Navigating Integrated Urban Planning Landscape in Ukraine

Currently there are two types of integrated urban planning documents that hromadas are expected to prepare:

• Comprehensive Recovery Programs (CRP);
• Integrated Urban Development Concept (IDC).

The CRP contains an audit and assessment of the war damages, evaluation of potential and available resources, sectoral analyses, strategic actions for recovery and a list of implementation projects. The CRP is not limited to physical infrastructure damage, but also addresses broader socio-economic recovery of the hromada. While CRP is designed to address immediate recovery needs of hromada, it also contributes to the short- to mid-term hromada development for a 5 to 7 year period.

On the other hand, the IDC focuses on defining long-term strategic development goals covering a period of 10 to 20 years, or longer if justified. Besides the audit and assessment of available and potential resources, and sectoral analyses, IDC also outlines hromada vision and values, along with strategic priorities that are supported with strategic and operational goals. IDC does not include a list of implementation projects.

Both documents emphasize the role of public participation through project proposal collection, public hearings, and the collection of feedback on draft documents. These are being developed by our team at Restart.

Current challenges with strategic documents

There is no requirement or additional advantages to produce both documents, therefore hromada needs to identify which type of document to develop based on legal requirements and local needs, predominantly differentiating between the territories that have been significantly affected by war (CRP) and those that have not been (IDC).

CRP and IDC were both ratified in 2022. However, preparation of IDC documentation commenced informally between 2014 and 2019 with the technical assistance and financing support from the European Union following the Decentralization Reform.

Before adoption of the CRP and IDC, the main strategic planning function was carried out through the Development Strategy, which remains a mandatory document that defines the strategic directions of the hromada for the next 5 to 7 years period, after which it needs to be revised. As Decentralisation Reform keeps evolving and adapting to the challenges of the war, CRP can now formally replace the Development Strategy. 

Purpose of developing strategic documents

The key role of the Development Strategy is to inform the formulation of socio-economic programs, which ensure operationalisation of strategic development goals set out in the integrated urban planning documents. 

The IDC document, on the other hand, is not designed to replace the Development Strategy at this point, however, further elaborated strategic and operational goals outlined in the IDC should be included in the hromada’s Development Strategy. The list of strategic and operational goals is not exhaustive and can be expanded based on the ever evolving needs of hromada. 

The same way implementation projects outlined in CRP can be updated to address the emerging needs of hromada. Furthermore, CRP implementation projects can be recorded on the Digital Restoration Ecosystem for Accountable Management (DREAM) platform - a nation-wide system to coordinate recovery project financing, visibility and progress monitoring.

Conclusion by our Head of Research, Liva Dudareva

The main incentive for hromadas to develop CRP and IDC is to ensure access to state and international financing mechanisms and alignment across various local, regional and national development plans. Availability of technical assistance and financial support to develop high-quality CRP and IDC documents that incorporate comprehensive spatial analyses and development strategies, can provide basis for the less supported and more resource intensive development of the Comprehensive Spatial Plan, the key spatial planning document.

Currently, the links between the integrated planning documents (CRP and IDC) and socio-economic programs differ - while CRP can fully replace Development Strategy, IDC provides strategic and operational goals that inform the Development Strategy. Establishing a clear and simplified hierarchy between the integrated planning documents and socio-economic programs would facilitate a coherent and consistent development path for hromadas and would support the implementation of strategic development goals on a local level.