes concentration, which later causes discomfort."

Yaroslav Korniachenko, CEO of Vlasne Misto, does not believe that Ukrainian cities today are definitely safer than rural areas: "It is safe in your native places, where you have lived for a long time, it is connected with knowledge of the environment, society, awareness that you are also known here; for me, this is my native village of Zasullya, the city of Zhashkiv, where my beloved wife was born, as well as the village of Dmytrivka, where we are implementing the first city-forming project in Ukraine.

In cities, if I am in the role of a tourist, I first of all appreciate the quality of pedestrian connections and ease of access. If I visit cities for work, I am interested in the availability of parking spaces in the center or near hotels and business centers. These points show who is in priority. It is also very important what public transport and public recreation areas look like, how services work."

"The quality of landscaping and the friendliness of the streets to pedestrians are important to me. If there are many people on the streets and cars are inconvenient, then for me this is an indicator that the city is comfortable," he says Ihor Raykov, founder of the development company "Spilnota" and the school of professional development UrbanLand.P.M.

You can passionately and sincerely love Kyiv, but calling the capital of Ukraine safe can only be done with great exaggeration. Even in pre-war times.

"I feel most comfortable in Kyiv on the streets of Podol and on the triangle Sofiivska - Mykhailivska - Yaroslaviv Val, partly on Volodymyrska Street. I still feel pretty good in the Arsenalna metro station area, where the food market is. And already starting from the former Leo Tolstoy Street, Saksaganskoho, Zhilyanska — I feel extremely dangerous because of the number of car lanes and the width of the streets. It is the same in Obolon and Poznyaki, due to the scale of the streets, which are aggressive towards pedestrians. How can you imagine that you will have to overcome obstacles in the form of a 150-meter roadway in the heat or in the cold, with underground passages, and even with surface ones - well, it's terrifying!" - this is how he describes his feelings Igor Raikov.

"Kyiv is sorely lacking in competent "rolling out" of traffic and pedestrian flows, removing priorities from the dominance of cars to the supremacy of pedestrians, - says architect Anton Cherkashin. — We need to solve the problem of cutting off the city space from the Dnipro, the main water artery of the city, by highways. It is possible, as it is done in Europe, to connect the city with aerial green passages: to create pedestrian connections from the Kyiv hills and microdistricts of the Left Bank to the water. And the issue of the level and quality of lighting in the urban environment — residential neighborhoods, parks, highways — is vitally important."

And again a debatable question: what is considered high-quality and safe lighting? For some, this is the maximum illumination of all pedestrian and transport corridors. For some, in wartime, the light masking mode seems more appropriate. But the fact that a complete blackout on the streets of the city is deadly for both pedestrians and drivers was experienced by the people of Kyiv firsthand.

"It was very unusual to drive through the familiar streets of Kyiv when there was almost no lighting or none at all," he recalls Oleksiy Shershen. — In other cities, a similar situation could be encountered even before the war. Having lost something that was always there, you begin to appreciate it. In the dark time of day, everyone, of course, evaluates the city by the quality of lighting, both functional and architectural. Lighting creates a special perception! Agree, any city is different day and night."

Yaroslav Korniachenko: "Light masking does not work for security, it does not apply to EW systems, it has a greater effect on destabilizing the mood of the population and the level of safety on the streets, increases the possibilities of action for the internal enemy, especially looters. Streets should be sufficiently lit for the same safety, but rationally use the balance of the energy system."

"Maximum lighting of the streets is unnecessary even at normal times. Lighting should be sufficient for comfortable and safe use of urban space. Now we often have a situation when the center is lit up, as during the New Year holidays, and not even all the streets are lit on the city limits," - believes Maxim Golovko.

War turns everything inside out - and old ideas about security fly to pieces. If the city is occupied, no amount of securitization will protect a person, his house and property. What is the point of surveillance cameras, if the fence is knocked out by a tank, and the door, along with the door, is shot from a grenade launcher...

