Urban Recovery Guide

Dozens of our cities and villages were destroyed in Ukraine due to the war unleashed by Russia. Kindergartens, schools, houses, yards, and streets are in ruins. We believe we will rebuild all the destroyed cities and improve them. However, this is a challenging and long-term mission that requires the efforts of numerous specialists and organizations.

In order to speed up the course, we have compiled a Urban Recovery Guide. It includes the best global practices for designing and creating comfortable cities. We have collected standard solutions for designing streets, arranging houses, planning yards, and much more.

Zones

This chapter describes the main construction types present in Ukrainian cities. Each type is accompanied by layouts and recommended solutions for improvement and reconstruction. These recommendations apply both to individual buildings within the construction framework and complex territory development.

Yards

This chapter describes the main types of yards found within various construction types and their arrangement and content parameters. The principles of yard zoning and methods of separating private and semi-private territories from publicly accessible public spaces are provided.

Squares

This chapter describes the main varieties of city squares and recommends options for their arrangement. Distributing the territory between different activities and types of mobility is determined depending on the primary function of the square.

Streets

This chapter describes the main types of streets and roads most common in Ukrainian cities: pedestrian, combined bicycle and pedestrian streets, residential streets, major streets of district and city significance, and unregulated roads. Layouts and key features of each type are provided, as well as recommendations for improvement and reconstruction.

Facades

This chapter contains recommendations on organising the building entrance lobbies under various level differences and provides rules for arranging facades. Here, one can learn signboards' types, sizes, and placement rules.

Pedestrians

This chapter provides general recommendations for the organisation of sidewalks and pedestrian crossings. The types of pedestrian zones, their sizes, recommended materials, arrangement rules, and implementation examples are described.

Landscaping

This chapter provides recommendations for landscaping the city and setting up green areas. The city's blue-green network's key elements are described, ensuring its climate stability, contributing to the development of urban biodiversity and establishing a healthy urban environment.

Bicycle network

This chapter contains the principles of the urban bicycle network. Recommendations on the organisation of cycle lanes, cycle crossings, and cycle paths are provided. The main parameters of the elements of the urban bicycle infrastructure are briefly outlined: dimensions, markings, materials, protection elements, waiting areas, and road signs.

Public transport

This chapter includes recommendations for arranging public transport lanes and bus stops. Types of stop facilities and options for their combination with bicycle paths are described. The recommended distances between the objects and types of markings and materials are provided.

Cars

This chapter presents recommendations for arranging traffic lanes based on the principles of safety and predictability of the behaviour of all road users. Examples of organising streets with regulated and unregulated traffic and arranging driveways and lanes for making a left turn are provided.

Places

This chapter provides recommendations for placing various types of activity areas. The latter can be located in courtyards, squares, parks, and other public spaces of the city. Their arrangement parameters, content options, and combining ways are described.

Objects

This chapter provides a description and recommended options for installing the street infrastructure elements: street furniture, navigation signs, lighting elements, road signs, advertising media, etc. Values of standard dimensions, recommendations on production materials and application of each object are presented.

Design

This Guide was designed in patterns of people restoring various objects, streets, buildings, landscaping, bicycle network, and pedestrian crossings. Everyone joined the reconstruction of cities: men, women, older people, people with disabilities, and children.

Many thanks to the dozens of experts working on this Guide. You are the best!