Between waves and sirens: construction, landslides and UNESCO discussed in Odesa

A meeting of MPs and activists with architect and urbanist Volodymyr Khalin took place on May 29 in the public space "Na chasі" in Odesa.

At the meeting, titled "Odesa Between Waves and Sirens," they discussed what is happening to the city today and what it may become tomorrow.

In particular, they discussed

• how chaotic construction affects landslides along the coast;
• why port infrastructure creates an additional burden on the city, its roads and the environment;
• why the Ivanivskyi overpass needs to be reconstructed and how to do it in a way that does not paralyze the city's traffic;
• what the UNESCO status really means for Odesa;
• how to combine safety, shelter and preservation of historical heritage;
• what the post-war reconstruction of the city could look like.

The meeting was organized by the organization Tribe - Community and Programs for Veterans, as part of a project supported by the European Endowment For Democracy.

Meanwhile, in Odesa, law enforcement officers are investigating a large-scale seizure of nature reserve land for the construction of a residential complex. According to the investigation, the developer illegally expanded the construction area and caused more than UAH 16 million in damage to the state.

In December 2025, an electronic petition asking for attention to the emergency situation with the slope in Chornomorets in Odesa appeared on the Socially Active Citizen platform. Landslides occur regularly in Chornomorets. In May, the authors of the Zootopia channel, who systematically document landslides in the coastal areas of Odesa Oblast, showed in their video how Lustdorf is slowly sliding into the sea: the slopes are crumbling, washed away by rain and waves, and in some places, you can already see the gaps where there were once paths, buildings, and even beaches. In particular, the footage shows the site of the former rescue station and the Laguna bar - eroded cliffs, earthen mush and traces of recent landslides.

Кирило Бойко