WARTIME DEMOGRAPHIC PATTERNS: COMPARATIVE STRATEGIES AND ADAPTIVE APPROACHES IN SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT
Abstract
The full-scale war in Ukraine has radically transformed the country’s demographic and spatial configuration, combining shock destruction with long waves of socio-demographic consequences. Amid multiple stressors, rapid needs assessments indicate that reconstruction requirements will amount to approximately $524 billion over the next decade, with GDP growth expected to slow to around 2% by 2025. It has been established that mass population displacement and new demographic patterns will remain a defining feature of Ukraine for years to come, shaping all social and spatial processes: degradation and depopulation of frontline and occupied territories contrast with population concentration in relatively safe central and western regions, creating a cascade of multidimensional impacts. Against the backdrop of a pre-war demographic crisis (low birth rate 7.3‰ and mortality 17.3‰ in 2021), the war has intensified ageing, labour force losses, and added risks of the “feminisation” of migration. Based on the identification of national and regional features of demographic transformations, directions for adapting spatial planning policy have been substantiated for two types of territories. For de-occupied communities, priorities include “smart shrinkage,” optimisation of service networks, managed repurposing or renaturalisation, and geriatric and mobile infrastructure. For recipient territories, priorities include emergency housing (subsidised rent, building conversion), expansion of educational and primary healthcare networks, integration hubs, and rapid employment tools. Common denominators are demographically sensitive planning, economic diversification, and strong community participation mechanisms. The proposed approach combines physical reconstruction with socio-economic programming, offering tools to reduce territorial disparities, stimulate birth rates, and support return and integration trajectories in the post-war period.
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