Meeting with Ivan Verbytskyi

On 7 February 2025 doctoral students of the Institute of Sociology met Ivan Verbytskyi — an expert in urban studies who worked as director of the Cedos analytical centre, was editor and head of the Mistosite project, and has considerable experience in urban research and in running projects for communities.

Participants discussed a wide range of questions related to urban development and civic participation. The doctoral students asked in particular how cooperation with communities works in practice, by what criteria the analytical centre selects communities for research and projects, and which methods and tools are used to analyse urban development and residents’ needs.

Ivan Verbytskyi also shared his experience in urban studies, outlined the key conceptual approaches used in contemporary research on the urban environment, and described practical cases of urban projects. Participants learned what challenges researchers face when implementing initiatives in communities. Particular attention was paid to ethical standards in research work, especially the importance of using data responsibly and of maintaining transparency in work with communities.

Research on housing conditions and their influence on urban policy was an important topic, as was the question of how the findings of such research can help improve residents’ quality of life.

The exchange of data between researchers was discussed separately, along with opportunities for cooperation between sociologists and urbanists.