Strategic landmarks of Zaporizhzhia: the meanings of the city were discussed in the Unbreakable Hub «Orbita»
An expert meeting dedicated to the strategic future of our region and the formation of its renewed identity was held in the Zaporizhzhia Indestructible Hub «Orbita». This event, organized at the initiative of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, became a platform for joint design of the vision of Zaporizhzhia within the framework of the «Senses of Cities» project. The discussion brought together leading scientists, educators, business representatives, clergy, cultural figures and active youth.
The meeting was opened by the Deputy Head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration, Mykhailo Semikin. In his opening remarks, he emphasized that the search for unique meanings and value orientations is the basis for the post-war restoration of the region. It is these meaningful codes that should become a solid foundation for the revival of Zaporizhzhia, ensure its recognition at the national and global levels, and build a strategy that will transform today’s challenges into opportunities for future prosperity.
The main part of the event was a presentation by researchers Andriy Melnyk and Oleksandr Filonenko. They presented a model of city development based on five strategic meanings: Engineering Culture, Khortytsia and Velyky Lug, Institute of Peace (peacebuilding), Architectural Heritage, and City Circle.
After the presentation, there was an active discussion of the proposed ideas. The vision of Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic University was presented by Serhiy Shylo, the first vice-rector of Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University. He expressed sincere gratitude to Mykhailo Semikin and the team of researchers for their attention to the development of engineering education and support for scientific initiatives. In his speech, he outlined the main aspects of further development:
– the strategic role of education: higher and pre-higher education institutions of our city provide training for specialists in most technical specialties of the national list, which is the foundation for the reconstruction of Ukraine
– versatility of potential: along with the dominant engineering and technological vector, the academic community demonstrates high representativeness of scientific schools in the fields of physical culture and sports, physical rehabilitation, historical and cultural expertise, in the field of social communications, which ensures the comprehensive development of the socio-cultural environment of the region
– synergy of efforts: the future of the region depends on the creation of an effective ecosystem «University – Business – Community», which will allow to popularize engineering schools and involve young people in real innovative projects
The event was also attended by the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Tetyana Khitrova, and the Head of the Department of Ukrainian Studies and General Language Training, Georgy Shapovalov. During their conversation with Andriy Melnyk and Oleksandr Filonenko, they discussed practical steps in implementing humanitarian projects and the importance of recording the experience of Zaporizhzhia as a front-line center.
Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic University remains a leading platform for shaping strategic changes, working side by side with regional authorities for the future prosperity of the Zaporizhzhia region.
Working together – developing together!