The urban dimension of war in Ukraine

What impact will the war in Ukraine have on urban structures? Historically military doctrines, tactics and technologies have shaped our cities. As such it is imperative that we better understand the nature of contemporary urban conflicts in order to prepare and protect our cities, to make them safer and more resilient. The article analyses the course of the war in Ukraine, the tactics employed to attack cities and infrastructure, the resistance of various building types to explosive munitions, as well as the degree of protection they offer to inhabitants. This study indicates that civil defence requirements must once again become an important element of urban planning. New defensive strategies must be developed. We need to improve our understanding of how military affairs intersects with civilian infrastructure in our cities. The relations between infrastructure, density and spatial components that make up the city model must be re-evaluated. It appears that polycentric, sparsely distributed, ‘15-minute’ cities are more in line with requirements regarding quality of life, sustainable development and resilience in comparison to large and dense urban structures.