The renowned British architect Norman Foster It will help plan the reconstruction of Ukraine after the devastation caused by the Russian invasion, officials said on Friday as they presented the work of a United Nations group coordinating the project.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, which has been hit by Russian bombing, will be at the forefront of the campaign, Mayor Ihor Terekhov and Foster said in video conference presentations in Geneva.
“This is an extraordinary opportunity to combine the best, the most beloved aspects of a city, with the city of the future, which the mayor has so eloquently described to me,” said Foster, whose works include the “Gherkin” tower. London and the HSBC headquarters in Hong Kong.
Terekhov said he will focus on the development of unique neighborhoods and high-tech industrial parks to breathe new life into the city.
“About 25% of the housing stock in the city of Kharkov is destroyed because the shelling has not ended yet,” he said. Infrastructures, administrative buildings, schools and kindergartens will also have to be rebuilt, he noted.
Work began last month on the Kharkov master plan, which officials say could serve as a model for other Ukrainian cities.
The Russian invasion of UkraineNow in its 11th week, it has killed thousands of people, displaced more than 11 million, and leveled cities and towns.
Moscow calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation” to disarm Ukraine and protect it from fascists. kyiv and its Western supporters say this is a false pretext for waging an unprovoked war of aggression.