Tactical urbanism in wartime Kyiv
In spring 2025, I spent five weeks volunteering with D.I.Y. Kyiv on a two-year tactical urbanism intervention at Kontraktova Square and an urban garden.
Working with architects and urbanists, I turned concepts into buildable structures despite material shortages and the unpredictability of a city at war.
Project at a glance
| organisation | D.I.Y. Kyiv, Ukraine |
| time | 5 weeks in spring 2025 |
| my role | designer builder coordinator |
| key skills | prototyping at 1:1 scale working under constraints collaboration with local groups |
| impact | re-designed desolate public square for everyday use |
| team size | 3 fixed + 2-8 volunteers |
press photos of the final outcomes in daily use
Kontraktova Square:
a two-year tactical intervention
D.I.Y. Kyiv re-imagined one of the cities most historic squares as a flexible, people-first public space. Trauma-sensitive design and accessibility were important voices in the room throughout the whole project.
my contributions ..
- co-designed, prototyped and built modular seating and play elements, a halfpipe, modular tables, planter boxes etc.
- prototyped, tested and refined scaffolding-based installations, including swings, seating zones and planters
- coordinated up to 8 local and international volunteers during construction
prototyping & testing ideas in our outdoor ‘workshop’
Urban garden:
activating a wasteland
Just a few steps away we transformed a wasteland into a small urban garden using low‑cost, modular timber structures assembled by volunteers.
Amid a country at war, the garden becomes a vital project, growing into a trauma‑sensitive sanctuary and community space where people can breathe, gather and momentarily remember what safety and connection feel like.
my contributions ..
- designed and built an easy-to-modify modular wall shelf system that gives new life to the existing concrete wall and enriches the garden’s overall atmosphere
- designed and built a table and benches from recycled beams, aiming for entirely screw‑free timber joinery and coming close, with only a few hidden fixings needed in the final build
outdoor furniture for the urban garden
Tactical benches:
reclaiming sidewalks from cars
In Kyiv, widespread sidewalk parking leaves little safe space for pedestrians.
I designed and prototyped two tactical benches that can be quickly dropped into these contested spots but are difficult to remove, reclaiming the sidewalks for people.
prototypes of my tactical bench designs
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