Inclusive Development of Odesa: New Horizons of Accessibility
On June 11, the Government of Ukraine made a decision to allocate 115 million UAH for Odesa. These funds will be utilized for the first phase of the accessibility route, which is the longest in Ukraine and includes both tram and pedestrian connections.
As part of the flagship project of the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development "Movement without Barriers", over 1.1 billion UAH will be allocated to 11 pilot communities to create a barrier-free environment. This project is supported by the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska.
The Mayor of Odesa, Hennadiy Trukhanov, declared 2025 as the Year of Accessibility in Odesa, and the city authorities under his leadership are actively working to create an inclusive environment. A Barrier-Free Council was established, a city program and action plan were approved, and priorities were set in various areas such as infrastructure, transport, rehabilitation, adaptive sports, and digitalization. The coordination of all directions is carried out by the mayor's advisor on barrier-free issues, Oleksii Morozov.
According to Oleksii Morozov, the effectiveness of this work is ensured by a strong team, which includes veterans and people with disabilities who define priorities and monitor the process.
"Just a year ago, Odesa residents could not imagine that by the summer of 2025, our city would become a powerful rehabilitation center. Recently, a completely updated inclusive beach will open at the 11th station of the Big Fountain, along with a large inclusive sports ground with adaptive equipment. The process is moving quickly and smoothly," says Morozov.
Odesa is a leader in the implementation of the "Movement without Barriers" project, with the longest inclusive tram route "North-South" being developed, and work is actively ongoing on an inclusive pedestrian route.
The Barrier-Free Council conducts regular inspections, checking every stop, pedestrian crossing, building entrance, and the condition of routes. Project ambassadors, including Valentina Khoruzha, who heads the Youth Council in the city, are involved in this work.
"Such coordination allows us to effectively meet the existing needs for accessible infrastructure. It is important that from initiative to implementation takes not years, but weeks. Projects are not left on paper but are brought to reality. I am very grateful to the mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov for his full support of this crucial work," emphasized Oleksii Morozov.
"Movement without Barriers" is a flagship project of the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development, implemented within the initiative of the First Lady Olena Zelenska "Without Barriers". The goal of the project is to create barrier-free routes in pilot communities: Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Ternopil, Lviv, Rivne, Chernivtsi, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Slavutych, Kropyvnytskyi, Bucha, as well as in the villages of Opishnya and Borodyanka.
