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

CONSTRUCTIVE GEOGRAPHY AND RATIONAL USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES

Vol.6.2 (2025). рр. 145-160

Smart specialisation as an effective tool for the renovation of belligerent-recreational systems

Petrovskyi I.

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5865-4275
Taras Shevchenko National University, Kyiv, Ukraine
https://doi.org/10.17721/2786-4561.2025.6.2.-0/15

Annotation.The article outlines the principal “opportunities” for applying smart specialisation instruments in the recovery of belligerent-recreational systems – a specific type of territorial formations. The aim of the paper is to demonstrate that an orientation toward endogenous resources and stakeholder participation can help transform regions affected by various military impacts into drivers of innovation-led development and thus fill a methodological gap in the recovery of post-war territories by proposing an integrated tool that combines remediation with long-term socio-economic development and can be adapted for implementation in other regions. The study shows that focusing on local assets reduces territorial vulnerability and contributes to the formation of sustainable competitive advantages. The proposed conceptual model for introducing smart specialisation instruments includes the following core blocks: analysis of the potential of the economic structure and infrastructure, and of the environmental condition; an “entrepreneurial discovery” process during which government, business, academia, and the community form clusters based on defence enterprises, tourism, green technologies, and cultural industries; innovation- and infrastructure-driven development and financing mechanisms; digitalisation of governance through e-services, monitoring, and forecasting; and monitoring studies that enable the adjustment of priorities using indicators of economic growth, investment, and quality of life. The paper emphasises the social dimensions of this toolkit – reintegration of veterans and internally displaced persons, support for communities, and local branding – and highlights its advantages in stimulating investment, creating innovation clusters, and strengthening cooperation between the defence and “civilian” sectors (in particular, the tourism and recreation sector).

Keywords: belligerent systems; belligerent-recreational systems; post-war reconstruction; smart specialisation; sustainable development.
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Declaration of the Conflict of Interest