The city after the crisis: resilience as the new norm
In a world of global threats, the concept resilient cities ("Resilient cities") is perhaps the most important urban trend of 2026. This approach focuses not only on the ability of a city to withstand crises, but also on adapting and developing despite shocks. For Ukraine during the war, the concept resilient cities is critically important for infrastructure, economy, security and demography, because only the creation of a sustainable environment will allow cities to survive, and millions of Ukrainians to return home.
Today, city resilience is not just about security, but about combining protection with comfort through shelters and dual-purpose structuresIf previously the metro or parking lots served only as temporary shelters with minimal amenities, the modern strategy offers multifunctional underground spaces. A striking example is the underground school in Kharkiv, which is at the same time an anti-radiation shelter and a fully-fledged educational space with 20 classrooms where 1600 children can safely study in person. This approach transforms protective structures into inclusive centers of everyday life.
For Ukraine during the war, the concept of resilient cities is critically important, because only the creation of a sustainable environment will allow cities to survive and millions of Ukrainians to return home.
The first underground school in Ukraine, Kharkiv. Photo: twitter.com/mayorterekhov
In addition to physical security, a critical factor in resilience is energy autonomy of neighborhoods. The war in Ukraine has proven the vulnerability of centralized networks: a single strike on a CHP plant can cut off power to entire districts. The concept of “energy islands” is becoming a priority - the ability of neighborhoods to generate and distribute resources independently. European cities, such as Aalst (Netherlands) or Skanderborg (Denmark), are already putting this into practice: with the help of heat pumps, solar panels and intelligent management systems (EMS), local communities are becoming completely independent of national networks.
Climate adaptation
Climate Today, it is one of the main factors shaping trends in urbanism. Due to heat, floods and polluted air, cities are forced to integrate nature into their buildings as a means of protection against these challenges.
Green roofs and facades remain a current trend, as they naturally cool buildings and retain rainwater. A striking example is Singapore, where due to the shortage of land, greenery has "migrated" to roofs and walls. In some projects, such as in Parkroyal on Pickering hotels, area green roofs and the terrace exceeds the area of the plot on which the building is located.
Greenery on the terraces of the Parkroyal on Pickering hotel, Singapore. Photo: ArchDaily
However, urban planning goes beyond green roofs and walls, scaling to urban forests — ecosystems that cool the city and absorb CO2In dense development, they are used forests Miyawaki: ultra-dense plantings of native plants that become self-sufficient in a few years. This practice is being actively implemented in Europe, particularly in Paris, as natural barriers along roads, and the first of its kind forest in Ukraine, it has already been planted in the Kiev Park of Partisan Glory.
In addition to temperature challenges, cities also have to contend with the effects of heavy rain. Copenhagen, vulnerable to flooding due to its flat terrain and coastal location, embodies the concept spongebob city ("sponge city"), the essence of which is to create zones that absorb and retain water. For example, Tesinge Square, in good weather public space, during a downpour, it becomes a reservoir for storing and draining water. By cooling the city and holding back the water, spongebob city is becoming a necessary strategy for megacities in the era of climate change.
A green public space built to absorb rainwater, Thesinge Square, Copenhagen. Photo: Yale Environment 360
Systemic working with water is also necessary for Rotterdam in the Netherlands, as most of the city is below sea level. To protect against flooding, water areas are being introduced here, for example, Benthamplain: public space with an amphitheater and a skate park that turns into a cascading reservoir during floods. In addition, the city is actively developing the water area, building floating structures that adapt to the water level.
Bentemplein Reservoir Square in Rotterdam. Photo: Landezine
Technology and data-driven management
Concept smart city, where technology serves for convenience and inclusiveness, closely intertwined with the concept comfortable city. Thanks to data-driven governance, cities respond to the needs of residents in real time, providing barrier-free and accessibility.
Zocrama, smart mobility (smart mobility) transforms urban traffic into a managed system. A key element of this approach is MaaS (Mobility as a Service, mobility as a service), where all transport is available through a single interface. For example, an application whim in Helsinki allows you to plan and pay for routes with one click. For groups with reduced mobility, the system automatically builds a route through ramps and elevators, ensuring inclusivity.
The technical foundation for MaaS is ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems), a network of smart traffic lights and sensors that manage traffic in real time. AI analyzes data from ITS to predict traffic loads. infrastructure and manage traffic flows.
However, the capabilities of AI are not limited to analyzing road data: urban planners use it as a tool for comprehensive urban environment design. AI in planning allows you to calculate development options and choose the most optimal one in terms of infrastructure and comfort.
