Transportation in Ukraine: Planning, Resilience and Post-War Recovery

Why It Matters

Resilient, protection‑integrated transport is critical for Ukraine’s economic recovery and provides a replicable model for rebuilding mobility in conflict zones worldwide.

Key Takeaways

• Integrate transport networks with civil defense for survivable mobility.
• Adopt dual standards: livability in peace, survivability in war.
• Use risk‑based assessments to guide recovery and resource allocation.
• Leverage real‑time data for prioritizing transport reconstruction projects.
• Implement adaptive continuity operations to keep mobility under hybrid rules.

Summary

The MIT Mobility Forum convened a panel of Ukrainian and international experts to examine how transportation planning can adapt to the extreme shocks of war and support post‑conflict recovery. The discussion centered on Ukraine’s experience since the 2022 invasion, where civilian infrastructure—including roads, transit, and shelters—has been systematically targeted, forcing planners to rethink traditional models.

Panelists highlighted four core insights. First, transport systems must be designed jointly with civil‑defense assets, creating a protective‑oriented network that safeguards passengers in transit. Second, planners should apply dual standards—optimizing for livability in peacetime while ensuring survivability during hostilities. Third, a rigorous, risk‑based approach that incorporates both human‑made and environmental hazards is essential for prioritizing limited recovery resources. Finally, data‑driven decision‑making, using real‑time threat monitoring and scenario modeling (pre‑invasion, invasion, blackout), can identify coverage gaps and guide targeted interventions.

Andrii Galkin illustrated his "transport‑civil protection" model with Kharkiv’s evolving shelter‑stop network, noting that 77 hours of wire‑threats in a single week forced a shift from full evacuation to adaptive continuity operations. His analysis showed that current shelter proximity covers roughly 70‑75 % of transit stops, leaving critical gaps highlighted in red on the map. By classifying zones into quadrants based on shelter and stop density, the team proposed tailored policies for each scenario, including driver protocols for high‑risk corridors near the front line.

The implications extend beyond Ukraine. Integrating transport and civil‑defense planning offers a blueprint for resilient infrastructure in any conflict‑affected region, while the risk‑based, data‑centric framework can accelerate post‑war reconstruction and mitigate economic losses. Policymakers and international donors can leverage these insights to design transport systems that not only restore mobility but also protect lives during ongoing threats.

Original Description

Ukraine's transportation system has endured years of conflict, fracturing roads, bridges, railways and supply chains.

How do cities like Kharkiv keep people moving under daily bombardment?

What does "building back better" look like when the disaster isn't over?

How can international investment accelerate recovery when peace comes?

This session brings together three researchers: a Ukrainian transport engineer living the reality, a global disaster resilience expert, and an OECD policy analyst leading Ukraine recovery projects, for a ground-level look at Ukraine transportation: planning, resilience and post-war recovery.

Speakers:

Andrii Galkin, Professor, O.M. Beketov National University of Urban Economy in Kharkiv (visiting MIT) — Mobility normalization and transportation planning under protracted conflict

Karl Kim, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Hawai'i; Executive Director, National Disaster Preparedness Training Center — Building Back Better After Disasters

Nick Caros, Policy Analyst, International Transport Forum (ITF) at the OECD — The role of transportation investment and policy reforms in post-conflict recovery