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https://doi.org/10.24306/TrAESOP.2025.01.001Keywords:
war, reconstruction, territorial communities (hromadas), spatial policy, decentralisationAbstract
This article analyses the challenges of regional reconstruction in scenarios of ongoing conflict and deepens existent understanding of the multivariate patterns of (post-)war spatial policy making. Using a case study approach, the article points to situations where the existing institutional structure of decision-making at the territorial community (hromadas) level cannot overcome all consequences of the war in Ukraine. The paper argues that matching (post-)war reconstruction measures with the new functionalities of hromadas, their institutional capacity, level of destruction, resilience, and subjectivity will maximise support for bottom-up initiatives, while adaptively and flexibly supplementing them, where necessary, with a top-down approach.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Daria Malchykova

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