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Case studies

Participants and experts were divided into six working groups, all working on their own case study. For Drohobych, Kherson, Klesiv, Okhtyrka, Voznesensk this meant the third time that they are involved with Panorama Ukraine, after also collaborating on both Neighborhoods workshops (in the Netherlands in June 2024 and in Ukraine in September 2024). The sixth case study Vynnitsia participated for the first time. One of the goals of Panorama Ukraine is to collaborate with the local representatives from the municipalities, to make sure that our project fit with the local needs. As workshop leader Gerjan Streng reflected: “These three days also show that this approach of collaborating, coming from different backgrounds, proves its value and can be applied in a similar form in practice. At these 6 locations, and many others.” For this workshop, we were very grateful that representatives from Kherson, Klesiv and Okhtyrka traveled to Rotterdam to join us in person. With the other three municipalities we were in touch digitally before and during the workshop.

Energy group leaders

Because the topic of Energy is also closely related to fields besides architecture and urban design, we brought experts with different backgrounds together for this workshop. We coupled energy specialists with architects and urbanists, to make sure that every group could look at the task from both perspectives. The different working groups were guided by experts from offices and NGO’s such as Bright (NL), Fabrications (NL), Rethink (UA), Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation (UA), Generation.Energy (NL), Urban Synergy (NL), Rebel Architects (NL) and CEE Bankwatch Netwerk (UA).

Next to the 12 group leaders, we also had two workshop leaders present. Gerjan Streng (Bright) was joining us as Dutch workshop leader and Roman Zinchenko (Green Cubators) as his Ukrainian counterpart. Their responsibility was to engage with all the groups, deliver constructive feedback, present diverse perspectives, and effectively guide the research process as a whole.

Participants and experts

This time, 18 participants joined us to contribute to the research groups. Participants came from Ukraine, the Netherlands, Bangladesh and Mexico.

Sven Stremke (Professor Landscape Architecture at Wageningen University and Research) joined us on Wednesday morning to open the workshop with a lecture on the Power of Landscape. On Thursday, workshop leader Roman Zinchenko provided us with insights into the Ukrainian energy system and energy expert Vaagn Mnatsakanian (former representative from Mariupol, currently working at the municipality of Arnhem) was present to share his extensive knowledge with all the groups.

Conclusions and follow up

Since people came from different backgrounds, the first challenge was to find a way to communicate with each other. “After three days of working on a common understanding of our energy system in relation to urban structures, we have found a shared language in typologies and communities,” says Gerjan Streng. Results of the workshop were presented by the groups on Friday afternoon, ranging from local action plans to long-term visions. “A key revelation for me was the importance of forward-thinking approaches rather than rebuilding what was lost. While the phrase "build back better" has become common in reconstruction contexts, our participants embraced "building forward" as their guiding principle and it is a key principle for further efforts,” reflects Roman Zinchenko.

All presentations in one way or another achieved the goal of breaking free from fossil fuel dependency. From the first presentation onwards, it is clear that people in Ukraine are vulnerable to energy poverty and the land is taken over by energy producers, while the consumption of energy is getting problematic in these times of war. All groups worked out great ways of empowering local communities and creating a low-term sustainable vision for the contexts they were working with. Through joint work across six cases studies, participants explored how energy shapes communities and how communities can reshape their energy future.

Drohobych: Researchers proposed engaging Donetsk National Technical University, soon based in Drohobych, to drive energy innovations aimed at flexibility and behavioral change, with a focus on eliminating energy poverty and ensuring access to affordable energy for residents.
Okhtyrka: The study emphasized rebuilding human capital in Okhtyrka, where population loss is significant and 3% of residents face cancer, while also prioritizing schools and kindergartens as critical infrastructure and suggesting five steps to achieve municipal energy efficiency.
Voznesensk: Researchers recommended prioritizing solutions for housing, industry, and mixed-use areas, including the installation of solar panels in residential backyards and fostering collaboration between industry and agriculture for local biogas production.
Vinnytsia: The research team developed an educational game for young professionals and communities in Vinnytsia to simulate energy sustainability scenarios in diverse contexts, positioning the tool as a resource for municipal decision-making.
Klesiv: For Klesiv, the study proposed addressing energy security, water sanitation, and air pollution by transforming quarry waste heaps into solar energy sites, promoting energy independence while improving environmental conditions.
Kherson: Researchers envisioned Kherson's future by suggesting a 100-year strategy involving the relocation of its port and industries, alongside biofuel production and the creation of a biomass supply chain for regional development.

We aim to organize a follow up workshop on the same topic next year in Ukraine. Please subscribe to our newsletter if you want to stay up to date!