The image of military Kyiv was strikingly different from peaceful Kyiv. The contrast was especially sharp in the first days of the invasion. Disappeared streets, windows taped crosswise, metal hedgehogs, monuments hidden in sandbags or plywood boxes — all this was perceived as signs and symbols of total disaster and threat.

But as soon as people returned to the street, the perception of all these elements changed: the carefully wrapped monuments evoked emotion, broken windows became the basis for art installations, and architects invented a new use for hedgehogs - they offered to turn them into street furniture. The war is not over, the perception has changed.

Daryna Skrypnyk, architectural consultant/architect of the Window-Star Company LLC, admits that the large-scale invasion of Ukraine profoundly changed his personal and professional perception of security: "As an architectural consultant at the company "Vikna-Star", I have always valued aesthetics and functionality in our projects. However, now every time I pass tall buildings with glass facades, I not only admire their design, but also analyze their sustainability and safety. Thoughts are turned to finding potential storage sites and assessing the risks from missile bursts and shock waves.

The new context of the war made adjustments to my perception of architecture and urban planning. He encouraged us at "Vikna-Star" to focus on creating window structures that can withstand extreme conditions, including shock waves. In cooperation with our partners — Winkhaus, Reynaers Aluminum Ukraine and Glas Trösch Ukraine — we have developed window systems that are not only architecturally attractive, but also provide a critically important level of protection. Safety, in our opinion, is not only an imperative of the present, but also a fundamental element of urban planning of the future, which we are already actively implementing in our projects."

"In 90% of cases, I drive by car, I often pay attention to the availability of parking lots, especially underground ones," he says Yaroslav Korniachenko. — Sometimes, I analyze the area for the presence of arches, concrete walls. I don't pay attention to the glass, I pay more attention to strategic objects in order to leave or move away from them as soon as possible."

«Now there is a critical shortage of safe spaces that can be used in everyday life. There should be public spaces that work as shelters but have additional functions. It is necessary to create public spaces in which citizens can find shelter, receive the necessary help, centers that will be centers for the needs of communities," he is sure Maxim Golovko.

Metal urchins from the central streets of Kyiv have disappeared, but some elements of radical self-defense of the first days of the war still remain. A photo with barbed wire on the fence of one of the most famous Kyiv residential complexes - the famous colorful Comfort Town - spread across social networks, causing many reactions. Mostly negative. But many commentators stated that they share the willingness of residents to tolerate barbed wire around the perimeter of the territory, so that strangers do not get inside. In this case, the "foreigners" are not the occupiers, but the same Ukrainians.

In their quest for radical security, many Ukrainians have surprisingly turned out to be supporters of curfews even in peacetime. It is not a matter of espionage, they explain, but of marginals and vandals who violated peace and order at night with impunity. The presence of armed patrols on the streets, which so acutely triggered in peacetime, is now also more likely to calm Kyivans.

«A military patrol is a sign and an important reminder of the surrounding reality. The protection of private housing in peacetime and wartime has differences, but there are also many commonalities. The main task is to protect people and property from a robber's attack, he believes Ivan Bohdan, general director of Winkhaus Ukraine. — Ukrainian and European concepts of housing protection differ in their essence and consequences. In the Ukrainian and post-Soviet version, the main hope is on alarm sensors and the speed of the mobile security team. As an illustration of the inefficiency of such a system, the good old phrase "Keep your money in the savings bank" is used. The European approach involves turning window and door structures into an impenetrable barrier for a potential burglar. Modern engineering has long made it possible to implement RC2 — burglary-resistant options for private and commercial housing. Burglar-resistant systems work 24/7 and do not depend on the expertise, courage or sleepiness of the hired security guard.

"This is more a matter of social security, since it is not the fence and patrols that guarantee the level of security, but social awareness and the level of economic equality, safety and barrier-freeness of our streets, unity in national values," he is sure Yaroslav Korniachenko. — Trust in law enforcement agencies and the military is built on mutual respect. Patrols do an important job, but the protection of our homes and even the state must be provided at the technological level, not with human lives."

The war forced a new appreciation of the importance of green urban spaces — no longer just as oases for recreation and sports, but as relatively safe places during air raids.

