Urbanistic Challenges in the Period of War : Interview with Anton Kolomieitsev and Julian Chaplinsky (current and former Chief Architects of Lviv); October 2022

Abstract

Anton Kolomieitsev graduated with a PhD from the School of Architecture at Lviv Polytechnic University and has been Chief Architect of Lviv since 2019. In Ukraine, this position essentially bears the main responsibility for urban development, architecture, and urban planning. He is the initiator and host of the Lviv Urban Forum, an international symposium on the future of urban development in Ukraine that has been held annually since June 2023. Julian Chaplinsky, is an architect and urban planner, he is the CEO and co-owner of AVR Development and the creator of the CHAPLINSKY VLOG YouTube channel. From 2015 to 2019 he served as Chief Architect of Lviv, and in 2019 – 2020 he was appointed Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Development of the Amalgamated Territorial Communities of Ukraine. Due to their roles as Chief Architects and their ongoing focus on dialogue and communication in professional practice, both Anton Kolomieitsev and Julian Chaplinsky have played a pivotal role in shaping Lviv’s urban development over the past decade. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Lviv has faced significant challenges in urban planning and development. This conversation, conducted on 1 October 2022 in Lviv – about six months after the war’s onset – focuses on the current urban development issues facing Lviv and other Ukrainian cities, along with projections for future development in the years to come under the ongoing war conditions.