Second-largest population center of Ukraine, Kharkiv has suffered significant damage since the start of the country’s invasion, losing much of its infrastructure, including housing, hospitals, schools, cultural institutions and historic buildings. After a meeting with Ihor Terekhov, mayor of Kharkiv, Norman Foster declared his intention to coordinate the city’s reconstruction. Professors Ian Goldin of Oxford University and Ed Glaeser of Harvard University also spoke at the meeting, along with the co-heads of the Norman Foster Foundation’s design, architecture and technology units, Diego Lopez and Alberto Cendoya.

The mayor then shared his vision for creating a modern architectural landscape that is capable of preserving the buildings and public spaces that make up the city’s history and culture. Norman Foster also drafted a manifesto letter for the occasion, in which he emphasized the need for a new master plan as the first step in reconstruction, referring to the case of London after the Second World War. The British architect reiterated his commitment to bringing together a team of world-renowned experts who could envision the process of rebuilding the city and its future.

Opening image: Kharkiv, Ukraine. Photo Bohdan D. via Unsplash