Yaroslav Korniachenko: “A balance of green areas and buildings is needed: all military use green camouflage nets to not stand out from the landscape, trees also create thermal barriers for most of the year. In times of alarm, even military personnel are driven out of buildings and into parks if there is no shelter nearby. Of course, each army has its own tactics, someone takes cover with residents, aims at a residential building under the guise of a military object, but even on the battlefield, defense lines are organized in landscaped locations and relief features.

But Igor Raikov disagree: "If you compare construction and green zones in terms of safety, then both lose. It is impossible to hide from debris or explosions. Only basements are safe. Here in the basement you can feel safe."

Maxim Golovko: "Cities seem safer than suburban areas. And they need to be tight to work effectively. The problem is that the density of our cities is achieved by building high-rise buildings around which there is nothing. The same density can be achieved by building a low-rise building, which is much more comfortable to use. And thanks to such planning, green spaces can be created all around. This way we will get safe buildings and high-quality green space around."

However, proposals for the creation of new green squares or parks and, in general, considerations about the comfort of life today often cause a reaction of rejection among a wide audience.

Should cities maintain their external attractiveness even in wartime, or can today be sacrificed for beautification measures, as many volunteers and activists demand, by the way?

Ivan Bohdan categorical: "A warring country that lives on foreign financial injections should have only one task: to survive and win. Public money invested today in the attractiveness of our cities is an investment in our enemy."

Igor Raikov: "Drones are definitely more important than landscaping. Most of the landscaping was done 20 years ago. We had already used all this somehow, and it didn't bother us much. Accordingly, if you weigh the purchase of life-supporting drones and the financing of improvements, it is obvious that drones should come first."

Maxim Golovko: "The problem is that beautification measures in our country are usually carried out only to beautify cities: replacing old cobblestones, planting annual plants, installing design benches in parks. Landscaping should perform other functions: make cities more comfortable, safer and more convenient for citizens. We should not sacrifice the safety of citizens, but on the contrary, we should work more actively on safety.

We must make the city accessible: lower curbs, zone space with street furniture to avoid conflicts between pedestrians and cars, add overpasses. We need to plant perennial plants and trees to make the street space comfortable in the summer, and increase green areas so that rains do not cause large-scale destruction of infrastructure. With such goals, landscaping will have a beneficial effect."

Anton Cherkashin supports this opinion: "Improvement in the conventional sense, such as replacing paving stones, today can be considered unreasonable and even criminal actions. But everything related to ensuring the level of safety of transport and pedestrian infrastructure is necessary. The same pit repair. War is not a reason to leave the streets dirty and dusty, it is not a reason to stop making the city better and safer. War should not be an excuse for inaction. "Poor, but clean" is probably a reasonable wartime compromise now.

Daryna Skrypnyk draws attention to the importance of the psychological and moral state of the townspeople, who have been living under permanent stress for the second year (and in the eastern regions of Ukraine, the tenth!) Scientists have not yet figured out how to measure urban fear, but there is no doubt: it would be extremely high here. Hence the desire of radical security mayors.

"Wartime certainly leaves its mark on the priorities of urban planning and improvement. However, I believe that the external attractiveness of the city and its improvement should not be completely rejected even in such a difficult period. Preservation of the aesthetics of the urban space, care for green areas, cleanliness of the streets and maintenance of general order will have a positive psychological effect on residents, increasing their morale and sense of normality in crisis conditions, - emphasizes the architect. — However, the safety of residents must always come first. This means that beautification activities should not interfere with safety measures, such as setting up shelters, fortifying buildings and creating safe movement routes. At the same time, cities can look for ways to integrate safety measures and amenities in ways that complement each other. For example, fortified green areas can serve both as places of rest and effective means of concealment and protection.

After all, even in wartime, we must strive to preserve and develop our cities, not forgetting their beauty and comfort for the residents. This not only supports the spirit of the community, but also gives us a sense of stability and hope for a better future.”

