Over the past months, we have had the privilege of contributing to Lviv North, an international Test Planning project exploring the long-term future of one of the city's most strategic development areas. Rather than delivering a fixed masterplan, the process brought together international and Ukrainian expertise to explore how urban planning can support resilient, healthy and inclusive reconstruction in post-war Ukraine. Through a series of workshops, design sessions and open discussions, ideas were continuously tested, challenged and refined in close dialogue with local stakeholders, experts and partner teams.

Together with Drozdov & Partners, we developed a vision centred on the idea of a City of Communities: a landscape-led urban framework where neighbourhoods grow incrementally, nature structures development, and healthcare, mobility and public life become the foundation for long-term resilience. Rather than focusing on individual projects, the proposal demonstrates how reconstruction can create complete, adaptable communities that evolve over time while strengthening both ecological and social systems.

This week, the results of the Test Planning were presented during the Lviv Urban Forum, where the five international teams shared their visions with representatives of the City of Lviv, Ukrainian professionals, international experts and the wider public. The presentations marked the culmination of an inspiring collaborative process and opened an important dialogue on the future of urban development in Ukraine. The diversity of ideas demonstrated how international cooperation, combined with strong local knowledge, can generate innovative and context-sensitive approaches to reconstruction.

The Lviv North Test Planning is initiated by the City of Lviv together with the Swiss Network with Ukraine, in collaboration with the City of Zurich, the Canton of Zurich, and local organiser Studio Zmist. We are sincerely grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this inspiring initiative and to support the future development of Ukraine through planning that is collaborative, open and focused on the long term.