Lviv: A city embraces innovation, even amidst war
Published by UNDP on 18 January 2024
With its efficient and digitized transport system and numerous parks, the city and its planners are putting the well-being of its residents front and centre. Photo: UNDP Ukraine/Serhii Perepelytsia
The first time Maksym Terletsky came to Lviv, he was an elementary student in the nearby town of Khyriv.
"To be honest, it was far from love at first sight," recalls Maksym. "It was too noisy, crowded with people.”
Ten years later, he returned for university and formed a slightly different impression.
It is hard not to notice Lviv's energy and charm, with its picturesque buildings and European feeling, blending and reflecting different cultures. The city is deeply rooted and bounded with traditions of western Ukraine, which is why it’s always had a vivid cultural scene.
But in the 2000s, as a smaller western city lacking the industrial base of Kyiv, Kharkiv or Odesa, Lviv struggled to develop its infrastructure, facing water shortages, power cuts and limited mobility. Economic growth was hindered by a lack of investment. A turning point was 2004, when many immigrants and expats returned to rebuild a new democratic Ukraine. Lviv also connected with Polish and German cities, which supported city renovation through various government-funded projects.
Now, Lviv is hip and modern, well known for its vibrant city life, emerging local craft businesses, festivals and, most of all, its open-mindedness and craving for innovation. For the last decade, the compact city has attracted IT specialists from different parts of the country, opening start-up hubs, revitalizing abandoned areas and even was shortlisted for European Youth Capital last year.
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With the influx of more and more immigrants, urban renovations and modernized infrastructure, Lviv began developing as an IT hub, a cultural centre and a youth-centric city looking to the future. Photos: UNDP Ukraine/Serhii Perepelytsia
These achievements are the outcome of moving mountains by local authorities and civic sector activists. Lviv became an innovation champion and strategic frontrunner in urban planning. By placing creativity at the core of the city’s development, the municipality team came up with the “2019-2027 breakthrough strategy”. In it, Lviv strives to be identified with notions of trust, respect, social cohesion and cooperation, piggybacking on the experience and best practices of Barcelona, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Cologne, Helsinki, Tallin and Vilnius.
Maksym is now an acting director with the City Institute, a strategic arm of the municipality and the one behind Lviv's innovations and planning scene. Over the last years, he has visited dozens of cities abroad to explore and compare urban challenges between those cities and his own.
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Seeking inspiration from iconic cities like Barcelona, Buenos Aires and Berlin, Maksim and his team have been striving to develop Lviv as one of Europe's most livable cities. Photos: UNDP Ukraine/Serhii Perepelytsia
Mobility and accessibility are key priorities for the Institute. Its key goal is to develop the city on a human scale, making it a comfortable place to live and work. By the end of 2021, the team had completed numerous projects, like making city streets inclusive for everyone and revitalizing the Pidzamche district –a previously abandoned area that now serves as a playground for kids and relaxation zone for residents. A former glass factory was transformed into the facilities of one of the most prominent breweries. Now, with a bakery and workshop spaces, it’s a true creative space known as !FESTrepublic.
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A mere 3 kilometres from the iconic Lviv National Opera, !FESTrepublic is a complex that caters to kids, artists, performers, foodies and beer connoisseurs. Photos: UNDP Ukraine/Serhii Perepelytsia
The Institute’s team of 20 works on revising existing ideas and projects. Their progressive strategy was a main factor behind Lviv’s selection as part of the joint EU-UNDP Mayors for Economic Growth (M4EG) Urban Imaginaries programme in December 2021. Their focus would be enhancing the work already happening around mobility and youth opportunities.
At the time, it seemed impossible to temper the spirit of a city with such ambition for positive development.
Then the war hit.
Frequent air raid sirens shattered Lviv’s calmness. Shops, galleries and some cafes closed their facilities and moved to safer places – basements – until the threat of cruise missiles vanishes, at least for the moment. The city and surrounding areas have been targeted by missiles at least 25 times.
The current state of Lviv hangs between the fragile feeling of safety and the resilience shown in the face of war. The city hosts around 125,000 internally displaced people and acts as a temporary landing place for those who flee or come back to the country, because of its infrastructure, public services and transport, and proximity to the border. The influx of people is a big challenge to the city’s infrastructure, but Lviv’s public services remain available, and even more services have emerged for the displaced.
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Since the start of the war in February 2022, Lviv has become a shelter for internally displaced people. With 125,000 now seeking refuge, it remains to be seen how the city's infrastructure copes during the months to come. Photos: Shutterstock
Innovation is not something you can pause. The municipality keeps evolving and adapting, as before, but now with the new vision and strategy in mind.
“With the war, city planning and strategies have changed,” explains Maksym. “Thanks to the synergy within local authorities, the municipality was prepared to host internally displaced people and provide needed utilities and public services.”
In April and May, the city opened a few temporary shelters, and started working towards more durable solutions, such as modular shelters.
The City Institute had to put many of its regular projects on hold. Seventy percent of its work shifted to responding to war-affected populations and urgent needs. It transformed several local schools into additional temporary shelters, filling them with household items like washing machines, beds and mattresses. Many of these items were provided through M4EG, which pivoted to support these new realities.
The City Institute had to put many of its regular projects on hold. Seventy percent of its work shifted to responding to war-affected populations and urgent needs. It transformed several local schools into additional temporary shelters, filling them with household items like washing machines, beds and mattresses. Many of these items were provided through M4EG, which pivoted to support these new realities.
“No matter when the war ends, we all will deal with its consequence for years,” admits Maksym. “We're embracing uncertainty, and simultaneously believe that the city should be innovative and ready for experiments as never before".
To stay resilient, 30 percent of their work remains strategic planning and work on their regular projects.
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The City Institute where Maksym works was forced to redirect most of its efforts towards responding to war-affected populations. Photos: UNDP Ukraine/Serhii Perepelytsia
In early September, Maksym and the team renewed their Urban Imaginaries participation, now embarking on a new journey by exploring human-centred design.
“Now, with most projects back, we are shifting to the strategy of small steps. We don’t jump on big projects but tap into smaller activities. At this point, it is critical to understand where Lviv residents are and what they think, feel and believe.”
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In recent months, Maksym and his team were able to get back to working on the design of the city. Photos: UNDP Ukraine/Serhii Perepelytsia
Even amidst war, Lviv remains lively. Maksym winds through its streets to his inspirational place near the city fountain.
“We have big expectations as the city seeks to be more agile and responsive to its residents, especially during the war,” says Maksym.
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