People, Participation and Processes in Rebuilding Ukraine at a Crossroads

Abstract

In the resistance by Ukraine’s citizens to the invasion by Russia, the world has witnessed an extraordinary and heroic example of people power. The scale of destruction is huge, and rebuilding infrastructure, housing, schools, universities, hospitals, public buildings and public space presents an extraordinary challenge—but also an extraordinary opportunity. There have been numerous proposals for how the rebuilding might take place and some international architects have been criticised for imposing an outsider or top-down view. As the first year of the invasion draws to a close, and with no end in sight, Ro3kvit, a collective of Ukraine and international urban planners, architects and educators, have advocated a participatory approach to planning and building reconstruction. Adopting the Ro3kvit position, this paper suggests that old development models as well as the new Law of Ukraine (June 2022) will fall short in helping Ukraine rebuild optimally. The article argues that participatory design and planning processes in the urban planning and housing sector are practical, economic and—given the wide spread citizen engagement in the war—appropriate. The SDGs and concepts of spatial agency provide useful frameworks through which to approach the country’s process of reconstruction. Drawing on engagement theory, including Arnstein’s ladder of citizen participation and Brands circularity, and examples of participatory processes in selected European countries, the paper makes Ro3kvit’s case to the international community as well as to Ukrainian architects, planners, politicians, policy makers and citizens that the Ukrainian citizens must and can be partners in the rebuilding effort, to upgrade the necessary quality of the work, within limits of time and budget.