Problems of the urban structure of small towns in the vicinity of Polish Warsaw and Ukrainian Lviv

For many years, small towns in Poland and Ukraine, which are often referred to as “post-socialist”, have been struggling with the spatial chaos of their historical urban structure. These towns tended to be largely neglected and often struggled to maintain a sense of identity. After the political transformation, a process of “shrinking” was observed in these towns. Poland's accession to the European Union helped change both the appearance of towns and society's attitude towards them. The article aims to interpret the preserved historical urban structure of towns in Poland and Ukraine and analyse comparatively the preserved historical spatial layouts and physiognomies of towns in the Lviv and Warsaw regions. It was achieved by using retrospective research on the development of selected 9 small Polish and 23 Ukrainian towns. The period of the research is the last 30 years, after the fall of socialism. In both countries, there has been similar deformation of historic town centres, but many preserved relics of historic spatial arrangements make possible urban renewal of these centres. The towns studied need interpretation of their urban heritage, so the article highlights methods of action to assess what needs to be protected and what constitutes cultural identity. • The aim of the article is interpretation of the preserved historical urban structure of small cities of Poland and Ukraine and a comparative analysis of the preserved historical spatial layouts and physiognomies of cities in the Lviv and Warsaw regions, founded on similar roots. The research period is the last 30 years, i.e. after the fall of socialism – democratic changes in Poland and the restoration of independence by Ukraine. As a result of the analyses carried out, it was stated that both Polish and Ukrainian towns have similar problems related to the degradation of space and the protection of cultural heritage. In both countries, there has been similar deformation of historic town centers, but many preserved relics of historic spatial arrangements make possible urban renewal of these centers.