An inspiring lecture by Mikael Colville-Andersen, a prominent urban designer, publicist, and recognized expert in the field of urbanism, was held on December 4, 2023, as part of the UniCities project.

The lecture focused on identifying patterns and preparing for the urban challenges caused by climate change. Known for his innovative approaches to urban planning and designing streets for the comfort of cyclists and pedestrians, the urbanist is constantly analyzing the experience that can be learned from crises, from the global pandemic to the war in Ukraine. He believes that a symbiosis of successful cases and innovative approaches will help design the cities of the future.

In Mikael’s opinion, people-centered planning is important for building cities for communities. Nowadays, smart cities are becoming increasingly popular. Still, since there is no consensus on the definition of this concept, it is extremely important to understand why and how to construct them.  He emphasized that before the invention of automobiles, cities were built for people, but after the Industrial Revolution, everything began to revolve around them. It is time to change this approach. Redefining this approach will help communities actively engage in planning and solving internal problems. In addition, the change of perspective will help to understand that technology, in cooperation with a people-centered approach, will help to create the urban oases of the future.

The urbanist is currently in Ukraine assisting in the redevelopment and rebuilding of Mykolaiv. During his time here, he realized that the world should adopt the best of Ukraine’s experience, especially the rapid adaptation to complex challenges. Mikael is an advocate for reducing the number of cars and is convinced that people should use environmentally friendly transport, so he donates used bicycles together with his NGO Bikes4Ukraine.org. He realizes that this initiative may seem premature or not entirely relevant in the context of war, but in fact, practice has shown that public transportation was not ready for so many displaced people. Therefore, bicycles help offload the transportation system and be convenient for use on destroyed roads. His initiative currently operates in more than 30 cities. About 900 bicycles have already found their new owners and contribute to the volunteer movement in Ukraine.

A car-centric approach based on copying unsuccessful urban experiences has created some difficulties that modern cities are currently struggling with. For example, the issue of food security is extremely challenging, as there are no established mechanisms to ensure its provision in critical situations.

Thus, it is no wonder that cities are changing their approach, thinking about how many people they can accommodate and provide them with comfortable spaces made for them, not cars.  For example, Paris, one of the leading implementers of urban change, is reclaiming water canals as a way of transportation. In addition, they are developing urban farms, parks, and even forests to provide greenery, food, better ecology, and natural reserves right within the city. These bold approaches to space transformation have already allowed the transformation of parking lots into modern urban farms while turning roads into forests. Other cities, such as Copenhagen, Seoul, and many others, are also adopting the same practice.

Mikael says that small changes and basic proactivity can bring beneficial changes to society and cities. This is what he sees in the example of Ukrainians. The world will have to make a lot of efforts to change cities for the better, but it is extremely important to have the courage to move forward. This is especially true when it comes to adapting cities to climate change, as it is affecting us now, and we must make every effort to prevent these changes. Mikael shared vivid examples of how recycling and initiative help citizens in this difficult task. For example, in Medellin, Colombia, citizens have installed special solar-powered lights that not only save resources but also make life more comfortable. In Buenos Aires, solar energy has helped to improve the water heating process. In another part of the world, in Taipei, an ecological park was built from recycled bottles.

Everything starts with each of us. Only we can make the world around us more comfortable and environmentally friendly. Even now, when conducting workshops for children on urbanism, he sees that the future is in good hands.

Mikael Colville-Andersen’s lecture not only became an incredible event for the participants but also contributed valuable ideas to the UniCities project and approaches to modern urbanization challenges.