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Longterm plan for education in critical reconstruction EN
The development of the course Critical Reconstruction and Heritage within the project
«UREHERIT. Architects for Heritage in Ukraine. Recreating Identity and Memory»
emerged in response to a range of pressing challenges currently faced by the
architectural profession in Ukraine. It reflects a growing need to rethink the role of
heritage in contemporary design practice.
The first key motivation for launching the course is the urgent need to respond to
global challenges related to the redefinition of heritage as a resource for sustainable
development. In Ukraine, there is a strong tradition of working with heritage within
the monument protection paradigm, where the dominant (and often exclusive)
approaches are restoration and conservation. Within this framework, built heritage
primarily serve a representative function as symbols of Ukraine’s centuries-old
cultural legacy. However, there is now a pressing need to shift the focus: from
understanding heritage as an object to be preserved, toward seeing heritage as a
subject imbued with social values and developmental potential. This shift implies a
move away from a narrow focus on officially recognized heritage included in national
or local registers toward a broader, community-driven understanding of heritage as
a meaningful part of everyday experience.
The need to build strong connections between heritage and sustainability is further
emphasized by the critical condition of many heritage sites in Ukrainian cities and
towns. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, numerous monuments were
transferred from state ownership to local communities, often without the necessary
resources, expertise, or mechanisms for effective management. As a result, heritage in
many regions has suffered significant neglect or destruction. Today, it is essential to
assign new social and economic functions to heritage, integrating it into community
life. Achieving this requires professional knowledge and tools that can transform
heritage from a burden into an asset with the potential to drive cultural, social, and
economic development.
The second key factor stems from Ukraine’s local context. Russia’s war against
Ukraine has exposed critical vulnerabilities in the protection of cultural heritage
across the country. It has highlighted the urgency of documenting heritage sites, developing effective protection strategies, and creating clear approaches for the
recovery of damaged or destroyed building and sites. At the same time, the war has
deepened the public’s awareness of cultural heritage as a cornerstone of national
identity, playing a vital role in the psychological, social, and cultural recovery of
traumatized communities.
In times of war, cultural heritage becomes not only an object of preservation and
protection, but also a space for mobilizing memory, shaping shared experience,
building solidarity, and fostering dialogue. These new conditions impose evolving
professional requirements: architects, urban planners, museum professionals,
cultural managers, and community representatives must not only understand the
technical principles of heritage conservation but also know how to integrate heritage
into broader processes of post-war recovery, the development of resilient
environments, and the strengthening of social capital.
In this context, a course dedicated to heritage serves as a response to society’s
demand for a new generation of professionals capable of working with heritage as a
living instrument of spatial, social, and symbolic transformation.
GRP-EACEA-CREA-2023-COOP-UA-EXT
