Strategic landmarks of Zaporizhia: the meanings of the city were discussed in the Unbreakable Hub “Orbita”

An expert meeting was held in Zaporizhzhia’s Indestructible Hub “Orbita” dedicated to the strategic future of our region and the formation of its renewed identity. 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 Zaporizhia, 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 the presentation of researchers Andriy Melnyk and Oleksandr Filonenko. They presented a model of city development based on five strategic meanings: Engineering Culture, Khortytsia and Velikiy Lug, Institute of Peace (peacebuilding), Architectural Heritage, Urban Circle.

After the presentation, an active discussion of the proposed ideas took place. The vision of Zaporizhia Polytechnic University was presented by Serhiy Shylo, the first vice-rector of Zaporizhia Polytechnic National University. He expressed sincere gratitude to Mikhail 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 humanitarian Faculty Tetyana Khitrova, Head of the Department of Ukrainian Studies and General Language Training Georgiy Shapovalov. During the conversation with Andriy Melnyk and Oleksandr Filonenko, they discussed practical steps for implementing humanitarian projects and the importance of recording the experience of Zaporizhia as a front-line center.

Zaporizhzhya Polytechnic University remains a leading platform for shaping strategic changes, working side by side with the regional authorities for the future prosperity of the Zaporizhzhya region.

Working together – developing together!