Talk to UN News An hour after fierce shelling set fire to the city, Mr Rosenfeld said his concept of “Kharkiv is a border city” is now being sketched amid the rubble.
Mr Rosenfeld, who was born and raised in Kharkiv, said: “Looking at the panorama of the city from the panoramic windows and the smoke from the fire, you understand that our city is proud of itself, feel smart. , is educated and knows his worth.
Ruined buildings in Kharkiv.
The master plan is currently in the works, developed on a voluntary basis by the Norman Foster Foundation together with a group of local architects and urban planners as well as with an Advisory Council of experts. international.
Supported by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) through a pilot project, the newly created UN4Kharkiv task force united 16 UN agencies and international organizations. economy, with Mr. Rosenfeld volunteering as a local expert.
Maxim Rosenfeld, an architect from Kharkiv.
The dynamics are always changing in the midst of war
He explained: “It is impossible to understand what is happening here from a distance. “It is difficult to understand even from the inside because the situation is always fluctuating. It changes all the time. We scheduled a Zoom meeting, and then the nightly shelling. For example, when we talk about energy security, the situation completely changes.”
He says he “loves” his city, makes movies about it, and can talk about its history and people for hours. Since the beginning of the war, when Kharkiv began to be systematically shelled, many people moved to other parts of Ukraine or abroad, but he said he never thought of leaving. Go.
The total damage caused to Ukraine’s housing sector since the Russian invasion is estimated at more than $50 billion. According to the City Council of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, 3,367 apartment buildings and 1,823 single-family houses were destroyed along with urban infrastructure.
Kharkiv Street in 2023.
Ukraine’s ‘Wild West’
The border city is “Ukraine’s Wild West,” said Mr. Rosenfeld, referring to its mid-17th-century beginnings.
“People who come here are willing to take risks to take advantage of the opportunities that are opening up,” he said, providing an overview of its rich history, from its changing character at the beginning of the century. 19th century when a university was built until its early 20th century role as the capital of Soviet Ukraine.
“I have always believed that we have a lot in common with Berlin,” he said. “Now I don’t compare Kharkiv with anything. It is the only one. To understand it, you have to come and live here.”
The multicultural, multinational city, he said, is a convergence of students from Africa to Asia to study and live, adding that Kharkiv’s border features “are in the code.” its genetics”.
Kharkiv city center.
Kharkiv Dream: Stop Bombing
The people of Kharkiv were invited to take part in a survey focused on the city’s reconstruction, but many fled the daily attacks and those who remained at the time dreamed of one thing: to stop bombing. , Mr. Rosenfeld said.
Their voices were heard, he said. Noting that bomb shelters built in the Soviet Union’s Kharkov nearly a century ago have been rebuilt to cope with the new reality, he said only one out of 11 current proposals by the ants Architects and engineers have security frameworks.
“Today, a ‘modern’ bomb shelter is an underground factory, underground universities and event centers, which must be dual-use facilities,” Mr Rosenfeld said. .
Cultural life is back
Since 2022, despite continued shelling over the past month and a half, “a large number of people” have returned to Kharkiv and cultural life has resumed in the city, Mr Rosenfeld said.
“We recently attended a wonderful performance based on a play written two months ago about current events,” said the architect, noting that a music festival jazz is being held.
Despite air raid sirens, he said, the performances continued.
Indeed, Kharkiv’s concept of the future was born from the sound of air raid sirens, Rosenfeld recalled, adding that despite the current conditions, he and many of his colleagues felt feel “happy” when working on the project.
Kharkiv city center.
‘Do the right thing’
“It might sound terrible to some people, but at this point you know you’re doing something very important and necessary,” he said. “You want to be needed.”
After the war started, many people in Kharkiv, such as doctors and volunteers, understood that they were necessary and useful, he said.
“They don’t do it out of vanity; they just do the right thing,” he said. “Doing what I do gives me a tremendous sense of happiness. Our work with the UN is real, making the most of our abilities, talents, knowledge and skills. Yes, it involves such a tragedy, but you are happy because you are not vegetal. You are alive.”
