Kyiv Islands | TALLER Architects

Kyiv Islands National Park

Kyiv, Ukraine

Category Landscape | Public Space | Infrastructure
Job type 2nd Prize, International competition
Date 2012
Size 2,500 ha
Client Kyiv City State Administration I Kyiv Central Agency for Urban Planning, Architecture and Urban Design
Status Unbuilt

Territory

The 37 Kyiv Islands form a chain stretching along the Dnieper River, from Muromets in the north to Olzhin in the south, spanning approximately 2,500 hectares. These islands lie within the geographical center of Kyiv and its immediate suburbs.

Despite their central location, the islands do not serve as a hub for urban development in the capital. Their development is uneven: while some areas hold the status of natural conservation zones, others, designated for cultural and recreational activities, suffer from neglect due to inadequate infrastructure.

Kyiv - City of Parks and Bicycles

Kyiv is an awakening metropolis with immense potential. Its extensive green spaces make it truly a city of parks. Mobility remains a pressing challenge for modern metropolises. Addressing this requires a cultural shift: the solution lies not in building more roads, but in creating bike paths.

Kyiv City - Region

A complete bicycle road system will transform daily life for Kyiv's citizens. This network will seamlessly integrate with the Metro, ferries, and buses, promoting healthier lifestyles, enhancing civic culture, and encouraging both residents and tourists to appreciate Kyiv's beautiful parks.

This initiative will also ease traffic congestion at a fraction of the cost and time required for building new roads or Metro lines. Moreover, it offers a solution to the rapid and alarming rise in private vehicle use, reducing its impact substantially.

Bike trails to shorten travel times

With a comprehensive network of bike trails, 80% of Kyiv can be reached within just 37 minutes of cycling—faster than navigating the city’s congested streets by car or bus.

Kyiv Islands National Park

The Dnieper River as a unified geographic entity: a national park at the heart of the city.

Rather than transforming this territory into a theme park, sustainable recreation and tourism within its natural landscapes will create a more compelling and meaningful destination. Here, the journey itself becomes the attraction.

Bridges and pathways connect a diverse sequence of programs, from beaches and wetlands to the tranquility of secular retreats. These varied activities and landscapes are woven into a continuous park surrounded by water.

Recycle Infrastructure

This strategy focuses on enhancing pedestrian and maritime connections, unlocking opportunities for new economic activities, designing compelling and secure public spaces, and bridging areas on both sides of the river.

Occupy Infrastructure

Bridges play a crucial role in Kyiv’s growth, acting as essential connectors. However, these linear infrastructure systems often fulfill only a single purpose, blending into the landscape without fully realizing their potential.

From Barriers to Linkages

The proposal aims to reprogram the city’s main bridges under the concept of "occupying infrastructure." This strategy transforms these barriers into multifunctional linking structures by upgrading the spaces around them.

Bridges become large-scale connectors and linear buildings that activate the islands with new activities while contributing to the restoration of their natural habitat.

Potential for Investment

Designating the Kyiv Islands as a National Park could attract some national funding, but would that be sufficient to support 2,240 hectares?

Venetsiansky Island lies at the heart of the city—its very shape resembles a heart. Why not let it function as one, pumping resources to sustain and revitalize the other islands?

Venetsiansky - Zero Carbon Emission Island

We propose a compact real-estate development, a sustainable city, which occupies only 0,4% of the area available in the Kyiv Islands. The condensed city fragment will avoid long and costly infrastructure interventions on the island.

Densecity - A Sustainable Development

A well-defined grid boundary will protect the islands from future encroachment, ensuring controlled and sustainable growth. Various scales contribute to the sustainable quality of the new precinct, focusing on outdoor comfort through platform configurations, maximizing solar access, improving site accessibility, delivering energy efficiently, and managing stormwater flows effectively.

Masterplan - Development Scale

The compact model embodies all the characteristics of a pragmatic, efficient, and well-organized city. Its design features a regular grid with a platform-and-tower typology, limiting vertical repetition to a quarter of each individual plot's area. These regulations optimize the use of this valuable land while addressing the challenge of creating a carbon-neutral precinct.