Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov and UN architect Thâmara Fortes unveiled a new master plan for reconstructing Kharkiv during the 2026 World Urban Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan, held between 17 and 22 May. The plan aims to guide rebuilding efforts in one of Ukraine’s most heavily damaged cities since Russia’s full-scale invasion began.
According to Terekhov, around 13,000 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, including approximately 10,000 residential buildings, leaving about 160,000 people without homes. “We need to rebuild regardless of the war, because if there is no reconstruction there will be only ruins, and those who left will not return,” he said.
The reconstruction strategy, developed under the UN4UkrainianCities initiative led by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), emphasizes sustainable infrastructure, affordable housing, innovative public spaces, and economic renewal. It includes five major pilot initiatives: restoring the historical center, transforming industrial riverbanks into green corridors along a 25-kilometre riverfront, creating a science and technology district near universities, reimagining coal-dependent industrial zones as clean manufacturing hubs, and implementing housing policy reforms.
Fortes, an architect and programme manager with UNECE, stressed the importance of integrating long-term planning with urgent needs. “The country is still under attack, and emergency work is still very much needed. But recovery and reconstruction have to happen in parallel,” she said. “We are moving from concepts to implementation. Not only analysing and assessing but also giving cities something they can actually build.”
Specific projects include a redesign of the heavily damaged North Saltivka district, featuring five residential blocks and a kindergarten with energy-efficient insulation, modular expansions, and structural reinforcements. New housing incorporates dual-use underground areas that serve as parking in peacetime and shelters during attacks—a concept partly inspired by Finland’s civil defense infrastructure. “In peacetime, it can be a parking lot. In wartime, it becomes a shelter,” Fortes said. Some kindergartens and schools are also being designed with underground learning spaces.
Fortes noted the persistent disruptions faced by residents. “Sometimes there is no electricity. Sometimes no internet. Sometimes people are in underground shelters. So, we learned that the project needs to constantly adapt to the realities of the cities.” She added, “The crisis happens at the local level – on your street, in your house. Cities need to be prepared.”