From November 19-27 an international workshop of urban planning about the future development of a neighborhood in the largest prefabricated housing area in Tallinn is taking place. The workshop brings together students and teachers from Estonia, Germany, and Ukraine to explore the evolving urban landscape of the Lasnamäe district. Participants will join lectures, guided walks, site observations, and collaborative studio sessions to develop a shared understanding of Kuristiku’s spatial and social character. The workshop centers on reading the district through its everyday practices, spatial structures, and historical layers. Through mapping, fieldwork, and reflection, participants examine how Kuristiku connects to its surroundings, where its strengths and challenges lie, and what possibilities exist for its future. These insights form the basis for conceptual ideas aimed at improving public spaces, strengthening connections, and envisioning responsible long-term transformations that support lively and resilient neighborhood life.
A central part of the program is the exchange between academic perspectives, professional practice, international and local experience. Participants will engage with Tallinn University, community organizations in Lasnamäe, and municipal representatives in order to better understand how planning concepts relate to real community needs and local urban processes.
The workshop includes participants from several Ukrainian universities — Odessa State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Lviv Polytechnic National University, National Aviation University in Kyiv, and the O. M. Beketov National University of Urban Economy — bringing diverse viewpoints and shared reflections on contemporary urban transformation.
During the first days of the workshop scenarios were elaborated by the students as first approach to possible futures of Kuristiku.
