Lviv as a Real Laboratory for Urban Transformation : Interview with Anton Kolomieitsev and Julian Chaplinsky, March 2021

Abstract

This interview features Anton Kolomieitsev, the current Chief Architect of Lviv since 2019, and Julian Chaplinsky, the former Chief Architect of Lviv from 2015 to 2019. The interview took place in March 2021, almost a year BEFORE the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops, and therefore focuses on urban development issues that were topical at that time. The conversation aims to find out more about the character of the City of Lviv, its potential in urban transformation, and its role in the urban panorama of European cities. It also sheds light on the role and scope for action of a so-called Chief Architect in any Ukrainian city and in Lviv in particular. Finally, the discussion focuses on the recent practice of urban planning in Lviv, which is characterised by urban transformation projects and the effects of cooperation between the Lviv Municipal Planning Office and our two Schools of Architecture in the format of the so-called Urban Density Lab.