Work on the Podil Embankment restoration strategy began last year with the "Podil Circle" study by the Change Agents and the Closed Architectural Competition to develop the concept of the New Podil public space, commissioned by the SAGA Development and Perfect Group.
After presenting the study results and determining the competition winners, the Change Agents team continued to work on the concept of transformation of the territory near the Dnipro River and identified the key principles for its development:
- Accessible. The main task of the Embankment development concept is to restore the access to water for people through the renovation of the Dnipro area occupied by industrial enterprises that are currently operating inefficiently. The New Podil project, which provides the restoration of the block development and the formation of pedestrian connections with the Embankment, will be the first such project.
- Active. Although the Embankment itself is a "magnet" for the locals, the various activities and required infrastructure will act as "points of attraction" and create a high quality public space around them. According to the Change Agents, such points of attraction will be the public space under the Podil Bridge junction, the cultural centre of New Podil and the city beach.
- Clean. One of the priorities is to clean up the Dnipro water area near the new district. Today, the main causes of water pollution are: an outdated system of collectors and sewage treatment plants. With the support of state institutions and city authorities, it will be possible to solve these problems.
According to Andriy Vavrysh, working with a team of Change Agents is just the beginning. The Podil Embankment improvement cannot take place without the involvement of a large number of stakeholders: developers, architects, urbanists, local authorities, locals, businesses. Only stakeholder cooperation will enable the territory to be developed and filled with new meanings.
"We understand that the creation of new walking routes, up-to-date infrastructure and construction of recreation areas should be a coordinated process driven by one common idea. We believe in participation. By engaging experts in various fields, we will be able to implement a "new model" project."
