Alexander Shevchenko is the founder of Zvidsy Agency and ReStart Ukraine, a project and NGO established in response to the Russian invasion of his native Ukraine. Offering hope and perspective, the initiative aims to ‘ReStart’ the country’s cities and towns by mobilising an open-source collective of researchers and practitioners to explore approaches to restoring afflicted areas after destruction at this scale. Alexander has a multidisciplinary background in civil engineering, spatial planning, and urbanism. Prior to ReStart Ukraine, he worked with various international organisations including UN-Habitat, the German development agency GIZ, USAID, and the UNDP.