From data to decision-making – Supporting Ukraine’s urban recovery planning

The crisis in Ukraine changed the lives for millions. Since February 2022, UNHCR reports that more than 6.9 million people fled the country, seeking safety abroad—mainly in European countries—while an estimated 3.7 million became displaced within Ukraine itself, many finding refuge in the western regions.

This rapid population change is happening against the backdrop of a widespread housing crisis. By 2024, more than 10% of Ukraine’s housing stock—impacting nearly two million households—had been damaged or destroyed. Around 250,000 housing units, or 8.6% of the country’s total residential area, require repair or reconstruction. Cities near Kyiv, such as Irpin and Makariv were heavily affected during the early 2022 offensive, with 71% of buildings in Irpin and over 40% of Makariv’s settlements damaged. The destruction goes beyond homes—electricity networks, roads, water and sanitation systems, healthcare facilities, and schools have been disrupted, affecting daily life and limiting access to essential services.

Ukrainian hromadas, which are municipality-level territorial units of local self-government, face unprecedented challenges in planning reconstruction: assessing damage across multiple sectors, prioritizing limited resources, coordinating with national programs and international partners, and ensuring recovery efforts address community needs while building resilience against future challenges. Many municipalities face gaps or limitations with technical capacity and tools to conduct systematic spatial analysis and scenario planning required for effective recovery strategies.

As part of the Just Transitions: Digital Tools and Capacity for Inclusive, Smart, and Resilient Urban Recovery in Ukraineproject funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), in collaboration with the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, the hromadas of Makariv, Irpin and Drohobych, and the UN-Habitat Ukraine Urban Lab, the United Nations Innovation Technology Accelerator for Cities (UNITAC) has co-developed the Urban Recovery Planning System (URPS) — a prototype for an open-source spatial decision support platform to visualize and analyze datasets across various sectors. With standardized approaches, the URPS platform provides the digital infrastructure and analytical capabilities that hromadas and the Ministry can use to plan Ukraine's recovery systematically, transparently, and efficiently.

Building on UN-Habitat Ukraine Urban Lab’s work with hromadas on Comprehensive Recovery Programmes and Integrated Development Concepts, the URPS platform helps turn collected data into practical insights. Unlike static PDF reports, URPS allows local staff and decision-makers to explore information interactively, combine different data sources, and supports a better understanding of local needs. The current prototype includes core modules for visualizing data, reachability analysis, facility simulation, dashboards and participation features.

Users can create urban profiles by combining and overlaying datasets, helping local authorities and communities to identify critical areas for intervention or deficits in provision of infrastructure or basic services. For instance, URPS allows users to visualizedamage and repair needs, while also mapping the availability of facilities, including shelter and emergency, in relation to where people live. This evidence-based approach sets the foundation for strategic planning and smarter allocation of resources, informing local decision-makers where to build back better, restore services or make shelter available.

The platform further supports participatory planning. The prototype offers the opportunity for communities to contribute with location-based feedback and by ranking their individual preferences for specific recovery projects. This ensures that recovery is not only data-driven but also inclusive and responsive to the voices of those most affected.

To make sure the tool is grounded in real needs, UNITAC has been working closely with government representatives through user test sessions and feedback rounds to validate the features and develop a tool that is accessible, including to less technical users. An additional fourth hromada - Kamianets-Podilskyi – is being supported with capacity development and technical advice in data collection processes and for the deployment of URPS.

Ukraine's urgent need for urban recovery and reconstruction demands planning processes that are far more agile and responsive than traditional approaches allow. In conflict and post-conflict contexts, municipalities must rapidly assess damage, prioritize interventions, allocate limited resources, coordinate with multiple stakeholders, and adapt plans as circumstances evolve—tasks that are challenging using conventional static planning methods.

The URPS tool enables this agility by providing situational awareness, allowing users to explore different ‘what if’ scenarios, assess infrastructure deficit, and engage stakeholders. The ability to rapidly update maps and analysis as new information becomes available ensures that planning remains responsive to changing needs rather than locked into outdated assessments.

As the project continues, UNITAC is incrementally including new features and aligning the platform with national platforms, including local regulatory frameworks such as the structure of the Geodatabase of urban planning documentation at the local level (Order 56), to ensure the analytical capabilities piloted with URPS can support further national recovery goals and local urban planning processes.