Regenerating Mykolaiv and its waterfront for a resilient future in post-conflict urban environments

Mykolaiv is a city in southern Ukraine, located at the confluence of two major rivers and connected to the Black Sea. This unique geographic position has historically established Mykolaiv as a key transport hub, integrating sea, river, road, rail, and air infrastructure. In this context, mobility plays a fundamental role in both economic activity and urban connectivity.

However, the challenge is particularly complex since Mykolaiv is a post-conflict urban environment, where uncertainty and rapid change demand a new approach to planning. Mobility strategies must respond not only to current conditions but also to long-term recovery and transformation goals.

Systematica contributed to the development of the concept masterplan for Mykolaiv, as part of a multidisciplinary team led by Oneworks under the UN4UkrainianCities initiative promoted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

The overarching objective was to support the urban revitalization of the city, with a strong focus on sustainability, resilience, and citizens’ wellbeing.

Within this framework, Systematica developed a comprehensive mobility strategy aimed at transforming the city’s transport landscape, promoting a sustainable, efficient, and livable urban environment.

The strategy addressed multiple layers of mobility, including:

• Railway and road networks
• Public transport systems
• Parking management strategies
• Soft mobility infrastructure

The project was grounded in a detailed analysis of Mykolaiv’s pre-conflict urban and mobility conditions, an approach combining qualitative and quantitative benchmarking, alignment with international policies, and integration of global mega trends to guide the mobility strategy.

Key proposals included:

• Reducing the barrier effect of the railway network to improve urban connectivity
• Redesigning streets and implementing bypass routes to divert heavy vehicle traffic away from the city center and improve urban liveability
• Developing a flexible, efficient, and multimodal public transport system, featuring mobility corridors, feeder services, water transport, and mobility hubs
• Introducing parking management strategies, including paid parking and park-and-ride facilities to support modal shifts towards sustainable transport options
• Implementing a city-wide cycling network and enhancing waterfront accessibility
• Promoting the adaptive reuse of transport infrastructure to support evolving urban needs

Systematica’s contribution provided stakeholders with a clear, strategic framework to guide urban regeneration and mobility transformation, enabling informed decision-making in a highly complex context.

The impact of the masterplan can also be felt through newly proposed pilot like the Mykolaiv Health Route, on which Systematica continues to collaborate as part of a multidisciplinary team.

This project highlights how mobility can act as a catalyst for recovery, supporting not only movement, but also social cohesion, environmental improvement, and long-term urban resilience.