Join the Urban Revival in Ukraine

Don’t wait - build.
In a country scarred by war, we’re reclaiming broken urban spaces—turning bombed-out asphalt into pop-up parks, therapy gardens, and vibrant community commons. Every bench we place, every flower we plant, every sidewalk we free from cars is an act of resistance—and renewal.

Your support powers bold, visible change led by citizens who refuse to give up on their cities.

What We Do

A new chapter in urban transformation has begun in Ukraine, dedicated to revolutionizing public spaces across the country through tactical urbanism, sustainable architecture and citizen-led design. Renowned Danish urbanist Mikael Colville-Andersen, who currently lives in Ukraine to help rebuild, has teamed up with passionate Ukrainian volunteers to create a movement that aims to make Ukrainian cities more livable, resilient, and vibrant by importing best practices from around the world.

We empower communities to transform their urban neighborhoods through tactical urbanism and citizen engagement. These innovative approaches, still relatively new to Ukraine, enable residents to actively participate in reshaping their surroundings. By importing best practices and ideas from around the world, we ensure that our projects are both cutting-edge and tailored to local needs. Our mission is to make cities more livable, resilient, and inclusive—one neighborhood at a time. 

What Your Support Makes Possible - Current Projects

TORV Kyiv - (probably) the World's Largest Tactical Urbanism Project on Kontraktova Square, Kyiv

We are in the midst of spending June '25 implementing a massive pop-up urban space on an iconic square in Kyiv. On 11,000 m2 of asphalt we will employ tactical urbanism to put in benches, trees in planters and many activities for physical health in order to activate the space and benefit mental health. Your contribution will:

- help create a social hub for citizens in what is now just an empty asphalt wasteland

- help improve public health, social interaction and strengthen social bonds in the neighbourhood

- give Kyiv citizens an active, positive space with trauma-sensitive design

- Help us maintain the space for the project lifetime - until Sept. 26 - and then redistribute all the elements to other parts of the city and country

Community Garden in Podil, Kyiv (link)

We spent fall '24 and spring '25 clearing an abandoned plot of urban land and tranforming it into Podil Urban Farm are in the process of clearing a plot of land in this historical neighbourhood that has been abandoned since an 18th century building was torn down in 1985. It was walled off and forgotten. We are clearing out the garbage, landscaping and we will create a community garden for local citizens as well as a trauma sensitive "Zen Garden" for mental health. Funding goes to materials to build flowerbeds and to buy trees, soil - among other essential elements. By supporting us in our work on this community garden, you will:

- enable a citizen in Kyiv to grow food and strengthen their personal food security

- help develop interpersonal relationships in the neighbourhood which builds stronger social bonds and that is even more important in a war zone

- enable people to take part in gardening and improve their personal resilience for a lifetime, as well as the therapeutic benefits of garden therapy - also insanely important in a war zone

- improve the biodiversity of the garden and help tackle the heat island effect in the neighbourhood

Small-scale fixes - and activism

We are active in our neighbourhood daily. For example, we fix parklets with fresh paint and repair the benches and swings, leading to an exponential increase in their use. We've resurrected Soviet-era outdoor ping pong tables with new tops, turning them back into vibrant community hubs. Our homemade bollards keep cars off sidewalks, reclaiming pedestrian space, and we have now designed benches with planters to take back space, as well. We empower communities with "seed bomb" events—where locals create small packets of soil, clay, and seeds that explode into bursts of greenery, revitalizing barren areas. We engage children in urbanism workshops, giving them the tools and confidence to shape their future cities.

What we have done - and will continue doing

Nordic Therapy Garden (2024)

We designed and built the first Nordic Therapy Garden to heal mental trauma and PTSD in Kyiv in spring 2024 but we are still stewards of the space and need to maintain it and add elements. We built it with 1000 volunteers. Funding goes to workshops with professionals to disseminate the concept far and wide in Ukraine.

How We Will Use the Funds

This is a war zone in an invaded nation under constant threat of missile strikes. But it is still a country with cities and towns that can be designed better and that inspire citizens to live there.

At DIY Ukraine, the funds we raise through international crowdfunding will directly fuel our mission to transform urban neighborhoods across Kyiv and the rest of the country. With your support, we will expand our tactical urbanism projects, creating more vibrant, safe, and inclusive public spaces.

We'll use the funds to design and build parklets, public gardens, trauma-sensitive design of public space in the form of benches and facilities. We'll continue to restore and revitalize neglected areas with volunteers by repairing benches, caring for urban trees, planting new flora in the urban landscape. And we'll get a little more "in your face" by blocking motorist access to sidewalks and redemocratizing public space.

Why Tactical Urbanism Matters

- It’s fast, cheap, and transformative. We act now with what we have—planters, paint, benches, people. Tactical urbanism bypasses red tape and brings immediate, visible change.

- It cools and heals. Our interventions tackle the urban heat island effect, provide trauma-sensitive design, and foster physical and mental health in public space.

- It belongs to the people. These projects are co-designed and co-built by citizens. We give communities tools—not charity—to shape their own spaces and futures.

Your Call to Action

In this Ukrainian war zone, cities are restricted in their usage of funds for "non-essential" projects. So helping us fund our activities that will herald a new urban future serves two purposes:

1. We will help Kyiv and Ukrainian cities and towns by executing projects that they otherwise wouldn't be able to fund.

2. We will use the war as a window of opportunity for positive urban change that wouldn't otherwise be possible or accepted. 

This is our time. We have the vision. We have the experience and knowledge. We need to act now. You can help. Every donation helps us build a brighter, greener, and more resilient Ukraine, one neighborhood at a time.