The project was initiated, and is led by, senior lecturer Ragnar Lund at SBS.

Ragnar Lund Photo: Maria Stoetzer

The project grew out of experiences from the conference New European Bauhaus-conference in Brussels in the spring of 2022, and a visit to Lviv the same summer. The project has been developed in cooperation with Ro3kvit Urban Coalition for Ukraine and financed by the Swedish Institute (SI) through its Public Sector.

Innovation Programme whose purpose is to offer capacity enhancing education programmes for senior civil servants and elected officials in the public sector. The focus of the programme is innovation and renewal to support the implementation of Agenda 2030. 

The project’s main goal is to strengthen the competencies of decision-makers from five local, Ukrainian, communities situated along the front line, deeply afflicted by the war. The participants are supported in their work to develop pilot projects with the purpose to meet specific local challenges and foster sustainable development. The selected participants consist of teams from the five local governments; decision-makers, senior civil servants, community leaders and representatives from the private sector.  

This programme is a concrete action to strengthen sustainable urban planning in Ukraine. Its foundations are the principles of “action-learning” and ”action-research” to understand and improve local governments’ practical problems and challenges by combining learning, research and action. Long-term, the programme is striving to establish lasting networks and mentorships among the local governments. The goal is to foster sustainability and openness in urban planning which will support the local governments in their efforts to implement Agenda 2030.

The programme is module based and includes lectures, workshops both on-line and on-site, mentor-ships and exchange of experience. The duration of the programme is six months starting in the autumn of 2023. The programme includes subjects such as urban planning after conflicts, green transition, participation and inclusion, digital tools for transparency and effective control, management and finance, all adapted to the situation in Ukraine. The programme ends with all teams presenting their pilot projects at a conference in Stockholm. The goal is that the pilot projects, thereafter, should be financed and implemented by the participating local governments and their partners. The six month-programme culminates with a conference at the University of Stockholm with interaction among Ukrainian and Swedish actors.