Restoration of Ukraine on the Principle of “Building Back Better”: Regional Approach

The purpose of this study is to establish the scientific and practical foundations of Ukraine’s recovery from the war’s consequences, based on the principle of “building back better”, through a regional approach. This principle implies an innovative restoration of Ukraine, focusing on the best world models, that is, “better than it was.” At the same time, the regional approach allows for considering the specifics of territories (regions, territorial communities, and settlements), which, according to the postulates of the new regional policy, orients the authorities to maximize the use of their endogenous potential. The article uses the following methods: to study the process of restoring Ukraine on the principle of “building back better”— theoretical, situational, strategic and financial analysis, program-target method, methods of project management, monitoring and controlling; to study the processes of restoration in the context of regions, territorial communities and settlements—methods of regional analysis and spatial planning. As a result of the research, the problems caused by Russia’s military aggression have been identified, which need to be addressed in the process of restoring Ukraine’s territories. The plans, programs, and projects for the restoration of Ukraine, based on the principle of “building back better” from a regional approach, were analyzed, including the Recovery Plan of Ukraine, the Plan for Ukraine Facility, and the Unified Project Portfolio. Their strengths and weaknesses are revealed. An in-depth assessment of the reasons for the backlog in implementing the Experimental Project for the Restoration of Six Settlements, with the Recovery Agency as the primary coordinator, was conducted. Gaps have been identified in the comprehensive plans for the spatial development of the territories to which these settlements belong. The reasons for the insufficient volume of work on restoring territories, particularly the reasons for their inadequate funding, are disclosed. The novelty of the study lies in its substantiation of the principles for restoring Ukraine from the war’s consequences, based on the “building back better” principle, from a regional perspective. This is achieved through an analysis of the implementation of the state’s main plans, programs, and projects.