Displaced public spaces in Ukrainian cities: Increasing diversity and inclusion in urban reconstruction through temporary occupation

This research engages with the tragic consequences of “urbicide”, the deliberate destruction of urban environments. While urbicide erases physical and cultural heritage, temporary urban phenomena can lead to the development of new tangible and intangible heritage, which could drive reconstruction and transformation. These temporary urban spaces are the result of collective action indicating diverse forms of “agency”, negotiation and decision-making, which may lead to alternative urban development processes characterized by sense of belonging and social participation through “temporality”. Through a case study methodology involving two cities in Ukraine, the research argues that the interaction of the temporary use of space with its informal appropriation may lead to long-term collective leadership and increasing levels of “autonomy” in the making of urban places. These processes of urban transformation, therefore, call for collective actions that respond to local needs and shared heritage, shaping urban spaces and associated cultural values. Exploring the cities of Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv, the research sheds light on the potential for this new intangible heritage, emerging through the temporary use of city center spaces by internally displaced people (IDPs), to contribute to post-conflict urban reconstruction and identify the conditions under which more inclusive and diverse urban development processes can counteract the effects of urbicide.