Accessibility Initiatives in Odesa: New Developments
On June 11, the Ukrainian government made a decision to allocate 115 million UAH for Odesa. These funds will be used to implement the first phase of a barrier-free route, which will be the longest in Ukraine, encompassing both tram and pedestrian connections.
Overall, the project involves allocating over 1.1 billion UAH to 11 pilot communities for creating an accessible environment as part of the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development's flagship initiative “Movement without Barriers”. This project is supported by First Lady Olena Zelenska.
Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov declared 2025 as the Year of Accessibility in Odesa. The local government is actively working towards creating an inclusive environment: a Council for Accessibility has been established, a city program and action plan have been approved, and priorities have been set across various sectors, including infrastructure, transport, rehabilitation, adaptive sports, and digitalization. The work is coordinated by the mayor's advisor, Oleksiy Morozov.
According to Morozov, the success of this initiative is ensured by a cohesive team, which includes both professionals and representatives from veterans and people with disabilities, who help define priorities and oversee project implementation.
«Just a year ago, Odesans could not imagine that by summer 2025, our city would transform into a powerful rehabilitation center. Recently, we opened a fully updated inclusive beach at the 11th station of the Great Fountain and a large sports ground with adaptive equipment. The process is proceeding quickly and cohesively», Morozov adds.
Odesa is a leader in the “Movement without Barriers” project as the city implements the longest inclusive tram route “North-South”. Furthermore, an inclusive pedestrian route is actively being developed.
The Accessibility Council conducts regular inspections where each stop, pedestrian crossing, building entrance, and route condition are checked. Project ambassadors, including Valentina Khoruzha, who heads the Youth Council in the city, are involved in this work.
«Such coordinated efforts allow us to effectively meet the existing needs for accessible infrastructure. It is important that from initiative to implementation, it takes weeks, not years. Projects are realized, not left on paper. I am very grateful to Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov for his full support of this crucial work», highlighted Oleksiy Morozov.
“Movement without Barriers” is a flagship project of the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development, implemented under the initiative of First Lady Olena Zelenska. The project's goal 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.
