Local identity in urban development: limits and possibilities of architectural regulation

Abstract

Background: Local identity is a component of the urban environment that can be lost even when listed monuments remain physically intact. Changes in development scale, obstruction of familiar views, loss of passages through urban blocks, and displacement of everyday functions may weaken the community's relationship with a place. Purpose: The study determines which spatial features and use conditions sustain local identity and how they can be considered in new development, reconstruction, and post-war recovery. Methods: A comparative analysis was conducted of fifteen Ukrainian studies in architecture, urbanism, heritage protection, and public administration. Results: Local identity depends on parcel structure, visual corridors, the treatment of ground floors, access to courtyards and passages, conditions for local events, and the customary scale of streets. Urban-planning documents should therefore regulate not only height and density but also the spatial relationships that keep heritage visible, usable, and meaningful. Residents' participation is valuable as a source of knowledge absent from archives and drawings. In post-war recovery, urban continuity does not necessarily require literal replication; it may involve restoring the relationships through which a place remains recognizable and livable. Conclusions: Historical and architectural reference plans, local development rules, competition briefs, and public consultations should translate intangible values into explicit, evidence-based design requirements.