According to the Law of Ukraine "On Regulation of Town Planning Activities," The Ukrainian spatial planning system consists of various components and activities aimed at shaping and managing the development of territories.

The Ukrainian spatial planning system aims to forecast territory development, determine rational resettlement and sustainable development directions, justify land distribution, coordinate interests among state, public, and private sectors in territory planning, zone territories for various purposes, establish development regulations for urban activities, develop urban planning documentation, reconstruct buildings and territories, preserve and restore recreational and nature conservation areas, develop infrastructure, create accessible environments, monitor construction, manage urban cadastre, and enforce spatial planning control.

Objects of Spatial Planning at State and Regional Levels are:

• Planning organization of the territory at the state and regions.

• Organization of the settlement system on a broader scale.

• Development of a system for interconnected placement of large industrial facilities, transport, engineering, and social infrastructure.

• Functional zoning of the entire territory of Ukraine, its parts (groups of regions), the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, oblasts, and administrative districts.

• Objects of Spatial Planning at the Local Level are:

• Planning organization of the territory of the settlements, their parts (groups of land plots) with a shared planning structure, engineering and transport infrastructure, and a complex of construction objects, determined in accordance with:

  • • the boundaries of settlements and their parts in accordance with urban planning documentation at the local level;

    • outside settlements — the borders of suburban areas, as well as functional zones in accordance with urban planning documentation at the regional level.

Subjects of Spatial Planning, Development, and other use of Territories:

• Local authorities (City Council, Municipal Administration, Territorial Hromada Administration) act as key subjects of spatial planning at the local level. They make decisions on local development, approve zoning plans, and issue building permits.

• Specialized services (architectural and planning services): Cities and regions may have specialized services responsible for development plans and construction control.

• State institutions (State Inspectorate of Architecture and Urban Planning, The Ministry of Community Development, Territories, and Infrastructure) determine the national policy in the field of urban planning, exercise control, and provide assistance at the local level.

Article 5 of the Law clearly states the obligation to comply with the requirements of spatial planning documentation by all subjects of the spatial planning process. In addition, development programs of regions and settlements, programs of economic, social and cultural development must be coordinated with spatial planning documentation of the appropriate level.

Spatial planning documentation in Ukraine regulates the planning, development, and use of territories at the state, regional, and local levels. It comprises approved text and graphic materials developed on paper and electronic media, utilizing updated cartographic data in digital form, such as profile geospatial data in the USK-2000 state geodetic coordinate system. This documentation forms the basis for the Spatial Planning Cadastre databases, employing a unified system of classification and coding for construction objects.

In recent years, the Ukrainian spatial planning system has been undergoing modernization in order to support decentralization, public participation, digital integration, international cooperation, and the ability to solve challenges from security and environmental threats.

In 2020, as the final stage of decentralization through the voluntary unification of third-level administrative units, including cities, villages, urban settlements, and rural settlements, into territorial communities (hromadas), the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine established territorial communities as the basic level of administrative division of Ukraine, covering its entire territory except Crimea.

To the opinion of the OECD, the readiness of Ukraine’s regions and municipalities to respond to the war and its consequences, reconstruction, and recovery, owes much to the success of the decentralization and regional development reforms implemented after 2014. The decentralization reforms resulted in consolidating over 10,000 local councils into 1,469 municipalities with new administrative powers and increased funding. By October 2021, more than 70% of the 741 municipalities surveyed by the OECD (equivalent to 51% of all Ukrainian municipalities) reported enhanced quality in administrative and social services. Ultimately, decentralization empowered subnational authorities to tailor emergency responses to local needs, ensuring better protection for civilians.

Simultaneously, since 2014, Ukraine has established a comprehensive policy, governance, and funding framework for regional development. Funding for regional and local development tripled in real terms between 2015 and 2019. These reforms also led to the establishment of various national and subnational coordination bodies, including regional development agencies that play a crucial role in supporting the formulation and execution of spatial development strategies and projects, attracting both public and private investment. They are well-positioned to contribute to the post-war recovery in regions and municipalities by assisting local authorities in identifying reconstruction needs and coordinating the planning and execution of reconstruction projects.