The reconstruction of Ukraine poses enormous challenges for cities and municipalities. Urban resilience is a key issue in creating liveable and resilient urban structures for the future. It is not just about the physical reconstruction of destroyed infrastructure - rather, sustainable, adaptable and future-proof urban structures must be created that can cope with crises such as military conflicts, climate change and socio-economic upheaval. At the Chair of Urban Planning at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU), we are working intensively on the development of resilience strategies for the reconstruction of Ukrainian cities.

As part of the project "Strengthening urban resilience in the areas of supply infrastructure and housing in Ukraine (SUR)", which is being implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, we are developing scientific foundations for resilient neighborhood development. Our focus is on:

- Methods for assessing urban resilience
- Integration of resilience into urban development strategies
- Reconstruction approaches for sustainable and safe neighborhoods
- Participation of local actors and knowledge transfer

Together with our partners, we develop planning tools that support cities and municipalities in adapting their neighborhoods to new challenges and managing reconstruction in a targeted manner.

In specialist workshops, we discuss resilient urban development with urban planners, architects, scientists and representatives of Ukrainian cities. The focus will be on data-based analyses, climate adaptation and critical infrastructure.

The resilience index developed by HafenCity University Hamburg (HCU) will in future provide a scientifically sound basis for prioritizing reconstruction measures in Ukrainian cities.

At the 2nd German-Ukrainian expert workshop on 14 February 2025 in Berlin, more than 30 experts from science, urban planning and administration came together to discuss resilient districts.
- Mindaugas Pakalnis, former chief architect of Vilnius, presented strategies for reconstruction after the Russian occupation.
- Experts at RPTU Kaiserslautern and HCU Hamburg presented criteria for resilient neighbourhood development in order to prioritize reconstruction measures.
- INSAR Berlin and Ro3kvit Kyiv presented case studies for Ukrainian cities that provide approaches for sustainable and resilient urban structures.

The city administrations of Poltava and Nizhyn expressed their gratitude for the cooperation and plan to use the concept of resilient neighborhoods as a basis for their urban development projects.
We look forward to further professional cooperation and exchange with our partners for sustainable and resilient urban development in Ukraine.