Kyiv belongs to the global premier league of cities that do not need a vision. Kyiv is a vision. The unbreakable capital of a proud country. Kyiv has always attracted and continues to attract a huge number of talents. The city was ambitious, creative, multicultural, and tolerant. So my suggestion is to focus on two immediate challenges: the city needs to defend and purify itself.

Kyiv needs to ensure maximum security. The city is regularly destroyed «from the sky», and it’s possible that there will be efforts to destroy it «from the ground». When there is no security in the city, it is difficult to think about a strategy or a vision. The city, the country, and ultimately the world are working to reliably protect Kyiv. This work needs to be completed.

The experience of other countries shows that external danger is what most strongly pushes a country and a city to renovations. By us, this is a serious one for a long time.

Purifying from corruption. There are too many conversations floating in space. I have lived in Kyiv long enough to see that something is hindering the city. It seems that the attention of the city authorities was a little dispersed.

There are other successful cities that I am consulting – not only in Ukraine but also in Southeast Asia. For example, Kuala Lumpur, or the ones in Central and Eastern Europe, in particular, Bratislava. It feels pretty well when partners have concentrated attention, and when it is focused on something else. That «something else» competes with the city’s development.

Now, there is an understanding that something must change after the war. I do not think that society will tolerate such an attitude. Now, many people are dying in the war, including Kyivans. I don’t know what could be more serious. This is no longer a joke, and there is no place for compromises. We have seen an anti-corruption wave at the state level over the past few weeks. I think such waves will help the city to purify itself.

Kyiv, despite its entire history and great future, must understand that there is competition not only in Eastern Europe – with Prague, Warsaw, or Budapest. Competition now can also be internal. Business asks itself the question: where is it safer and more profitable? Kyiv benefits from the fact that it is a much larger agglomeration. It is more attractive to be in Kyiv, because there is always a much larger market.

But individual cities have attracted a significant number of people and a serious number of businesses over the past year. This in no way calls into question the great future of Kyiv, but the city must understand that the competition will be fiercer.

How Kyiv will play this game with other cities depends a lot on how secure and clean the city will be, and how quickly it will need to be done for Ukrainian businesses and global investors.