Spatial Reactions to War

War affects all aspects of human life, extending to its spatial dimensions. On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Ukrainian cities began to react. Distance from the front line determined the nature of this reaction: while civilians in Kharkiv hid in bomb shelters or evacuated, Lviv (west) started to shelter the first refugees.

The aim of this thesis is to explore and highlight a series of spatial changes in cities through the analysis of selected case studies, such as buildings, infrastructure or public space elements. To achieve this, I propose a methodology of “spatial reaction” based on the functional change of the researched case study. This approach provides insight into urban processes and the mechanisms of their adaptation to critical circumstances. The proposed methodology is tested on twenty-eight case studies gathered in Lviv and Kharkiv. These cities represent two contrasting scenarios: “rear-border” and “front-border” cities. The thesis thus offers perspective on contemporary urban dynamics in Ukrainian cities and provides an analytical framework that helps to understand spatial adaptation in the context of war.