The culmination of the 2023 Fall semester at the University of Virginia saw a contingent of students from UVA’s School of Architecture travel to Washington, D.C., to discuss ideas for rebuilding the war-torn eastern Ukrainian city of Izium upon a special invite from the U.S. Department of State. 

Together with Professor Suzanne Moomaw, the cohort of 23 students who participated in the school’s Ukraine Green Recovery Lab were delegated to the National Museum of American Diplomacy in order to present their research to State Department officials, other government representatives, and the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova. 

Highlighting topography and other similarities between Izium and Charlottesville, the students presented six phases of a proposed redevelopment to those assembled. What they took away from it was a rewarding experience delivering findings that will, in turn, be presented to the people of Izium for feedback. All in attendance report to have engaged positively with the students, who will now impart their experiences in future professional and academic efforts in planning and restorative urban designo. 

“It was fantastic. There were alumni there, dignitaries from the State Department and staffers, and people from other Washington-area organizations,” Moomaw said. “The Ukrainian ambassador stayed the entire time. It was the opportunity that very, very few students, undergraduate or graduates, get – to present their work to high-level decision-makers.”

The project, which is being facilitated through the State Department's Diplomacy Lab, is also being pursued with other Ukrainian cities that are now working with students from MIT and the University of Pennsylvania. “For me, the most important part of the project was providing hope for the Ukrainian people through our designs. Hope for a safer and more sustainable future and a reminder that the United States stands with Ukraine,” third-year undergraduate Sydney Sloat added. 

Other rebuilding master plans from architects like Norman Foster and other Ukrainian architects have also been presented since February of 2022. The most recent Ukrainian government estimates have accounted for at least $143.8 billion in damages to the country's buildings and infrastructure in that timeframe. 

More information about the UVA students' research can be found here.