Yaroslav Korniachenko: "If we talk about urban planning forms, street passports, height, movement towards barrier-freeness, environmental friendliness, energy efficiency - it is definitely necessary to deal with all this today. It is necessary to focus on the assistance of the Armed Forces, but it makes sense to carry out those works that were started earlier and those that will depend on the level of security within the city or settlement: shelter, lighting, water supply, water purification, energy generating facilities, energy efficiency measures and rational waste disposal".

Recently, the government decided to redistribute part of the road fund for military purposes. But this does not mean that restoration and improvement works will stop. Chairman of the VR committee on the organization of state power, local self-government, regional development and urban planning Olena Shulyak believes that city aesthetics should be a strategic development priority for local authorities. This is how she motivates her opinion: "First of all, Ukraine needs a victory now. And that's why you should set priorities correctly. Restoration of critical infrastructure, compensation for housing, so that people have a place to live is a priority. Replacing cobblestones or building aesthetic footbridges for walks is not quite.

It should be understood that the restoration of Ukraine will take place in accordance with European standards and norms. Because the process of restoration and European integration of our country is synchronous.

Therefore, I have no doubts about the external attractiveness of Ukrainian cities, we will rebuild everything according to the "Build Back Better" principle. By the way, famous Ukrainian and international architects have already agreed to participate in the reconstruction of many Ukrainian cities (for example, the world-famous British architect Norman Foster agreed to participate in the reconstruction of Kharkiv). The social and intellectual potential of the city provides the depth of its prospects. That is why it is extremely important at all levels to focus already now on attracting the best domestic and foreign practices, constantly raising the level of requirements for the reconstruction strategy, as well as the restoration of our cities.

It is not about the aesthetics of perception, more precisely, not only about its direct understanding, i.e. the visual component. It is also a matter of safety and ergonomics of space, stimulation of economic growth, creation of conditions for accumulation of social capital and victory in the struggle for people. People should love the city and want to live there, develop it, help their city become better. Urban aesthetics should be a strategic development priority for local authorities. It is about supportive leadership, first of all, the ability to get off the pedestal, sit down at the table with everyone and become an equal among equals.

Of course, now the size of ambitions should be measured by the question of security and victory, i.e. the delta between "I want" and "I have". But in the future, dreams and a healthy ambition to become a better environment for life should be a powerful source of development of Ukrainian cities."

In order to do all of the above, including aesthetics, architects and urban planners need not only support within the community and among citizens, but also a close partnership with local and central authorities. When it comes to the safety of the urban environment, today the authorities are in opposition to the architectural community, the architect believes Anton Cherkashin: "This relationship cannot be called partnership. If conflicts occur from time to time, then something needs to be changed. Now the interaction is not built at the proper level. Something must be changed."

But first of all, the role of the architect in wartime must be determined: should he be governed exclusively by the state, or is it a "two-way street"?

"The wording "to be governed by the state" has probably outlived its usefulness. Because truly qualitative changes do not take place under the conditions of management or strict supervision of the state, but under the conditions of a joint dialogue, he claims Olena Shulyak. — I would very much like all market participants to establish an honest and transparent dialogue among themselves in order to achieve a common result. I am convinced that meanings in planning play an important role, create a basis for a unified understanding of the future. They play the role of cement, focusing the aspirations of all participants in the process in a single direction. That's why designing for meaning is an important part of the work of architects today, who don't have to do it alone. Joint planning is a unique opportunity for architects, the public, representatives of authorities and the relevant environment to create involvement for a large number of citizens and give them the opportunity to become co-authors of the vision."

Urban "bibles" say that without active communication between all the beneficiaries, even the most promising project or strategy is doomed to failure. Although European urban planners did not assume that Ukrainians would have to discuss such topics, constantly interrupted by air alarms. What should be the relations between players of the construction market and representatives of the authorities in wartime conditions?

"The key word is "market". The market is a self-regulating structure. I do not think that this process should be any different in wartime or peacetime conditions. In any case, the market depends on supply and demand. Yes, there is inertia of the authorities, late decisions, late demand, as well as inadequate proposals from architects, developers and other participants," explains his opinion Anton Cherkashin.

