Analysis of Ukrainian Cities in Terms of Accessibility and Demographic Features in the Context of Forming a 15-Minute City

The study is devoted to the development of the first empirically based typology of Ukrainian cities, which combines demographic data with indicators of pedestrian and cyclist accessibility to infrastructure facilities obtained from the interactive platform "15-minutes city". The relevance of the work is enhanced by the need to develop effective post-war recovery strategies that meet the modern challenges of urbanization and the concept of sustainable urban development. The authors applied hierarchical cluster analysis for 71 cities of Ukraine which allowed to identify three statistically different clusters. These groups are characterized by significant differences in accessibility levels which is confirmed by analysis of variance (ANOVA) with high statistical significance. Cluster 2 demonstrates the best accessibility indicators, which makes the cities of this group the most suitable for implementing the concept of a 15-minutes city. This cluster includes cities (Lviv, Kyiv, Dnipro, Odesa, Chernihiv, Lutsk, Rivne, etc) with the largest population, including cities with a population of over one million, which indicates their significant potential for further development. Cluster 1 occupies an intermediate position in terms of accessibility indicators and includes mainly medium and large cities (Zaporizhia, Kharkiv, Poltava, Shostka and others). This group requires optimization of existing solutions to increase the sustainability and comfort of the urban environment. Cluster 3 is characterized by the lowest accessibility and consists mainly of small and medium-sized cities. Cities in this group (Luhansk, Kramatorsk, Lysychansk, etc) face significant challenges, such as inadequate pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, uneven distribution of services and limited public transport. They require priority investments and intensive measures to improve mobility. The results of the cluster analysis are clearly positive and indicate its success in identifying statistically significant and clearly demarcated groups of Ukrainian cities in terms of pedestrian and bicycle accessibility. The identified clusters demonstrate clear differences in the average accessibility values which are critically important for the development of differentiated and effective urban planning strategies, in particular in the context of the 15-minutes city concept and post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. It will allow to identify cities with similar challenges and opportunities for reconstruction, as well as developing strategies that will take into account their unique demographic and mobility structure, contributing to the creation of more sustainable, comfortable and functional cities for all citizens. In the future it is planned to conduct a more in-depth analysis of clusters, including factors such as building density and the availability of public transport, or to investigate the dynamics of changes in urban accessibility.