On April 3, 2025, the Director of the project “Strengthening Urban Resilience in the Housing Sector of Ukrainian Municipalities” (SUR), Erik Schweikhard, paid an official visit to Zhytomyr. The event was attended by representatives of the City Council’s executive committee, project experts, and the team of the German expert non-governmental organization “Initiative for Housing Economy in Eastern Europe” (IWO).

During the visit, two important memorandums of understanding were signed:

• A memorandum of cooperation between the SUR project and Zhytomyr City Council.

• A memorandum on the supply of a cogeneration unit for Zhytomyrteplokomunenergo, the city’s municipal heating company.

At the working meeting, discussions focused on enhancing the resilience of Zhytomyr’s housing sector, including prospects for infrastructure development and opportunities for the city within the project framework.

Zhytomyr has been given the opportunity to apply for participation in the subproject “Strengthening Urban Resilience in the Housing Sector.” The subproject aims to enhance urban resilience in the housing sector during wartime through:

• Capacity building,

• Educational initiatives,

• Assessment of housing needs,

• Development of strategic goals and measures for integration into municipal planning documents.

The subproject is coordinated by IWO, an organization that has been working on housing market reforms in Eastern European countries for over 20 years.

As part of the SUR project, Zhytomyr is currently undergoing the reconstruction of a non-residential building into a social dormitory for internally displaced persons and socially vulnerable groups. Erik Schweikhard, along with colleagues, visited the site to review the progress of construction and discuss further plans for the project’s implementation.

Reference Information

The “Strengthening Urban Resilience in the Housing Sector of Ukrainian Municipalities” (SUR) project is part of Germany’s Transitional Development Assistance. It is implemented on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ) and executed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.