People first
The value of investment is measured by safety, decent work, access to services and quality of life.
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY · HORIZON 2030
From cooperative resilienceto anticipatory transformation.
A shared route for partner communities across the Kryvyi Rih district: protect what keeps people safe today, modernise the systems that hold the territory together, and create European value for tomorrow.
Not a new tier of government. A shared capacity to act where systems are larger than borders.
01 · THE STRATEGIC CHOICE
Administrative borders must not become borders to development.
People, labour markets, water, energy, mobility, value chains and risks already connect the territory. The strategy turns this interdependence into deliberate, fair and accountable cooperation.
The Agglomeration does not absorb communities and does not transfer their authority. It gives shared interests the scale, evidence and project discipline required to produce results that no municipality can achieve alone.
Cohesion
A person’s place of residence should not define the opportunities available to them.
Subsidiarity
Decisions remain as close as possible to citizens; only genuinely shared systems are coordinated together.
Accountability
Priorities, budgets, risks, indicators and results must remain visible and verifiable.
The partnership is supported by territorial communities, the Kryvyi Rih District Council, the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration and LuxDev — the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency.
02 · THE STARTING POINT
We begin with an honest diagnosis, not a promise.
Kryvorizhzhia combines industrial scale and engineering culture with structural vulnerabilities intensified by war. Strategy means using strengths without concealing constraints.
Assets we can mobilise
- 01A nationally significant mining, metallurgical and engineering base
- 02A shared labour market and deep technical competence
- 03Agricultural land, processing potential and logistics
- 04Transport corridors and industrial sites
- 05Communities proven capable of protecting critical services
Constraints we must change
- 01Wartime and security risks
- 02Ageing water, energy, heat and transport networks
- 03Demographic loss and skills shortages
- 04Environmental pressure and climate vulnerability
- 05Fragmented planning and unequal access to services
The strategy separates dated evidence, current operational data, assumptions and targets. Figures are updated before formal decisions and linked to an accountable source.
03 · SCENARIO LOGIC
External conditions matter. Cooperation determines what we can do with them.
Two variables shape the route: the external environment and the quality of cooperation between autonomous communities.
External environmentAdverseSupportive
Quality of cooperation
Fragmentation and inertial decline
Risks intensify while communities compete for scarce resources and infrastructure deteriorates.
Cooperative resilience
Even under pressure, coordination protects critical systems, services and economic continuity.
Missed opportunities
External support exists, but fragmented choices fail to create territorial impact.
Anticipatory transformation
Scale, project readiness and trust convert support into modern systems and new value chains.
NOW2030
The near-term task is cooperative resilience. The strategic destination is anticipatory transformation.
04 · VISION 2030
An industrial territory that creates European added value.
By 2030, the Kryvyi Rih Agglomeration aims to become a leading Ukrainian model for transforming industrial territories: resilient, competitive, inclusive and connected to European economic, institutional and innovation networks.
- Modern and diversified production
- Reliable water, energy and mobility
- Decent work and skills for transition
- Fair access to services across the territory
- Transparent institutions capable of delivering investment
05 · THE TRANSFORMATION ENGINE
How three goals become territorial impact.
The strategy connects what the territory has, what it must change and how programmes are converted into measurable public value.
TERRITORIAL REALITY
- 01Industrial and agricultural assets
- 02People and institutions
- 03War, climate and infrastructure risks
03STRATEGIC ENGINES
- 01Economic transformation and human capital
- 02Resilient infrastructure and balanced spatial development
- 03Cohesion and effective governance
11THEMES
69PROGRAMMES
one coordinated project pipeline
PUBLIC VALUE 2030
- Secure systems
- Decent work
- Cohesive territory
- Trusted institutions
The three goals are not separate portfolios. Every mature project should strengthen more than one system and show a direct line from evidence to public value.
06 · THREE STRATEGIC GOALS
One transformation. Three mutually reinforcing systems.
The economy cannot modernise without people and infrastructure. Infrastructure cannot endure without capable institutions. Governance has value only when it improves outcomes for people.
01
ECONOMY + PEOPLE
Economic transformation and human capital
Modernise the industrial identity rather than abandon it, while diversifying employment and increasing local value added.
