Lithuania, Borodyanka and Bucha signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the development of a 3D city planning tool

Simonas Gentvilas, Minister of the Environment of the Republic of Lithuania, Viktor Romanyuk, representative of the City Council of Borodyanka, Kyiv region of Ukraine, and Anatoliy Fedoruk, Mayor of Bucha, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop a 3D urban planning tool that will contribute to the reconstruction of war-affected towns and cities in the Ukraine.

"This is a timely launch as Ukrainian cities affected by the war are starting to develop new master plans. The smart solution offered by Lithuania - a digital tool - facilitates this process, saves time and resources, increases transparency and builds trust among citizens. Moreover, it can be transferred to any other city in Ukraine, avoiding the risk of physical destruction," says Simonas Gentvilas, Minister of Environment.

The project, which will be implemented by the Construction Sector Development Agency (SSVA), will create a platform where not only ongoing but also planned construction projects in Borodyanka and Bucha can be displayed in three dimensions, to see how they will affect the environment and the population.

According to Aidas Vaičiulis, Director of SSVA, this tool will be convenient for all those who will contribute to the reconstruction of the destroyed cities, both in terms of design and construction work.

"We hope that it will be successfully applied in other areas affected by the brutal war, and that Lithuania's experience with 3D city planning will help Ukraine to rebuild energy-efficient and sustainable buildings more quickly," adds Aidas Vaičiulis, Director of SSVA.

The first phase of the project will include the development of a digital platform and the collection of 3D images of the city and their upload to the platform. This will be the basis for the development of a 3D planning tool tailored for Ukrainian cities.

"The project developed by SSVA and its partners is a smart digital solution for Ukrainian cities, helping to rebuild them better than they were before the war. This is an internationally agreed goal. 3D urban planning will enable all reconstruction projects to be better planned and more efficient," says Tomas Gulbinas, SSVA's Special Project Manager for Ukraine.

Lithuania will also provide training for the staff of the municipalities of Borodyanka and Bucha, not only on how to use the tool, but also on how to further develop and improve it.

The 3D planning tool is expected to be ready by Q2 2024.

The Parties also expressed in the Memorandum their mutual interest in further developing their cooperation and solidarity and in implementing their international commitments.

The municipalities of the Kyiv region have been severely affected by the Russian offensive, which damaged thousands of buildings.