Law. Human. Environment

Legal framework for environmentally sustainable urban development: The Canadian model and directions for reforming Ukrainian legislation

Romana Kiuntsli , Andriy Stepanyuk, Iryna Berezovetska , Olena Yara, Viktor Ladychenko
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Abstract

This article examined the legal regulation of environmentally sustainable urban development through a comparative analysis of Canadian and Ukrainian regulatory approaches to green construction and spatial planning. The purpose of the study was to identify the key elements of effective sustainable construction governance and to assess the prospects for their implementation within Ukrainian urban planning legislation, particularly in the context of post-war reconstruction, climate adaptation, and European integration. The study was based on an analysis of regulatory frameworks and enforcement practices in Canada, including federal environmental legislation, model building codes, provincial regulatory instruments, and municipal planning acts. Particular attention was paid to mechanisms for integrating environmental requirements into planning documentation, permitting procedures, whole-building life-cycle assessment, zoning regulation, and green public procurement instruments. The results of the study demonstrated that the effectiveness of the Canadian regulatory model was ensured by the systematic integration of environmental requirements into strategic planning, building standards, zoning policies, and permitting procedures, operating within a multi-level governance system and supported by preventive regulatory control at the design stage. It was established that the effectiveness of sustainable construction governance depended not only on the formal establishment of standards, but primarily on their integration across all stages of construction activity, including the application of life-cycle assessment, staged energy performance standards, and environmentally oriented public procurement instruments. At the same time, the analysis indicated that the Ukrainian legal framework remained fragmented and predominantly focused on the technical aspects of energy efficiency, which limited the effective implementation of sustainable development principles in the construction sector. The findings suggested that improving the effectiveness of legal regulation in Ukraine required a transition from a formally oriented regulatory model to one focused on practical effectiveness, the systematic integration of environmental criteria, and institutional support for their implementation

Keywords

green building regulation; environmental law; urban planning law; multi-level governance; building lifecycle assessment; energy efficiency regulation; environmental zoning

Suggested citation
Kiuntsli , R., Stepanyuk, A., Berezovetska , I., Yara, O., & Ladychenko, V. (2026). Legal framework for environmentally sustainable urban development: The Canadian model and directions for reforming Ukrainian legislation. Law. Human. Environment, 17(2), 155-178. https://doi.org/10.31548/law/2.2026.155
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