- Skills aligned with employers and dual education
- Reskilling for industry, energy, construction and digital services
- SME, veteran, youth and women’s entrepreneurship
- Processing, innovation, industrial symbiosis and investment sites
2030 OUTCOMEA more diversified economy with decent jobs, modern skills and stronger local value chains.
02
SYSTEMS + TERRITORY
Resilient infrastructure and balanced spatial development
Plan water, energy, mobility, land and the environment as connected territorial systems.
- Water security and modern wastewater treatment
- Distributed energy, efficiency and critical-service continuity
- Integrated and accessible mobility
- Circular resource management, environmental monitoring and spatial coordination
2030 OUTCOMEReliable services, lower lifecycle costs and fairer access across urban and rural communities.
03
TRUST + CAPACITY
Cohesion and effective governance
Build permanent cooperation without creating hierarchy between communities.
- A standing coordination platform
- A European Integration Office as a shared competence centre
- A consolidated, evidence-based project pipeline
- Participation, open data, monitoring and independent evaluation
2030 OUTCOMECommunities that retain authority and gain the shared capacity to prepare and deliver projects at scale.
07 · FROM STRATEGY TO DELIVERY
A strategy is credible only when every decision can be prepared, financed, delivered and verified.
The Agglomeration uses one project cycle and one quality threshold for joint initiatives.
- 01
Diagnose
Define the problem, baseline, affected groups and territorial scale.
- 02
Design
Compare alternatives and integrate technical, social, climate and security requirements.
- 03
Authorise
Agree ownership, responsibilities and lawful decisions of participating communities.
- 04
Finance
Confirm lifecycle cost, co-financing, procurement and operating sustainability.
- 05
Deliver
Control time, cost, quality, safeguards and change.
- 06
Learn
Measure outcomes, report publicly and adapt the next action plan.
Cross-cutting quality standard
- Human rights
- Gender equality
- Accessibility
- Climate resilience
- Integrity and fair competition
- Open data and participation
08 · GOVERNANCE ARCHITECTURE
Local authority remains local. Shared delivery gains a permanent operating system.
The model combines democratic legitimacy, technical competence, multilevel partnership and public scrutiny.
Partner communities
Approve priorities, retain budgets and powers, and own local delivery.
Coordination platform
Aligns strategic choices, responsibilities and joint operational plans.
European Integration Office
Prepares projects, mobilises expertise and finance, and maintains evidence and monitoring.
Partners and society
Regional authorities, business, education, civil society and international partners co-create and scrutinise solutions.
No hierarchy between communities. No transfer of local power. No joint project without clear authorisation, an accountable owner and public value.
09 · RESULTS AND EVIDENCE
We will report change, not activity.
Annual action plans connect resources to outputs and outcomes. Strategic programmes are suitable for independent evaluation.
Economy
Investment mobilised, SMEs supported, new value chains and decent jobs.
People
Skills gained, employment outcomes, youth retention and inclusive access.
Infrastructure
Reliability, losses, energy use, lifecycle cost and service continuity.
Mobility
Travel time, service coverage, accessibility and connections to jobs and services.
Environment
Water quality, waste recovery, restored land, emissions and climate resilience.
Governance
Joint projects, public data, participation, finance attracted and commitments delivered.
Baselines, numerical targets and data owners are fixed in operational plans before an initiative is presented as an approved commitment.
10 · EUROPEAN PARTNERSHIP
Not a collection of requests. A territorial platform for systemic transformation.
We invite partners who value local ownership, institutional integrity, technical quality and long-term public impact.
What the territory brings
- Shared local commitment and multilevel coordination
- Industrial, engineering, agricultural and human capacity
- A functional territory large enough for scalable solutions
- A structured pipeline and commitment to co-financing
- Transparent monitoring and long-term operating responsibility
Where partnership can accelerate impact
- Project preparation and feasibility studies
- Water and energy resilience
- Green industrial transition and circular economy
- Skills, employment and inclusive services
- Sustainable mobility, data and institutional capacity
The partnership includes territorial communities, the Kryvyi Rih District Council, the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration and LuxDev. International cooperation supports local institutions; it does not replace them.
We are turning interdependence into partnership, challenges into credible projects, and resources into lasting public value.