Green Infrastructure concept development for the city of Okhtyrka in cooperation with "Urban Reform"
• Location: Okhtyrka, Ukraine• Year: 2024• Type: green infrastructure planning• Partner: NGO "Urban Reform"
Images source: https://okhtyrka.in/9/
As part of the cooperation:
- A green infrastructure development concept for the town of Okhtyrka was created.- Water management challenges in Ochtyrka were analyzed, and actions to restore the natural water cycle within the town were developed.- The zoning of green areas was conducted for informed spatial planning, considering the needs of urban wildlife for ecological resilience.- The existing state of the natural environment was analyzed, the level of connectivity of ecological nodes was assessed, and the effects of negative ecological factors were identified.- Nine main strategies to strengthen the town's green framework were developed: from renaturalization actions of surface waters and expansion of nature-based solutions in the most built-up areas of the town to bold directions such as giving functional uses to the consequences of wartime actions (e.g., using explosion craters as bioretention ponds).- A SWOT analysis of the town's adaptation to climate change was conducted, and recommendations for climate change adaptation were proposed.
As a result, the town received a clear vision of the value of its natural potential, the main threats, and strategic directions for the preservation and restoration of nature within the town. The green infrastructure concept created by Deep Eco became an integral part of the urban vision developed for the town by the Urban Reform team.
More about the project here: https://okhtyrka.in/
The project was implemented by NGO "Urban Reform" and NGO "Street Culture Okhtyrka" with the support of the Okhtyrka City Council.
Okhtyrka is a small town in northeastern Ukraine. Formerly a fortress and the oil capital of Ukraine, modern-day Okhtyrka is in a crisis situation. The war has significantly impacted the town's economy and social sphere.
Ecological restoration of Ukraine is an important aspect of Deep Eco's activities, so we gladly agreed to develop a green infrastructure concept for the town to restore natural capital, which in turn will contribute to the well-being of the town's residents.
Okhtyrka has incredibly rich nature in its vicinity and preserved wetlands within the town itself. Therefore, our task was to highlight the unique role of aquatic ecosystems in climate and environmental resilience and to present practical recommendations to the local community for the ecological restoration of urban space.
Team Leader, Oleh Bykh
The project was implemented by NGO "Urban Reform" and NGO "Street Culture Okhtyrka" with the support of the Okhtyrka City Council.