"In my opinion, the relationship between the government and players of the construction market should be the same both in wartime and in peacetime: the government develops standards that builders' facilities must meet. These standards should be transparent and known. For example, few cities have a lighting master plan, which indicates exactly how this or that part of the city should be lit, which control systems should be subject to it. Therefore, in such a situation, patchwork solutions arise, the city loses its integrity," he is sure Oleksiy Shershen.

Yaroslav Korniachenko: "Government representatives should not interfere, on the contrary, create conditions for development, encourage and support the development of new urban planning documents, spatial development strategies to increase the economic, energy, and environmental level of the regions, attracting investments in the most affected areas, as well as new, aimed at the development of education, medicine, production and export of finished products and services. Establish communication between stakeholders, monitor compliance with regulations and laws. In the process of creating a new Ukraine, corruption must be destroyed. It is necessary to create close long-term corporate ties, public-private partnership programs, clustering. The recipe: competitive ethics and cooperation, unification, exchange of experience on mutually beneficial terms, all to increase the level of international competition."

"The interaction of the construction market and the government in wartime conditions, as I imagine them, is not tenders behind closed doors, but a real war economy, similar to the one that existed in Great Britain during the Second World War, - believes Igor Raikov. — The British built the Mulberry Harbor floating harbor, which ensured victory for the Allies. This is a great example. There were many secret factories and productions. This is what is needed, and not a stupid appropriation of funds, such as, for example, energy protection measures... It seems like a necessary thing, but in fact it is a waste of money. And we need to build underground factories for drones!".

Olena Shulyak asserts that the government has a strategic vision for the future of Ukrainian cities, and the topic of security occupies almost the most important place in it: "Thanks to our legislative initiatives, communities have already started developing Comprehensive Recovery Programs - strategic documents that will allow analyzing all the challenges and potentials of settlements, and will also become the basis for new urban planning documentation. In fact, the Programs are the initial documents for recovery, which determine the main priorities: the weak and strong sides of each territorial community. In them, communities inventory all available resources, including human potential, the amount of damage and destruction in the territory, additional negative factors caused by full-scale armed aggression, and other factors that affect development. In particular, we are talking about economic, demographic, environmental factors, as well as the need to preserve cultural heritage. All this will make it possible to predict and plan truly high-quality further development, which will include both improving the investment climate and providing the necessary barrier-free and safe infrastructure that will be comfortable for living and provide all the necessary needs of the community.

Regarding the involvement of architects and, in general, everyone interested in the process, during the creation of these Programs, we provided for mandatory public discussions, which are a real opportunity to point out problems and propose own solutions and ideas. As practice shows, this tool is effective and is part of real democracy. By the way, it is precisely thanks to the involvement of citizens in discussions and consultations that we are currently improving the isRecovery program, which provides for compensation for destroyed and destroyed housing. Thanks to consultations, we managed to collect hundreds of valuable opinions from all corners of Ukraine, and now they form the basis of improving the compensation process. It will be the same with the Comprehensive Recovery Programs — everyone who has something to say will be able to actively participate in the process. We are talking about architects and other representatives of the construction industry, the public, and the expert environment."

Urban planning is politics. Urban planning during the war is military policy.

European urban planners, despite their experience, usually try to stay away from politics. Or turn a blind eye to the fact that if the power in a country or city is in the hands of "bad guys", then most of the advantages of strategies turn into fat disadvantages.

For example, the same digitalization, the use of surveillance systems to search for political opponents, participants in demonstrations and all those who disagree with the political course is a practice of totalitarian regimes. The fear of repression is one of the most suffocating, when even the air seems to become toxic. Emigration from the country, or, if impossible, escape from the orderly environment to the technologically backward hinterland of the countryside, where there is not even a hint of urban design, seem to be the only way out. From February 24, 2022, any, even the craziest, scenario of the future will no longer seem impossible to Ukrainians. War and occupation can nullify any good intentions. Security in wartime sounds like an oxymoron. But discussing it now means not getting lost when peace comes.