The purpose of the article is to unveil conceptual approaches to rural development based on the definition of various types of this development, to substantiate the directions of its diversification in the context of decentralization taking into account the experience of the European Union. The article explores the various types of rural development to substantiate the conceptual approaches to its provision in the context of decentralization reform. The generalization of scientific approaches to the types of rural development gives reason to claim that there is currently no single conceptual approach to the concept under study. Sustainable, balanced, resistant, agrarian, socio-economic, agricultural, integrated, complex, perspective types of rural development are identified. The concepts of “development of rural territories” and “rural development” are described and their use is proposed as identical. It is proposed to consider rural development as a socio-ecological-economic process of extended reproduction of rural development, which ensures harmonious growth of economic, social, demographic, ethnic and environmental spheres. The article determines that the notion of “sustainable”, “balanced”, “resistant” in the scientific literature is disclosed in the framework of the study of priorities for sustainable development of rural areas. The article confirms that the complex development of rural territories is connected with decentralization and creation of integrated territorial communities, which use available natural, economic, social and financial resources. Quality of life of rural residents is determined to be the general criterion that characterizes the development of rural areas. The authors reveal that when the rural population is involved in production on the territory of the community, the unemployment rate decreases, household incomes increase, local budget revenues grow at the expense of the personal income tax. Probable ways of rural development are analyzed on the basis of the experience of the European Union. The need to apply an integrated approach to rural development, that is, to identify this development as diversified, proportional and integrated, is substantiated. 

rural development, decentralization, typology of rural development, sustainable rural development, quality of life for rural residents 

The purpose of the article is to reveal methodological approaches to analysis of the development of rural territories in Ukraine. The authors note that the complex analysis and evaluation of the results of rural areas’ development is an integral part of formation and implementation of the strategy of diversification of rural territories’ development in Ukraine. The paper emphasizes that the availability of analytical information on the state of development of rural territories is a prerequisite for making grounded decisions on diversification of rural territories in the regions of Ukraine and improving the quality of life of rural population. The methodical approaches to the analysis of territories’ development have been considered. The paper proves that the definition of the peculiarities of social, economic and ecological development of rural territories makes it possible to elaborate effective practical recommendations for the diversification of the development of a separate rural consolidated community. A methodology for analyzing the development of rural territories in Ukraine has been developed. It covers the consistent implementation of the following stages: the assessment of the development of rural territories in Ukraine, the diagnosis of rural territories in the region, the characteristics of the preconditions for diversification of rural consolidated communities, the modeling and development of strategic directions of diversification of rural territories in conditions of decentralization, monitoring of changes in the development of rural territories and control over the implementation of the goals of diversification of rural territories in terms of decentralization. The application of the proposed methodological approaches to the analysis of the development of rural territories in the context of the implementation of the decentralization reform can serve as the basis for making informed decisions regarding the strategy of diversification of rural territories, increasing the competitiveness of rural consolidated communities. This is possible on the basis of the diagnosis of rural development and the identification of priority areas for economic activity for each of them, which should be the ground for implementation of modern regional policy in the context of decentralization of authorities. 

rural development analysis, decentralization, rural consolidated territorial community, diversification of rural areas development, quality of life of rural inhabitants 

The institutional principles of Ukrainian territorial communities’ innovative development are considered in the article, the theoretical innovative regional development basis and territorial communities’ development threats are analyzed. Taking into account the theory of autonomous poseism, the territorial community is defined as the basic institutional unit of self-reproduction of the peoples, that’s why at the level of the territorial community the demographic, resource and institutional reproduction is supplied. While regional innovations are implemented, the impact of the changes on to these indicators should be extrapolated. The results of the implemented programs within the reform of the administrative and territorial system in Ukraine are outlined. It is confirmed that the growth of budget revenues of the joint territorial communities, however, mainly is a result of budgetary subventions, rather than the introduction of innovative forms of own territorial communities’ socio-economic development. The paper outlines significant contradictions and inconsistencies in the legal framework, which complicate the effective implementation of administrative and territorial reform, and as a result, institutionalized “traps”, in particular concerning the incorrect translation of international legal acts, institutional uncertainty of ownership rights to municipal resources, the lack of territorial communities’ registers formation, etc. Accordingly, the uncertainty of the communal resources’ ownership, its inadequate accounting causes shadowing of a significant proportion of local communities socio-economic processes, and hence the limitation of the innovation development basis, reflected in the low efficiency of economic activity of territorial communities as management entities and their innovation development.
The ways of improvement of the institutional basis of Ukrainian territorial communities’ innovative development are proposed, first of all due to the registration of members of territorial communities, municipal resources, as well as the development of institutional supplement of territorial communities’ innovative development by improving institutional forms of economic activity, as well as improving the domestic normative and legal basis for their development at the state, regional and local levels. 

The conceptual principles of management of sustainable urban development in the conditions of European integration and implementation of the decentralization reform arerevealed. Approaches to the definition of the categories «city» and «sustainableurban development» are proposed. It is substantiated that the regional preconditions that have a direct impact on the sustainable urban development are institutional, social, economic, and environmental conditions. Revealed that in the structure of available methodical approaches to assessing the level of sustainable city development and analyzing the efficiency of management of this process there are some differences, which indicates the need for their improvement for application in the process of diagnostics management of sustainable development of the city.Proposed to apply a synergetic approach to the study of the problems of management of sustainable development of the city, which allows to identify inter-environment integration patterns of self-organization of the city as a complex socio-economic and ecological system. Suggested to use such partial indicators for the integrated assessment of sustainable development of Ukrainian cities as development of the social sphere, economic and ecological situation. The calculation of the integral index of sustainable development of the regional centers of Ukraine has been done, the results of which have revealed significant differences in the level of sustainable development in Ukrainian cities. Substantiated that in the context of the implementation of the Association Agreement with the European Union it is advisable to introduce directions for increasing the efficiency of strategic management of sustainable development of the city. These include: implementation of the principles of strategic management of city development in accordance with the key priorities of the regional policy of the European Union; decentralization of public administration and development of territorial communities; using the methodology of project management and sustainable city development programs to increase the role of social responsibility of business in the structure of sustainable development of the city; adherence to the principles of environmental safety and the development of the green economy.The management of sustainable urban development in the context of decentralization reform envisages the definition of strategic goals, objectives and target priorities aimed at socio-economic growth and the achievement of the ecological balance, and improvement of the quality of life of the population, possibly with the concentration of power at the basic level. The theoretical and methodological generalization and development of conceptual principles of management of sustainable development of the city, which allow developing the directions of its organizational and economic provision in the current conditions of the reform of the national economy, the formation of competitive territorial communities, processes of Ukraine’s integration into the European Union, is carried out. 

city, sustainable development, management of sustainable urban development, European integration, efficiency of management