Ukrainian Venice approves development strategy until 2032

The Community Development Strategy for 2026-2032 was approved in the city of Vilkovo, Odesa Oblast, which is often compared to Venice through numerous channels.

According to the document, the mission of the community is to promote the principles of rational environmental management in the socio-economic system in the Danube basin to ensure sustainable community development.

In particular, a preliminary analysis of the peculiarities of the socio-economic and ethno-cultural development of the Vilkovo community contributed to the identification of the main areas that determine the prospects for its development:

• The ecosystem of the Kiliya Estuary of the Danube and adjacent wetlands is the basis for the development of the maritime sector, the preservation of nature reserve sites with their unique biodiversity, and the development of various types of tourism, primarily ecological tourism;
• the unique culture of Lipovans, especially of the part of the subethnic group that lives in the administrative center of the community (Yeriks district);
• comprehensive development of tourism as a factor of economic activity of the local population in the conditions of war and post-war recovery;
• preservation of the current progressive gender and age structure of the population, which was formed in the community in accordance with the number of officially registered residents.

SWOT analysis of the Vylkove community

The SWOT analysis, a strategic planning tool that helps to assess strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, demonstrated that the community has advantages in the form of: a coastal location and the availability of sea beaches, for example, in Prymorske village; a favorable transport and geographical location at the international level - a position on the Danube, access to the Black Sea and the potential for the transportation of sea cargo to river vessels, communication by river with EU countries; the presence of advertised brands that need to be officially registered; the presence of a game within the community.

But geographical location was also identified as a weak factor. In particular, because its peripheral position in relation to the rest of Ukraine has led to the fact that the community is the last in the road system and there is no railway within its borders. The community has low employment in the economy. The analysts also noted that the community's weaknesses include some issues of rational environmental management, such as water supply and sewage, efficient land use, and preservation of species composition of flora and
fauna.

Earlier, Odesa also presented the final document of the city's Territorial Community Development Strategy, but only until 2027.

Кирило Бойко