Governing Smart City Development in Post-War Ukraine

Abstract

This paper examines the critical governance choices for integrating ‘smart city’ principles into Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction, aiming to transform devastated urban areas into resilient, inclusive, and technologically advanced environments. The study combines a doctrinal analysis of Ukraine’s current legal gaps with a comparative review of EU and international governance models. It incorporates qualitative findings from a rapid expert elicitation with senior Ukrainian public officials, providing actionable, context-specific insights. The analysis reveals a fragmented legal landscape that lacks a dedicated Smart City Law, which creates risks of uncoordinated deployments and vendor lock-in. While alignment with the EU digital acquis (GDPR, NIS2, AI Act) is a stated goal, significant compliance and capacity challenges persist. Expert consultations confirm unanimous agreement regarding the necessity of a framework statute to set clear mandates, institutionalize citizen participation, and mandate safeguards for public-private partnerships (PPPs) to prevent the erosion of public value. This study offers a structured legal and policy framework tailored to Ukraine’s unique post-conflict context.