Drohobych common spaces "Co-design" of the public space in Drohobych (UA)

Problem definition

After Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the cities in western Ukraine were faced with challenges for which they were not prepared: providing housing, social and medical infrastructure and jobs for internally displaced persons. The number of internally displaced persons kept fluctuating due to changing conditions. Some stayed here for a short time and moved on to Western European countries, others returned to their homeland, to the recaptured towns and villages, and still others decided (or were forced!) to stay.

Now, more than a year later, in the summer of 2023, we can observe relative stability in the movement of internally displaced persons. However, it is not only the provision of accommodation or infrastructure that remains important, but also the integration of these people into the life of the city. In public debates, we often hear of certain misunderstandings between "native" and "new" residents. Conflicts often arise due to language, mentality or other factors.

Project goals

- Supporting the integration of internally displaced persons in the new city

- Creating new narratives and at the same time preserving the self-identity of internally displaced persons

- Establishing a trilateral dialog between the "new", the local citizens and the local authorities

The dialog between the citizens and the "new" inhabitants of the city usually takes place in the public space. This space is an instrument for creating new narratives - it is the "living room" of the city, where every resident, regardless of age, gender or status, feels involved and identifies with it.

Our hypothesis: The integration of the "new" residents can be initiated through the shared use of "co-designed" spaces and participation in public events, workshops and project implementation. By contributing their ideas and resources to the creation or redesign of public space, refugees are given an environment that becomes part of their new story. In the course of the project, we will test this hypothesis and try to derive the principles and recommendations for the creation of shared spaces.

During the project, we worked on the following levels of objectives: Educational goals, design goals and social goals.

Educational goals

As part of the project, students developed skills for designing public spaces based on participatory processes and taking into account potential conflicts. The design ideas were implemented in pilot projects in the joint construction of street furniture.

Design goals

Development of design objectives for street furniture in public spaces in the urban context.

Social objectives

Involvement of urban stakeholders in the development of public space: residents, internally displaced persons, representatives of city administrations, NGOs and international experts. The aim was to initiate the development of new urban narratives.

The objectives were achieved in three phases:

Phase 1

The first phase comprised an inventory, using research methods such as sketches, mapping, photography and social research (interviews and surveys with the city's residents). In addition, the history and socio-economic aspects of the city were investigated. Places for interventions were identified and later (in phase 2) tested together in a workshop with residents of Drohobych and new citizens.

Phase 2

The second phase of the work involved a series of workshops with local stakeholders to identify locations and solutions for the development of public space in Drohobych:

1st workshop site search

15 areas were identified as potentially suitable for the development of public spaces. Criteria for the selection of sites for further development were defined together with local stakeholders.

Result:

As part of the workshop, three locations were selected for the development of public spaces together with local residents, "new citizens", representatives of local authorities and NGOs.

Location 1: "Kamenyar" in the street Ivan Mazepa 14
Site 2: "Park of Culture" between Ivan Franko and Lesia Ukrainka streets.
Location 3: "Dormitory 1-5" at 5 Volodymyr Velykyi Street

2nd workshop project proposals

The workshop included a presentation of project proposals and a discussion of design solutions. The proposed ideas were further developed into technical drawings and financial plans.

Phase 3

Between 24.07-28.07 2023, the students worked with local stakeholders to produce and install street furniture in the previously selected areas. The new spaces will be presented to the public and observed as part of further research.

More information can be found here.