Karres en Brands is honoured to be one of five teams invited to contribute to future development scenarios for Northern Lviv, as part of a comprehensive test-planning process initiated by the Swiss Network with Ukraine (SNU), in partnership with the City of Lviv and the City and Canton of Zurich.
The project, titled Lviv North: Test Planning, brings together five interdisciplinary teams composed of Ukrainian, European, and Swiss planning offices. Together, they are reimagining a 690-hectare area along the city’s northern edge through strategic proposals addressing housing, healthcare, infrastructure, and social spaces. The outcomes of the process will form the basis for a new masterplan and contribute to Lviv’s long-term, sustainable urban development.
Within this test-planning initiative, Karres en Brands collaborates with Lviv-based studio Drozdov & Partners. Starting from the landscape as a structuring framework, the team explores how ecological systems and existing urban patterns can guide a resilient and adaptable future for Lviv North. The vision frames development as a long-term, human-centred process that supports diverse communities while strengthening everyday liveability and social cohesion.
About the project
Launched in 2025, the test-planning process applies the Swiss test-planning method, which brings multiple interdisciplinary teams together to work in parallel. Their proposals are evaluated and discussed by an independent advisory board, enabling comparison, exchange, and synthesis of ideas.
The first workshop with all participating teams took place in November in Lviv, combining site visits and joint working sessions. Subsequent workshops are planned for March and early July 2026. In spring, local residents will be invited to actively contribute to shaping the emerging vision for the district.
The results of the test-planning process will be presented at the Lviv Urban Forum 2026, where the five proposals will be shared and discussed. Following the forum, the outcomes will be synthesised and translated into updated urban planning documentation, providing a strategic framework for the future development of Northern Lviv.