Integrated Urban and Transport Planning Strategy Vinnytsia UA

The integrated spatial development concept for the central Ukrainian agglomeration of Vinnytsia (375’000 inhabitants in the core city, 1.6 million inhabitants in the region) is a tool to initiate and steer sustainable urban and regional development. The concept is based on the principles of the Swiss agglomeration programs. It demonstrates a way to avoid costly public investments in transport and utility infrastructure while simultaneously strengthening urban qualities and city identities. Incorporating regional characteristics fosters regional economic dynamics—which is of great importance for many Ukrainian regional centers with difficult local economic foundations and limited financial resources for demographic and economic growth.

The integrated spatial development concept follows an efficient, actor-oriented approach. A wide range of departments important for strategic regional development, politicians, interest groups, and educational institutions participated in the two-year development process. Several joint workshops ensured the alignment of various interests and enabled a shared learning process. Clear plans, understandable visuals, and visionary ideas as sources of inspiration facilitated constructive discussions about various possible sustainable development strategies. Although the concept addresses regional solutions (e.g., Korsokon concept, southern Bug riverbank), the local impacts were always the focus. This ensured that both regional goals and local needs were accounted for, thereby supporting public acceptance and feasibility. Part of the project was defining key integrated urban and transport projects, some of which have already been successfully implemented.

The project is considered a best-practice example in Ukraine for a new generation of participatory, cost-effective, solution- and implementation-oriented regional development strategies. It also shaped the content of the “Integrated Urban Development” program of the Swiss-German development cooperation (SECO and GIZ). It shows that the fundamental ideas of the agglomeration programs, combined with high professional sensitivity to the local context, are applicable in other cities and countries. The project also forms the basis for the continuing education offering “Integrated Urban and Regional Planning” by the School for Urban Studies at the CANactions Institute in Kyiv.