Ukraine Support Team works systematically with Ukrainian communities in the areas of strategic planning, sustainable development, effective governance, and the preparation of practical solutions for recovery. One key area of this work is the development of community growth strategies, economic modeling, and support for local governments in making data-driven decisions.

After the full-scale invasion, many Ukrainian communities found themselves facing a complex challenge: they needed to simultaneously restore damaged infrastructure, bring people back, support local economies, attract investors, and plan for the future under conditions of limited resources.

In such circumstances, simply rebuilding individual facilities is not enough. It is important to understand what the community will look like in five or ten years: how many people will live there, what services will be needed, which industries can create jobs, how to increase budget revenues, and how to create an attractive environment for residents, businesses, and investors.

This is at the heart of one of the key areas of Ukraine Support Team’s work, which is supporting communities in developing strategic solutions that bring together economics, infrastructure, energy, ecology, social needs, and effective governance.

Community Strategies as a Recovery Tool

For UST, community development is not only a matter of rebuilding structures or repairing infrastructure. It is, above all, about shaping a long-term development model.

This approach involves a community analyzing its own resources, demographic trends, economic potential, land assets, logistical advantages, residents’ needs, and investment opportunities. On this basis, practical development scenarios are formed that can be used by local authorities, businesses, donors, and international partners.

This approach allows communities to move from reactive management to strategic thinking: not simply responding to problems, but planning development, setting priorities, and making effective use of resources.

The Borodyanka Case: From a War-Affected Community to a Model of Thoughtful Development

One example of this work was UST’s participation in the study “Economic Modeling for the Development of the Borodyanka Settlement Community Through 2030,” prepared by the Office of Efficient Regulation in collaboration with Ukraine Support Team and Saturday Team.

The Borodyanka community is one of those that suffered significant losses as a result of hostilities and occupation. At the same time, its challenges go beyond physical destruction. The research showed that even before the full-scale invasion, the community was facing a demographic crisis, a declining share of young people, low fiscal returns, and an insufficient number of jobs.

The study’s presentation noted that the Borodyanka community had been experiencing a prolonged crisis due to population loss, which was further worsened by the 2022 occupation. Due to migration to Kyiv and the surrounding region, the share of young people had been declining and the economically active population was shrinking.

This is precisely why it is important for Borodyanka not simply to restore what was destroyed, but to form a new development model that is economically strong, socially balanced, and attractive for life.

Data Before Decisions

The core logic of the study is that any management decision must be grounded in data. Before deciding to rebuild schools, kindergartens, medical facilities, or other social infrastructure, it is necessary to understand the demographic situation and the future demand for services.

Ukraine Support Team Director Olena Koltyk emphasized:

Before spending money, any resources, before making decisions about rebuilding schools and medical facilities, we need to understand how many people are going to receive that service. To effectively solve a problem, you need to understand its scale.

This approach is the foundation of effective community governance. It helps avoid situations where resources are directed toward facilities without a clear understanding of future demand, demographic shifts, or economic viability.

According to the study’s projections, if conditions remain unchanged, the population of Borodyanka community could decline by 2030, creating the risk of closing up to 7 schools and 7 kindergartens, as well as laying off 236 workers. Minimum budget losses could amount to approximately 17 million hryvnias at 2021 prices, or up to 11% of budget revenues excluding intergovernmental transfers.

These figures demonstrate why strategic planning for communities is not a formality, but a practical instrument of survival and growth.

Economic Modeling as a Foundation for Community Development

The research for the Borodyanka community combined internal and external approaches. On one hand, input was gathered from residents, entrepreneurs, educators, medical professionals, civil society representatives, village heads, and young people. On the other hand, comparisons were made with other communities in Kyiv Oblast and with suburbs of Central and Eastern European capitals.

Specifically, analysts examined 37 communities in Kyiv Oblast within roughly 60 km of Kyiv, as well as 110 suburbs of Central and Eastern European capitals. This analysis helped identify the role Borodyanka could play in the future and which development models are most realistic for it.

One of the conclusions is that the Borodyanka community has the potential to become a balanced suburb with tourism and recreational potential. This means its development should combine jobs, housing, social infrastructure, logistics, recreation, ecological appeal, and local identity.

Business Development and Investment Attractiveness

A dedicated section of the study examined which businesses could become drivers of Borodyanka’s development. Among the promising areas identified are energy projects, flat glass production, Class A warehouses, agricultural machinery manufacturing, and rehabilitation and social services.

The presentation compared potential enterprises that could be attractive to the community: a solar power plant, a float-method flat glass manufacturing plant, Class A warehouses, an agricultural machinery plant, and a disability care center for children. For each direction, the study assessed land requirements, workforce needs, investment volumes, payback periods, and potential economic impact on the community’s budget.

Energy stands out as especially significant. For an investor, a stable electricity supply is a baseline condition for entering a community. Therefore, developing local generation capacity and energy resilience may be one of the first practical steps toward strengthening Borodyanka’s economic attractiveness.

Senior analyst at Saturday Team Dmytro Synko noted:

In total, 49 new businesses and mid-sized enterprises need to be launched. But it makes sense to start with seven. The first should be some kind of energy project, because every investor needs to know: if there is no electricity, how will I save my business?

Logistics is another promising area. Borodyanka is located on Highway M07, which leads to Poland and the Baltic states. This creates conditions for developing warehouse capacity and transport-logistics services.

Ecological Vision and Sustainable Development

UST places importance on the fact that a community development strategy must account not only for economic indicators, but also for ecological considerations, climate risks, and residents’ quality of life.

The study proposed shaping the vision for the Borodyanka community with an emphasis on ecological themes and climate change. Among the factors supporting this direction are a large area of forests, nature protection zones, bodies of water, residents’ affinity for environmental issues, the absence of polluting industrial production, and the community’s partial reputation as a dacha (summer cottage) area.

This approach aligns with the broader logic of UST’s work: communities should develop not only quickly, but well, with attention to energy efficiency, ecology, inclusivity, climate adaptation, and the future needs of residents.

Practical Recommendations for the Community

The study went beyond a general vision. It contains specific recommendations that can serve as a roadmap for local government.

These include defining the community’s development vision, conducting a land inventory, assessing the qualifications of the local workforce, evaluating the potential of energy projects, developing an investment passport in both Ukrainian and English, designating responsible contacts for investor communications, promoting the investment passport, and removing barriers to business entry, including issues related to roads, generation capacity, utility connections, pesticide storage facilities, and peat bogs.

This is precisely the level of practical detail that communities need to move from general declarations to concrete governance decisions.

UST’s Role: Helping Communities Make Strong Decisions

The Borodyanka case illustrates the role Ukraine Support Team can play in community development. UST acts not only as a partner on individual projects, but as an organization that helps communities think strategically, draw on expertise, work with data, and build realistic development scenarios.

This is especially relevant for Ukrainian consolidated territorial communities. In the coming years, communities will be competing for people, businesses, investment, donor programs, and state support. Those with a quality strategy, a clear vision, prepared investment proposals, and strong governance capacity will have significantly better chances of successful recovery.

Borodyanka is one example of how a community can move from crisis to thoughtful development. And for UST, this is part of a broader mission: supporting Ukrainian communities in building effective, sustainable, and competitive models for the future.