ISSN 2786-4561 (printed)
ISSN 2786-457X (online)

CONSTRUCTIVE GEOGRAPHY AND RATIONAL USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES

Vol.6.2 (2025). рр. 56-68

The City Programmed by the Community: On-Chain Governance as a Model of Digital Urban Management

Kirashchuk A.

https://orcid.org/0009-0003-5019-9097
Taras Shevchenko National University, Kyiv, Ukraine
https://doi.org/10.17721/2786-4561.2025.6.2.-7/15

Annotation.Amid rapid digitalization, urban systems are undergoing profound transformation. New information and communication technologies expand the opportunities for residents to become not only consumers of services but also co-creators of policies and urban development. The article employs an interdisciplinary approach that combines socio-geographical analysis, qualitative comparative analysis, the case study method, and elements of benchmarking. The study focuses on on-chain governance as a model of digital urban management, where decision-making rules, financial transactions, and voting processes are encoded in smart contracts and executed within distributed networks. The article analyzes international and Ukrainian cases of implementing this model and presents a critical reflection on its socio-geographical implications. It demonstrates that on-chain governance can enhance transparency, accountability, and trust in urban administration but requires comprehensive infrastructure, legal legitimacy, and the reduction of digital inequality. The concept of on-chain governance is presented as a model of digital urban management in which centralized and decentralized practices complement each other. The article outlines directions for further research in the context of transitioning from closed administrative procedures to transparent algorithmic solutions that may significantly reshape the relationship between authorities and city residents. A city programmed by its community represents both a challenge and the next step in the evolution of urban self-governance in the digital age.

Keywords: city, urban management, on-chain governance, participation, urban development, smart city, decentralization.
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