Is it reasonable to plan the future when the country is at war? The experts’ answer is yes.

On October 2-4, 2024, Lutsk hosted the forum “Comprehensive Spatial Planning of Communities - the Foundation of Ukraine's Sustainable Development,” which brought together more than 400 representatives of communities, the Verkhovna Rada, the Ministry of Communities and Territorial Development, as well as architects and urbanists. The event was held with the support of the USAID HOVERLA Activity.

Starting January 1, 2025, a comprehensive spatial development plan will become a mandatory urban planning document for communities, making the forum timely and necessary. Spatial planning will help not only to restore the destroyed communities, but also to make them more resilient to future challenges, use resources efficiently, and attract investments for the development of territories.

As of today, 384 communities in Ukraine have decided to develop comprehensive spatial development plans, set up working groups, and are collecting data. The USAID HOVERLA Activity supports 16 communities in preparing the terms of reference for the development of this documentation.

“I am very grateful to the USAID HOVERLA Activity for its contribution to community spatial planning. We all need to understand what the post-war reconstruction will look like, what our towns and villages will be like. This is a key issue for millions of Ukrainians, it is a matter of our future development and sustainable economic growth,” said Nataliia Kozlovska, Deputy Minister of Communities and Territorial Development, in her welcoming remarks.

Over the three days, leading experts discussed the goals and topical issues of community spatial planning during martial law, legislative aspects and successful practices. The forum participants paid special attention to civil protection and environmental issues. In addition, experts explored the possibilities of revitalizing old buildings and creating modern cultural spaces and creative hubs.

During the event, communities shared their achievements in spatial planning. In particular, the Horinchovo community managed to involve the maximum number of residents in submitting proposals to the comprehensive plan, and the Orzhytsia and Horodok communities formed powerful working groups that included experts in key areas. Forum participants improved their skills by attending workshops on public space planning and tactical urbanism.

Taras Datsiuk, architect, urban planner, NGO “misto.reboot”

During the forum, Shatsk, Lyubeshiv, Orzhytsia, Kozova, Horodok, Zolochiv, Kipti, and Mizhhiria communities signed partnership agreements with the USAID HOVERLA Activity to develop comprehensive spatial development plans.

“While working on the comprehensive plan, we divided our community into sectors and determined where agriculture, tourism, industry, and residential development could be located. The comprehensive plan will help us realize our new vision for the community, and investors will have clear rules and understand in which sector they can implement their projects,” said Bohdan Tymoshuk, Secretary of the Shatsk Village Council and Acting Head of the Shatsk Community.

Despite the current challenges, the spatial planning forum has proved that the future of Ukraine is being built at the community level. Comprehensive spatial planning is a tool that enables communities to independently determine their development paths, rebuild and become a driving force for change in the country.

The USAID HOVERLA Activity supports the efforts of the Ministry of Communities and Territorial Development of Ukraine in developing spatial planning documents and processes for communities.