Start With One Street

Municipal officials working to rebuild and regenerate small and medium-sized Ukrainian cities often struggle to decide where to begin. Fundamentally changing a city’s urban form requires large budgets, time, and political consensus, which are rarely available. To address this challenge, city planners in several small municipalities, including Bucha, Lutsk, and Makariv, are testing and developing regeneration strategies focused on streets to enable them to reach their full potential. Such projects can serve as models and inspiration for similar efforts elsewhere. 

In densely populated cities, utilitarian, vehicle-dominated corridors may be necessary, but streets with a single function in smaller localities often retard regeneration. The empty spaces that characterize primarily Soviet-era streets can become their greatest source of vitality, especially in central or strategically important areas. 

Soviet planners built streets to project state power, not to support daily life and social interaction. They were wide, straight, and oversized, suitable for mass rallies. Yet these underused streets that urbanist Charles Montgomery called “sensory deserts” can be turned into opportunities for development and new use. A thoroughfare can be turned into a destination. Through an inclusive planning process, city officials can identify the optimal mix of uses that yields the greatest gains in social capital. 

This article advises small Ukrainian cities to adopt a street-centered regeneration strategy. It offers guidance on selecting the street, diagnosing its strengths and weaknesses, and identifying the regeneration strategies—from low-budget tactical interventions to systemic redesign—that can best unlock potential.

The views expressed herein are those solely of the author(s). GMF as an institution does not take positions.