Three days in Dresden: Khmelnytskyi explores sustainable urban development with German partners

Sep 21

2 min read

From 14 to 16 September 2026, a delegation from U_CAN pilot city Khmelnytskyi visited Dresden, Germany, for three days of exchange on sustainable urban development. The visit brought together representatives of Khmelnytskyi City Council, Khmelnytskyi National University (KhNU), and Leonid Yuzkov Khmelnytskyi University of Management and Law (LYKUML), and was organised at the intersection of two cooperation frameworks: the Dresden–Stuttgart–Khmelnytskyi Solidarity Partnership and the U_CAN project. It was the second such exchange visit between a Ukrainian U_CAN pilot city and Dresden, following a similar visit by a Zhytomyr delegation in September 2025.

The first day opened at the Stadtforum with a warm welcome and a meeting with Dresden’s Second Mayor Eva Jähnigen and colleagues from the City’s Climate Protection and Climate Change Adaptation Unit. The delegation explored Dresden’s strategies for climate protection, municipal heat planning, and the “Energielotse” advisory service supporting citizens on energy-related questions. In the afternoon, U_CAN partners gathered at TU Dresden’s WISSENSARCHITEKTUR (Laboratory of Knowledge Architecture) for a Scenario Testing workshop in Adaptive Traffic Management organised by U_CAN coordinator Swati Kulashri.

The second day was dedicated to sustainable mobility and adaptive traffic management. The morning began with a presentation on the Carola Bridge, Dresden’s major infrastructure challenge that united technical, mobility, urban planning, and public participation dimensions in a single story. This was followed by exchanges with Dresden city colleagues and A+S Consult on sustainable urban mobility planning and current transport projects, with discussions on potential links to Khmelnytskyi’s own work. In the afternoon, the delegation moved to TU Dresden for a meeting with the International Office and a visit to the Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences “Friedrich List,” where KhNU researchers working on the U_CAN pilot on AI-supported adaptive traffic management exchanged insights with academic peers. The day also included a connection to the MOBILITIES FOR EU and DymoBat projects, opening further avenues for collaboration.

The third day turned to waste management, resource recovery, and circular economy. After an introduction to Dresden’s waste management and municipal cleaning services at the Stadtforum, the delegation visited Dresden’s municipal cleaning facility, which was a highlight of the visit that gave the Ukrainian guests a vivid, practical view of urban waste processes in action and generated particular enthusiasm among the group. The day concluded with a visit to TU Dresden’s Institute of Waste Management and Circular Economy in Pirna, where the delegation was warmly welcomed, presented with the institute’s research, and guided through its laboratories and facilities.

Across three days, the delegation built new contacts, gathered practical insights, and strengthened existing ties between Khmelnytskyi and Dresden. The visit demonstrated how the U_CAN project and the Solidarity Partnership together create a framework for meaningful, multi-level cooperation: connecting municipal practice, academic research, and people-to-people exchange, and supporting Khmelnytskyi on its way toward a more sustainable future. Building on the momentum of the visit, possibilities for more practice-oriented professional exchanges and job-shadowing formats are now being explored as a follow-up. Special thanks go to Radka Roßner from the City of Dresden for the excellent organisation of the visit.