Slavutych. Research into the city’s identity and recommendations for developing a brand concept.
The research into Slavutych’s identity combines an analysis of existing data, engagement with residents, and expert analysis. This approach helps us understand the city’s historical, spatial, social, economic, and cultural characteristics, as well as how the local community perceives it.
We analysed historical and statistical data, development strategies, existing research, and local narratives. We also conducted an online survey, meetings, workshops, and group discussions with residents. This helped us identify the associations people have with the city, its values, strengths, and challenges.
By bringing these findings together, we developed an identity profile for Slavutych, outlining its key characteristics, values, and potential advantages. We also formulated recommendations for the future brand, including its positioning, key messages, narratives, and communication principles.
Within this research, a brand is understood not simply as a logo or visual identity, but as a tool for communicating the city’s identity.
Desk Research
We analysed Slavutych’s history, architecture, natural environment, culture, economy, social life, and strategic documents.
Built after the Chornobyl nuclear disaster as a new home for the residents of Prypiat and the power plant’s employees, Slavutych stands out for its people-centred urban planning concept, the architectural diversity of its eight neighbourhoods, its integration into the forest landscape, and its rich heritage of monumental art.
Today, the city is gradually diversifying its economy, drawing on its scientific and engineering expertise, entrepreneurship, education, creative industries, and international cooperation. Its strong local community remains one of its key assets.
The analysis showed that Slavutych’s distinctive characteristics need to be articulated and communicated more clearly. The next stage, therefore, focused on exploring how residents themselves see the city, its strengths, and its future.
Symbols and Previous Branding Work
Slavutych’s coat of arms reflects the city’s origins and its connection to nuclear energy. The eight rays of the golden star represent the eight Soviet republics whose architects took part in building Slavutych.
The current brand, “Slavutych — A City of New Ideas,” is perceived as outdated and no longer fully reflects the city’s contemporary identity. A new visual symbol developed in 2021–2022 reinterprets the star from the coat of arms, but it was never officially approved or systematically tested through engagement with the local community.
Previous work suggests that a new visual identity should not discard the city’s established symbols, but reinterpret them in line with Slavutych’s contemporary identity.
Slavutych brings together a unique history, experimental architecture, a forest setting, cultural heritage, and strong human capital. At the same time, the city is moving beyond its role as a satellite town serving the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant towards a more diverse development model.
Combining this heritage with new opportunities for living, working, education, entrepreneurship, and culture could form the foundation of Slavutych’s future positioning.
Participatory Research
A survey of 165 respondents, workshops, and meetings helped us understand how residents perceive Slavutych and what they envision for its future.
The city is associated with nature, architecture, the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, comfort, and a strong community. Key priorities for the future include economic resilience, innovation, new opportunities, and a high quality of life.
We also explored the concept of “energy” as a link between the city’s history, its people, and its potential for future development.
Analytical Synthesis
The analysis identified the key features of Slavutych identity: its distinctive architecture, natural environment, compact urban scale, strong community, and forward-looking outlook.
These findings became the foundation for a city identity model and a values matrix to guide the further development of Slavutych’s brand.
Defining the Requirements for the Future Brand
The research showed that Slavutych’s brand should not create an entirely new image, but bring together the city’s strengths and future aspirations: nature and architecture, comfort and ambition, heritage and openness to new ideas.
Positioning
Slavutych is a comfortable, green, and open city of opportunities. Its image should go beyond its association with the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant and highlight its distinctive architecture, multicultural character, and strong community.
What to Communicate
Rather than presenting an abstract vision of a “city of the future,” the brand should showcase everyday life in Slavutych: its natural surroundings, architecture, cultural events, local initiatives, and the people already making a difference.
Who the Brand Is For
The brand should serve the local community first, while also reaching potential residents, entrepreneurs, professionals, students, partners, and tourists. Its goal is to attract people, ideas, and opportunities that contribute to the city’s development.
Key Messages and Tone of Voice
The key themes are the city and the forest, comfort and nature, compactness and opportunity. The brand should communicate a place where people can grow, create, and realise their potential.
The tone should be lively, human, open, and optimistic, without grandiose claims. Instead of bold declarations, the brand should focus on real opportunities, meaningful action, and collaboration.
Visual Identity
The brand should draw on Slavutych real assets: the architecture of its neighbourhoods, urban layout, forests and natural surroundings, distinctive details of the urban environment, historical materials, cultural events, and people.
The Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the city’s founding story, and the experience of 2022 should remain important parts of its context, but should not define Slavutych’s contemporary image entirely.
The goal is to create not just a logo, but a coherent visual and communication system that works across public spaces, wayfinding, digital channels, events, and cultural projects.
Brand and Urban Development
The brand should be a tool for implementing the city’s development strategy, not a standalone communication project. It should support the growth of entrepreneurship, education, culture, tourism, green energy, healthcare, and human potential.
One promising direction is to position Slavutych as a city-campus — a compact, comfortable, and open environment for living, working, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
In this approach, the brand becomes more than a way to tell Slavutych’s story. It provides a framework connecting what the city does, how it presents itself, and what it aspires to become.
Key message:
Slavutych is a compact, comfortable, and resilient environment for living, working, innovation, and business. It builds on its unique architectural heritage and quality of urban life to attract new people and create opportunities for development.
The research was conducted by the Ro3kvit Urban Coalition with the support of the Chornobyl NPP. Slavutych. Development Charitable Foundation, as part of the Mayors for Economic Growth initiative, funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Its content is the sole responsibility of the Chornobyl NPP. Slavutych. Development Charitable Foundation and the Mayors for Economic Growth initiative and does not necessarily reflect the views of the EU, UNDP, or other UN agencies.