Sykhiv is the biggest housing estate of Lviv, initially planned and built through the 1970s and 1980s. Composed of 12 microrayons, it was intended to become a home for 120 thousand workers of the south-eastern industrial hub of the city. The construction of residential buildings, most of which were of the same series, was completed according to original plans, but many public facility and infrastructural projects remained unfinished or unimplemented because of the economic crisis that began in late 1980’s. The systemic changes that came with the breakdown of the Soviet Union and the independence of Ukraine, resulted in multiple urban transformations on the different levels including that of the district. Not only Sykhiv was facing many challenges, but experiences new developments, adding new structures, functions, and meanings, and by now is considered as one of the most active districts of Lviv.

The school will explore the situations, changes, and challenges of mass housing districts through a combination of architectural, anthropological, sociological and historical research tools that will allow for more comprehensive and multifaceted understandings of mass housing urbanity. Highlighting different types of links between symbolic, material and human levels of once planned spaces is important for development of vectors of transformation and visions of future of such urban areas.

Structure of the School:

The school program is designed as a set of two short courses, workshops and field-work in three theme-based studios. Participants of the school will be offered courses by:

Prof. Florian Urban (Mackintosh School of Architecture, Glasgow School of Art): "The Functionalist Сity and Its Critics"

Dr. Daria Bocharnikova (KU Leuven / Center for Fine Arts BOZAR): "A History of the Socialist City: 5 Blueprints for Modernity from the Second World"

Workshops will focus on methods of urban research and revitalization of the planned areas.

Participants will be asked to work on their projects within the three theme-based studios under the tutorial of architect Nataliya Mysak ("Spaces" studio), historian Dr. Iryna Sklokina ("Memories" studio) and anthropologist Dr. Svitlana Odynets ("Practices" studio).

Final presentation of the results of the school will be a part of the conference "The Ins and Outs of Socialism: Visions and Experiences of Urban Change in the Second World" (Lviv, August 25-27, 2017). The school participants will also have to prepare the final essays to be published in the aftermath of the school.

Working language is English.

Eligibility criteria:

The summer school is open for MA students, postgraduates and junior researchers in the fields of anthropology, architecture, geography, history, urban planning, sociology, and other disciplines in social sciences and humanities. The application should include:

  • Brief CV (up to two pages)
  • Motivation letter (up to 500 words, describing your decision to apply)
  • Essay to the topic "Into the Future of Mass Housing Estates" (up to 500 words)

All documents should be submitted in English.

Send your applications to: summerschool at lvivcenter.org before May 1, 2017. Write the "Sykhiv Summer School" in the subject of the letter. Applicants have to indicate the name of the studio they wish to work with. The jury will be considering the applications and select the participants after May 15, 2017.

Participation in the school is free of charge. Organizers will partially cover travel expenses (for participants from beyond Ukraine, those shall not exceed EUR 200), accommodation and catering for the participants.

More information: http://www.lvivcenter.org/download.php?downloadid=654