In February 2026, the Ukrainian Academy of Architecture (UAA) presented an encyclopaedic dictionary entitled Urban Studies and Spatial Planning. It is a joint effort between the UAA’s vice-president and full member, the People’s Architect of Ukraine, Professor MYKOLA DYOMIN, and the UAA’s Corresponding Member, Professor MYKOLA НABREL.
Focusing on the systematisation of key concepts in contemporary urban studies, the publication is the result of many years of scientific research and practical experience by the authors. The Academy considers it a tool for shaping the professional language and worldview of the expert community in the context of state transformation, urban reconstruction, and the need to harmonise interdisciplinary approaches to spatial development.
The idea of creating the dictionary belongs to Professor Mykola Dyomin, one of Ukraine’s leading urban planning theorists, author of numerous scientific works and urban planning projects, and long-time vice-president of the Ukrainian Academy of Architecture. The co-author of the publication, Professor Mykola Нabrel, is an architect-urbanist, researcher of the spatial organisation of urban planning systems, long-time lecturer at the Lviv Polytechnic National University, and participant in the development of the
master plan for Lviv. This is the author’s 300th publication.
The dictionary covers about three thousand terms from urban studies, spatial planning, and related disciplines – from architecture and economic geography to sociology and land management. The authors distinguish between the concepts of urban planning as an applied activity of city design and urban studies as a fundamental science of the relationship between society and the space in which it lives.
The publication pays considerable attention to the origin of terms, their semantic nuances, and contemporary usage. It proposes a model for interpreting concepts based on the three Cs principle: conceptuality, context, and connotations. This model takes into account not only normative definitions, but also the cultural, historical, and emotional meanings of space. The authors emphasise the importance of intangible urban environment characteristics such as traditions, identity, and a sense of belonging to a
place.
Recommended by the Ukrainian Academy of Architecture, the publication is intended for architects, urban planners, researchers, local government officials, and students. According to the authors, the dictionary should help to establish a common professional language between specialists and society and become a scientific and practical tool for planning the development of cities and regions.
