Urban Hacks are a format of democratic participatory methodology for urban planning. Urban Hacks provide a fast, inclusive, and democratic way to address urban challenges in war time and post- war Ukraine. In the context of Ukraine’s post-war recovery, there is a pressing need for participatory planning tools that empower local communities, strengthen collaboration between citizens and municipalities, and integrate heritage into the rebuilding process. Urban Hack responds to these needs by combining creative problem-solving with real spatial and social impact.
Download pdf:
- Urban Forums for inclusive decision on rebuilding with heritage (EN) (coming soon)
- Урбан-форуми для інклюзивного процесу ухвалення рішень щодо відбудови з урахуванням спадщини (UKR) (coming soon)
UREHERIT partner organizations, leading the working group:
Estonian Association of Architects (EAA/) (Estonia) and
Ro3kvit Urban Coalition for Ukraine (Ro3kvit) (Ukraine)
Aims and goals
The aim of the project was to organize 4 Urban Hacks to pilot this format of participatory urban planning methodology. All 4 Urban Hacks have been organized successfully by July 2025. Results of Urban Hacks will be published in podcast format.
Process, method of working
Between autumn 2024 and summer 2025, four Urban Hacks were implemented in Zhytomyr, Kalush and Lviv. There were two Urban Hacks in Zhytomyr for two different locations. Each Urban Hack spanned three (2 day hack, 1 day pre-event/site visit) days and followed a structured methodology.
Each event engaged approximately 30–40 participants, representing a diverse group of stakeholders, including architects, urban planners, students, municipal officials, and local community members. The working process advanced systematically from the identification of local needs and spatial challenges to the co-creation of participatory spatial and social solutions. This step-by-step, inclusive approach ensured meaningful collaboration between local actors and international experts, fostering dialogue, knowledge exchange, and community empowerment.
Key takeaways from urban hacks:
- Urban Hacks in Ukraine are crucially needed as a participatory methodology, and there should be more of them;
- Urban Hacks should be directed more towards smaller municipalities as they have more need for fresh ideas and will have more motivation to invest in the project, they are also more likely to carry out some of the results of the hacks;
- Urban Hacks are a great way to create professional networks that can lead to work opportunities;
- Urban Hacks bring in foreign professional expertise that is highly valued locally;
- Having more than 5-6 people in one group will make the group work inefficient;
- Usually, the teams that had foreign team leads performed better, and the level of the teamwork was closely related to the expertise of the team lead
- Most of the proposals for every location were visual, so it’s somewhat complicated to communicate later;
- Event participation certificates were sorely missed by participants;
- Safety first. Sometimes, group work had to continue in the shelter.
We believe there should be at least 300 Urban Hacks to fulfil a mission of changing mindsets and attitudes about participation, as the format is a highly effective and inclusive tool to envision the future of an area or tackle spatial problems. The topic or core challenge is always chosen in collaboration with the municipality, as they will be responsible for potential implementation. Overall, Urban Hack is an excellent instrument for rebuilding Ukraine, providing rapid solutions while promoting democratic planning practices and community participation.
During the Urban Forums in Ukraine, the working group made a web page for Urban Forums and renamed to Urban Hack www.urbanhack.eu .
“UREHERIT: Architects for heritage in Ukraine. Recreating identity and memory” is a project co-funded by the European Union under a dedicated call for proposals to support Ukrainian displaced people and the Ukrainian Cultural and Creative Sectors. The project is a cooperation between the consortium of 11 organizations: Architects Association of Lithuania (LT), Architects Sweden (SE), Federal Chamber of Architects and Chartered Engineers BKZT (AT), Royal Danish Academy, The Institute of Technology and Architecture IBT (DK), Romanian Order of Architects OAR (RO), The National Council of Architects, Planners, Landscapers and Conservationists CNAPPC (IT), Federal Chamber of German Architects BAK (DE), Estonian Association of Architects (EE), The National Union of Architects of Ukraine (UA), Ro3kvit: Urban Coalition for Ukraine (UA), Kharkiv School of Architecture (UA) with the Architects’ Council of Europe (EU) as associated partner.
GRP-EACEA-CREA-2023-COOP-UA-EXT
