The event aims to stimulate innovative technological and urban projects to improve urban infrastructure, levels of comfort, the environment, the quality of public spaces, and the living standards and security of residents

Kyiv, 21 August 2020 – A key event in the field of innovation development in Ukrainian cities took place on 14-21 August 2020 – the IV Synchro Space urban hackathon. During the event, architects, designers, ecologists, urban planners, IT developers, engineers, hydrologists and other specialists from different parts of Ukraine jointly created 16 smart solutions to improve the quality of life in Ukrainian cities.

The event, organized by NGO Synchroprostir, was supported by the UNDP’s Accelerator Lab in Ukraine, the Embassy of the Netherlands in Ukraine, and the Ukrainian chapter of the International Real Estate Federation, FIABCI Ukraine.

This year, for the first time, the hackathon was dedicated to finding solutions not only for large cities, but also for small towns and amalgamated territorial communities (ATCs). Fifteen teams took part, developing projects for the Zaporizhzhia, Chuhuiiv, and the Hostomel and Loziv ATCs.

Given the current COVID-19 crisis and the need to maintain physical distancing, the event was held in an unusual format for an urban hackathon – instead of the usual 24 hours offline, the participants worked for seven days online.

The teams collaborated with 16 experienced mentors and were given the chance to choose a team mentor and receive valuable advice from experts in various fields during the process of working out their solutions.

The winners of the IV Synchro Space urban hackathon were the following five teams:

- iDev - a mobile application for determining cycling routes and the development of local tourism in Loziv ATC (Kharkiv Oblast). The app provides visualizations of hiking trails and bike paths, navigation help, and creates quests for citizens. The team mentor was Dmitry Aranchiy;

- UUM (Unexplored Urban Map) – the installation of a synthesis of artworks by Russian painter Ilya Repin and modern audiovisual art for the House of Children's and Youth Creativity in the city of Chuhuiv (Kharkiv Oblast). The team mentor was Taras Dumenko;

- Zvidsy – the creation of tourist routes that include visits to all reservoirs on the territory of Hostomel ATC (Kyiv Oblast), and the creation of areas for active recreation and natural experimentation near the area’s central lake. The team mentor was Alexey Mas;

- UUM (Unexplored Urban Map) – a comprehensive solution to solving the problem of heat stress in districts of the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, including an interactive park with a Laboratory of Climate Change for children, intensive vegetation planting and shading, creation of green roofs, rainwater collection systems and increasing the location’s albedo colour (to reflect heat). The team mentor was Taras Dumenko;

All of the winning teams will be given the opportunity to implement their proposed initiatives with the support of the city authorities of Zaporizhzhia, Chuhuiv, and Loziv and Hostomel ATCs, as well as receive advisory support from Synchroprostir.

The various team pitches can be viewed on the Facebook page of NGO Synchroprostir.