One of the joys of spending the summer months in Kyiv comes from savouring the endless parklife in what is Europe's greenest capital. This simple pleasure may soon become a thing of the past as the very heart and soul of this blossoming city is facing a grave threat in the shape of a massive new metro line and motorway bridge construction that are striking like daggers through Truhaniv island and the other greenbelt treasures that dominate the geographical centre of Kyiv.
Little public resistance
There has been little in the way of public objection to the steady encroachment made into the previously untouched Truhaniv island since work on the mega-bridge got underway in 2003, and today it stands like a leviathan amid the tree-lined skyline, cutting a swathe through the virgin forest and splitting the island literally in two. This lack of protest is understandable enough; there has, admittedly been much to occupy the minds of Kyivites in the meantime, with revolution and successive political crises taking up the attention of the nation, but as the political circus has rumbled on, the slow but steady sale of Kyiv's celebrated greenery has also carried on regardless.
Financial temptation
We are now at the point of no return, with metro stations along the bridge's route about to act as conduits for the plethora of modern conveniences that they will bring to Truhaniv island in their wake, shattering forever the natural balance of what is surely one of the wonders of Eastern Europe. With Kyiv enjoying such a boom theses days, it is unlikely that many will shed a tear for the lost innocence of Truhaniv island and the rest of the city's rapidly evaporating greenbelt areas, nor has its demise come as any great surprise. Unfortunately the presence of all that greenery would on reflection appear to have been just too tempting and the money on offer too good to refuse.
Parks playing important social role
You could even argue that it was merely a lack of demand that allowed Kyiv to remain so green for so long, but this would be to underestimate the enormous role Kyiv's parks play in producing the city's uniquely laid back atmosphere.
Nevertheless, the continued existence of green Kyiv has been one of the miracles of the post-Soviet years, and as the city has picked itself up and demand for land has grown it has become increasingly a matter of time before we reached the point we are at now, namely when the sky-rocketing real estate market triumphs over sentiment and much of the remaining green belt land is sold off to developers.
A changed city in the future
Tragically for long-term residents, the chances are that in years to come Kyivites may well find themselves reminiscing about the days when the Ukrainian capital was full of greenery and explaining to their kids just why the symbol of the city is the chestnut tree leaf. There is little anyone can do now to stop that from happening, and we can only hope that enough of the green remains for Kyiv to keep hold of its laid-back ambience. In the meantime I would advise everyone to get down to Truhaniv and enjoy this amazing island while it retains much of its natural charm.
