THE GENESIS OF THE FUNCTIONAL AND PLANNING STRUCTURE OF THE DNIPR COASTAL ZONE OF PODOL IN KYIV
Authors: Mykhailyk Olha 
Published: February 2025

The Dnipro River is a powerful natural resource of Kyiv, the main vector of city planning. The Dnieper embankment together with Khreshchatyk and the compositional nodes of the central squares form the basis of the compositional central core of the city. Today, the coastal territory of Kyiv is becoming more and more limited for citizens - only 15% of the coastline is publicly accessible. The state of the Dnipro river system, which has been transformed into a cascade of reservoirs, is steadily deteriorating as a result of the increased anthropogenic load, which is reflected in the quality of drinking water. The problems of the Kyiv bank of the Dnieper are common to many urban coastal zones. Postal Square is one of the important compositional nodes of the city: trading settlements have been known here since the IV century. The Dnipro Embankment originates from Postova Square.The coastal zone, as part of the relief of Podol, was an important natural factor that shaped its planning structure over time. Аctive trade conducted on the Dnieper waterway greatly contributed to the development of manufacturing enterprises here. The appearance of steamships developed the commercial function of the Podil embankment. During the years 1935-1938, a 1.3 km long section was developed, the riverbank was strengthened, a 12-meter pedestrian zone was created, and an 18-meter-wide highway was asphalted. Near the water area, a promenade terrace with 5- meter-long steps to the Dnieper was laid with trees that they separated the walking area from the road and created a cozy shade for the townspeople. The Dnieper embankment acquired a protective, transport and walking function. At the end of the 2000s, the Dnipro Embankment was transformed into a highspeed transport highway, losing its landscaped green promenades and public space area. The reconstructed Post Square has turned into an intersection for automobile traffic. The decision of the Kyiv City Council for 2004-2009 approved the change in the target designation of the coastal areas within the Dnipro floodplain, and permission was obtained for the construction of residential and public buildings on the coastal areas of Kyiv. The development of motor vehicles had a negative impact on the comfort of the embankment for citizens. The most attractive coastal area of the city is separated by elite buildings and high-speed highways. The public space of the Podil embankment remained only around Postova Square.Podil is an example of the coastal zone of the city, where, over time, there was a redistribution between urban territories of different functional purposes, not to the benefit of pedestrians and vacationers: a high-speed transport highway, elite residential buildings replaced the public space of the Podil Dnieper embankment. The increased anthropogenic load on the coastal territory has a negative impact on the state of the water area: the gasification of the expressway, the reduction of the area of coastal vegetation, and construction on the coastal protective strips worsen the condition of the river ecosystem. In order to improve the quality of the urban environment and revitalize river ecosystems, the coastal areas of the city should be transformed from transport and production-storage areas to public-housing and landscape-recreational areas with unlimited access for the entire population.