Urban planners use AI as a tool for comprehensive urban environment design, as it allows them to calculate development options and choose the most optimal one.
The pinnacle of data-driven management is digital twins of cities — dynamic models that are synchronized with sensors in real time. The benchmark is Virtual Singapore, which models city development scenarios, taking into account logistics, demography, climate and inclusivity. The twin allows you to test urban solutions and assess the consequences before they are implemented. This is the essence smart city: every change is based on data to ensure comfort.
Digital twin of Virtual Singapore. Photo: BBC News
People-centeredness
Suchasna urban planning seeks to create comfortable city, focusing on the experiences of its inhabitants. At the heart of this strategy of human-centered space is the concept of 15-minute city Carlos Moreno, which consists of availability six basic functions — housing, work, education, medicine, food, and recreation — within a quarter of an hour's walk or bike ride.
15-minute city — is far from a new idea: people lived in such cities before the advent of cars, which allowed them to quickly cover significant distances. Changes climate and demography showed humanity that it is not worth relying entirely on cars. Updated concept 15-minute city returns cities to a "human scale" and recognizes the human right to accessibility basic capabilities and for a while.
Today the concept 15-minute city primarily realized thanks to micromobility. Digital networks of rental bicycles and scooters make light transport a full-fledged alternative to cars and part of smart cityHowever, the efficiency of the system requires barrier-free, including the removal of curbs and stairs to ensure inclusivity. Utrecht in the Netherlands has become a model for integrating micromobility, where convenient infrastructure і the world's largest bicycle parking allowed bicycles to replace other transport in 50% of trips to the city center.
Implementing micromobility principles using the example of cycling infrastructure in Utrecht, Netherlands. Photo: Yale Climate Connections
Humanism shapes new scenarios for public spaces, where monofunctional zones become multifunctional. Such a rethinking fits into the concept 15-minute city, providing accessibility places for recreation. For example, in Paris, a project Oasis Court turns schoolyards into public spaces public spacesTemporary prefabricated structures, such as those on Kontraktova Square in Kyiv, are also an effective means of creating multifunctional zones, as they allow the location to be adapted to different needs.
A public space within a school in Paris, developed as part of the Cour de l'Oasis project. Photo: Mairie Paris
Ukrainian context
While the world is trying to adapt cities to urban trends, for Ukraine Rebuilding is a chance start everything from scratch. Rebuilding cities destroyed by war, taking into account the best international practices, will allow us to lay the foundations for sustainability and safety, environmental friendliness, people-centeredness and technological feasibility already at the stage of developing the master plan. Modern and comfortable cities could become a key incentive for the return of millions of Ukrainians and the improvement of demography.
Implementation new housing typologies is a necessary response to the need for cities to quickly adapt to wartime demands. Thousands of people lost their homes, which necessitated the rapid deployment of modular settlements like Leo States or HOMEUA. In parallel, a number of Ukrainian cities, including Lviv and Zhytomyr, are launching municipal housing projects for long-term rental. These are modern mid-rise buildings where autonomous shelter integrated into the living space in compliance with barrier-free.
Leo States modular settlement in the village of Khorosno, Lviv region. Photo: Leo States
The introduction of new housing typologies is a necessary response to the need for cities to quickly adapt to wartime requirements.
The war forced us to rethink building and move to European planning standards, which is noticeable in the example of rebuilt cities. In particular, in Bucha, the street is being comprehensively renovated infrastructure taking into account safety requirements and inclusivity. The most famous example is Vokzalna Street, during the reconstruction of which a modern and barrier-free space was created with updated communications. Similar approaches are being implemented in other liberated cities, such as Irpin and Hostomel, which are being rebuilt taking into account modern principles. urban planning.
The restored Vokzalna Street in Bucha. Photo: ShoTam
Urbanism in 2026 forms a common vector of development, where the city appears as a flexible, safe and inclusive system. Trends in sustainability, environmental friendliness, technologicality and human-centricity are more than fashion: they are basic standards comfortable cityUkraine, using the example of rebuilding destroyed cities, proves that we are capable of not only adopting, but also implementing effective urban planning practices even in the most difficult times.
Main photo – Edwin Chen / Unsplash
See also:
Behind the scenes of an autonomous city: how a new form of housing is born
Smart homes as the standard for modern housing: over 100 years of JUNG experience
Dnieper Hills and the Podil Embankment: Visions of Redevelopment
