This paper is one of nine drafted by national entities in Ukraine as part of a UN-Habitat-commissioned collection entitled Thematic Paper Series Informing Urban Recovery Approaches in Ukraine. The paper examines Ukraine’s spatial planning system at a major point of transformation, shaped by decentralization, European integration and the demands of post-war reconstruction. It traces the evolution of the planning system from its imperial and Soviet legacies through post-independence reforms, and assesses the legal framework, planning instruments, institutional capacity, public participation and implementation challenges.
The central finding is that Ukraine has made substantial progress in reforming its planning framework, particularly by shifting responsibilities towards local governments. However, a significant gap remains between the ambition of the legal framework and the capacity of municipalities to implement it. The war adds further complexity, as planning must respond to destruction, displacement, demographic change and rapidly changing local conditions.
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