OVERVIEW

Ukraine is a unitary, non-federal state organized into three administrative divisions: 27 regions (comprising 24 oblasts, 2 cities with special status, and 1 autonomous republic), 135 districts (raions), and 1469 territorial communities (hromadas). The Constitution of Ukraine (Articles 132-133) and the Law of Local Self-Government in Ukraine (Articles 1, 2, 5) define various types of territorial units, including regions (oblasts), districts (raions), cities, districts within cities, towns, and villages.

Ukrainian spatial planning forms an integral part of the broader urban development system, encompassing diverse elements and activities related to territory planning, construction, and management. Aligned with the administrative structure and governance system of the country, Ukraine’s spatial planning operates across three levels: national, regional, and local.

At the national scale planning involves state and supra-regional aspects, featuring instruments like the regional state strategy and the general planning scheme of Ukraine, the transborder regions schemes, and planning schemes of the parts of Ukraine.

At the regional scale, it addresses the oblast and district aspects. This includes strategies for regional development and planning schemes for both regions and districts.

At the local level, recent reforms during decentralization deal with autonomous authorities titled territorial communities, which include at least 1 settlement as the administrative center and the surrounding area. At this grassroots level, a diverse array of instruments comes into play, such as development strategies, concepts of integrated development, comprehensive spatial development plans, general plans, historical-architectural supporting plans, zoning schemes, and detailed land use plans.

To address the challenges arising from the conflict, new instruments have been introduced, including Ukraine’s Recovery Plan, the Concept of Integrated Development of Territorial Communities, and the Comprehensive Territory Recovery Program. It is important to note that these instruments are not part of spatial planning documentation.