The Goal
November 2023 — November 2025 р.
Bike Kitchen: Promoting Sustainable Mobility in Chernihiv
A project aimed at developing sustainable mobility and local democracy in Chernihiv.
The Process
Young urbanists, architects, and city planners from Ukraine and Germany joined forces to collaboratively work on transforming public spaces. One of the project’s key focuses was the redevelopment of the courtyard at the Chernihiv Regional Youth Center. A concept was developed, and the results were presented online to the local community. “When working with public space, it’s important not to transform it all at once — not to design it as something that radically shifts from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’, but rather to anticipate iteration. Every change leads to new changes.”
The project included a series of online activities such as webinars, virtual conferences, and video tours of creative public spaces — all of which served as powerful tools for sharing knowledge and experience among participants. Participants explored the core principles of tactical urbanism, methods of engaging communities in public space planning, as well as upcycling and sustainable urban development. The guidebook “Small Initiatives that Change Cities: Tactical Urbanism Tools” became a key resource for driving change within communities.
You can view the guide at the following link:
Revitalization Concept for the Youth Center Courtyard
Through an online presentation, the community of Chernihiv had the opportunity to learn about the developed concept and discuss the next steps in transforming the public space. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the courtyard development concept was presented in the format of an open online conference. A printed version was also displayed in the Youth Center’s premises, where residents could explore it over a three-month period.
A series of tactical art and architectural workshops were held in the courtyard of the Youth Center, actively engaging local youth. Street furniture was built, an urban farm was created, perennial plants were planted, and a series of graffiti artworks were implemented.
The project became a significant step in promoting tactical urbanism and sustainable approaches to developing public spaces — empowering young urbanists and communities to co-create more comfortable, resilient, and responsive urban environments.
The Results
- 23 young urbanists from Ukraine and Germany collaborated in an online format.
- A courtyard development concept was designed for the Youth Center in Chernihiv.
- The guidebook “Small Initiatives that Change Cities: Tactical Urbanism Tools” was developed.
- 5 workshops were held on tactical urbanism, greening, and street art.
- A series of online tours of public spaces in Ukraine and Germany was created.
Supported by donors and partners
