Mariupol Reborn: Ukraine's Post-War Urban Regeneration Plan

Mariupol, a Ukrainian city razed by Russian forces, faces a dual reality: Russian occupation authorities are rapidly constructing housing and infrastructure for propaganda purposes, while the exiled Ukrainian mayor Vadym Boychenko leads the Mariupol Reborn project, the largest urban regeneration initiative in Europe since WWII. The project has garnered support from Utrecht, Vilnius, Gdansk, Lviv, and cities across Poland and Ireland. A pilot phase is underway in Dnipro, building dormitories for displaced residents with French government aid. The Mariupol Reborn Academy in Dnipro has established 12 guidelines and over 150 projects. Plans include transforming the Azovstal steel plant site into an art and entertainment center with a memorial. Separately, Italy is aiding the restoration of Odesa's Transfiguration Cathedral, damaged by a missile strike in July 2023. A delegation including MAXXI Foundation president Alessandro Giuli, Triennale president Stefano Boeri, UNESCO director Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, and Italian ambassador Pier Francesco Zazo will survey damaged sites. A Laboratory for the Reconstruction of Ukraine will be presented in Milan at the end of October.