Lutsk City Mayor took part in the Ukrainian Urban Forum 2025
On September 19, the Ukrainian Urban Forum 2025 started in Lutsk –an event focused on the development and future of Ukrainian cities. The main theme of this year’s event is the human scale. The forum is dedicated to the demographic challenges Ukrainian cities face today and to finding ways to respond to them.
Ukrainian and international experts are taking part in this year’s forum, including Johannes Tovatt (Sweden), Hubert Trammer (Poland), Julie Lawson (RMIT, Australia), Iryna Matsevko, Hanna Bondar, representatives of U-Cycle, Cedos, and invited researchers specializing in climate, housing policy, heritage, mobility, and participation. Lutsk City Mayor, Ihor Polishchuk, also joined the event.
Participants focused on finding solutions to the demographic challenges of wartime: how to strengthen human potential, ensure access to housing, social protection, mobility, and quality urban spaces.
The program combined discussion panels, short “Who’s Who” introductions, thematic dialogues, city tours, and workshops. Topics included:
- Planning and urban development in wartime;
- Institution building;
- How systematic infrastructure development and tactical urbanism promote fair urban growth;
- Adequate housing as a condition for fair urban development;
- The role of education;
- Climate neutrality during wartime;
- Heritage preservation.
Special activities included walks through the historical and cultural reserve Old Lutsk, tours of modern city districts and the Hnidava Wetland nature reserve, as well as city planning workshops by Urban Reform, the workshop “The Role of each person in the adaptation of veterans: values and shared solutions” by Restart, and informal networking sessions.
Mayor thanked the organizers and emphasized the importance and relevance of this year’s forum theme. Reflecting on the discouraging demographic statistics in Ukraine and in Lutsk in particular, he stressed that both now and after the war, preserving human capital and bringing people back to Ukraine is a top priority for the country and for all levels of government.
"Today, and after the war, preserving human capital and bringing people back to Ukraine is the top priority for our country and authorities at all levels. At the local level, we cannot influence this globally, but we can shape how comfortable our city is and what development potential it has — how livable it is, how inclusive it is for various social groups, for people with different forms of employment and age categories. Therefore, our key task is to find a balance between supporting the defense forces, overcoming the consequences of Russian aggression, and developing our city."
"At the same time, we are striving to develop our city and implement projects that can make Lutsk attractive for young people, encouraging them to choose it as their place of residence in the future. Many of our projects are implemented thanks to our European partners, which helps us minimize city budget expenses while attracting more donor funds. During a full-scale war, this is precisely the opportunity we must take advantage of,” – noted Ihor Polishchuk.
“The Ukrainian Urban Forum brings together a community interested in discussing a value that is key for Cedos – the equal right of all people to decent living conditions. In its modern format, the forum has been held since 2018. Over the years, it has taken place in Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Vinnytsia, and Chernivtsi.
For the past seven years, the forum has explored opportunities for fair spatial and social development, with a particular focus on housing, mobility, the environment, urban planning, and participation.
The forum is organized by Cedos with the support of the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Ukraine. Local partners include the Algorithm of Actions platform and Urban Vision Lutsk.
The main information partner is the urban platform Mistosite.
Department of informational work,
Department of International Cooperation and Project Activities