TOPONYMIC DECOLONIZING IN CITY OF KYIV: A SPATIAL WAYFINDING APPROACH
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17721/1728-2721.2023.87.4Keywords:
toponymics, toponym, toponymic field, decolonization, derussification, wayfinding, public transport, KyivAbstract
Introduction. In the article, we analyze the process of decolonization of toponyms of the city of Kyiv, which arose in the 19th and 20th centuries as a consequence of the imperial policy of Russia in its various historical guises.
Methods. The research consists the formalization of the active process of toponyms decolonization in City of Kyiv. In the course of this work, the retrospective of the formation and transformations of toponyms was analyzed, a comparative description of derussification and the past processes of desovietization and decommunization was given. On the basis of theoretical works, the current legal framework and practical manuals, the connections between the use of toponyms and spatial wayfinding are revealed.
Results. The common and distinctive features of the various stages of decolonization of toponyms are revealed – desovietization in the 1990s-2000s, decommunization in 2015–2022, and derussification since 2022. The current toponymic field of City of Kyiv is characterized, divided into administrative and vernacular toponyms. The interconnectedness of the toponymic field and the transport system is emphasized, and a new class of toponyms based on denotation – directoponyms – is proposed. The current and potential problems of spatial wayfinding in the urbanized environment, related to the peculiarities of the toponymic field of City of Kyiv, are highlighted. The principles of optimal naming of urban objects with an emphasis on the spatial wayfinding aspect have been developed to avoid collective topographical disorientation. The main groups of urban names that are subject to renaming have been determined, as well as those that are subject to reconsideration. An assessment of the official process of derussification of objects under the city subordination is given. Based on the principles of optimal naming, new toponyms were proposed and the results of voting by Kyiv residents and the adoption of relevant decisions by the Kyiv City Council were analyzed.
Conclusion. The current state of the toponymic field of Kyiv is subjected to a critical analysis, including on the basis of current legal acts of Ukraine and its capital in this sphere. Given the special geopolitical position of Kyiv as the capital of a united and indivisible Ukraine, within the framework of the decolonization phase, namely derussification, which is relevant in 2022, the developed principles of optimal naming of urban objects should become the basis for making administrative and political decisions in this sphere. As of November 2022, the Kyiv City Council has adopted decisions on renaming 149 city objects, of which 30 (20 %) received names proposed by the author based on the principles of optimal naming.
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