LOCAL PLANNING INSTRUMENTS IN UKRAINE: EXPERIENCES AND CHANGES FROM A LONG-TERM PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

In this paper, we analyze the evolution of local planning instruments in Ukraine from Soviet times to the current state, rethinking the framework of local planning and the role of particular instruments. Planning instruments, notably local planning instruments, by their content and planning practices to a large extent reflect the social and political context of the territory and therefore they are going through significant changes in the course of transition and later transformations. The Ukrainian experience provides important insights for rethinking planning in post-transitional regions, as it illustrates how the role and functions of planning at the local level were changed, how certain instruments were transformed, and how new approaches and concepts were introduced. The paper builds upon extensive materials on the elaboration of regional planning schemes and projects, city planning and construction in the USSR, laws of Ukraine, and state construction regulations of Ukraine and reviews the main stages of local planning instruments development and transformation. The evolution of the instruments in the post-Soviet perspective in the paper is analyzed in terms of their influence on spatial development. It is argued that local planning instruments have evolved significantly, new tools have appeared, and they have become more publicly available and community-oriented, thus reflecting the ongoing rethinking of planning at the local level.