Participatory planning is extremely important, especially in times of war. Involving the community in decision-making can significantly speed up recovery and make it more sustainable. It is with this approach in mind that the Kazankivska community of Mykolaiv region has developed its Comprehensive Recovery Programme as part of the project “Strengthening Democratic Processes in Territorial Communities” implemented by the Centre for Innovations Development. This document is aimed at developing strategic solutions for the development of socio-economic infrastructure, improving the quality of life of residents and strengthening the community’s resilience during the recovery period.
One of the key stages of this process was a survey of community residents, which took place in the spring of this year and was open to anyone who wanted to participate. As a result, 121 respondents answered the questionnaire, which allowed us to collect 66 ideas for further community development. All the data is visualised on an interactive dashboard, which allows us to analyse the community’s priorities based on residents’ ratings on a scale from 0 to 3 (where 0 means minimum importance and 3 means maximum importance).
Among the priority areas that received the highest scores from residents were:
- Development of the regional and local economy (2.37 points)
- Projects aimed at developing human capital (2.26 points)
- Building institutions for recovery (2.27 points)
Areas such as improving the condition of agricultural land and protecting the environment also received high scores, indicating their importance to the community.
According to the survey results, residents identified several key topics that require immediate attention, including: road rehabilitation (74%), regional and local economic development (59%), human capital development (55%), building institutions to ensure recovery (55%), and restoration of pre-school education (54%),
Thus, the community has not only expressed its priorities, but has also formed specific projects, such as
- Overhaul of the basement of the Teremok pre-school with the arrangement of a shelter for the safety of children;
- Construction of a modern shelter at the Kazankiv Lyceum to meet the relevant safety requirements;
- Green energy – the way to the future;
- Healthy school meals;
- Reconstruction of the central stadium of FSC Kolos to develop the community’s sports infrastructure;
- Construction of a pumping station with a 1000 cubic metre clean water tank to improve water supply;
- Establishment of an agro-logistics centre to sell agricultural products of local farmers, and others.
These projects are aimed at improving various aspects of community life, from social infrastructure to economic development and environmental sustainability. Thanks to the active involvement of residents, the Comprehensive Recovery Programme has great potential to attract investment and contribute to the long-term development of the community.
The analytical dashboard with the results of the survey allows us to better understand the needs of the community and its development priorities. To see the full results of the survey, please follow the INTERACTIVE DASHBOARD.
For reference: The creation of this material was made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with the support of the Democratic Governance in Eastern Ukraine project. These opinions and conclusions are those of the Innovation Development Centre and do not necessarily reflect the position or views of USAID or the United States Government. Other partners may not agree with these conclusions.