The history of the Department of Urban Planning and Design at Lviv Polytechnic dates back to 1913, when the first urban planning department within the then-territory of Poland was established at the university. It was headed by Professor Ignatius Drexler, known as the author of the «Greater Lviv» concept – a comprehensive vision for the territorial development of the city, which significantly influenced its evolution throughout the 20th century. His ideas were publicly articulated in the 1920 publication Greater Lviv.
During the interwar period, the department was led by other prominent figures. In 1936, Professor Stanisław Filipkowski, Doctor of Architecture, was appointed head of the Department of Urban Construction. By 1939, the position was held by Professor Tadeusz Wrubel, recognized as the most distinguished constructivist architect in interwar Lviv.
Following the Second World War, in 1944–1945, the university resumed its activities. The Faculty of Civil Engineering was established, incorporating a unified Department of Architecture. In 1971, with the re-establishment of the Faculty of Architecture, a separate Department of Urban Planning and Design was reinstated, operating alongside the departments of Architectural Design, Drawing, and Architectural Structures.
The 1970s and 1980s marked a period of active development of the professional school. From 1971 to 1982, the department was headed by Associate Professor Andriy Rudnytskyi, who later earned a Doctorate in Architecture. This era saw a surge in both academic and practical engagement: in 1978, faculty members Iryna Rusanova and Ivan Petryshyn were awarded the State Prize of the Council of Ministers of the USSR for designing new buildings for Lviv Polytechnic.
From 1982 to 1993, the department was chaired by Associate Professor Bohdan Posatskyi. Alongside teaching and research, the department became a platform for initiatives that intersected architecture, spirituality, and international collaboration. In 1991, Associate Professor Yuriy Kryvoruchko founded the International School of Church Architecture. In 1993, he became head of the department and was later elected to the Ukrainian Academy of Architecture.
A new phase of development occurred during the tenure of Professor Halyna Petryshyn (2012–2024). This period witnessed the department’s strengthening in both scientific and applied fields. A landmark event was the 2013 international conference Creative Urbanism, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of urban planning education at Lviv Polytechnic. The conference brought together leading scholars from Ukraine and Poland and served as a platform for inter-university collaboration and academic mobility.
In 2015, Research Laboratory NDL-117 was established within the department, focusing on architectural and urban planning research and design. Initially led by Professor Halyna Petryshyn, the laboratory came under the direction of Associate Professor Stepan Tupis in 2020.
Since 2024, the department has been headed by ScD Yuliya Idak. Today, the Department of Urban Planning and Design continues to foster innovation, international cooperation, and engagement with contemporary research topics from sustainable urban resource management systems to the redevelopment of post-industrial environments. Cooperation with local communities, student participation in design competitions and academic conferences, lectures by leading architects and urbanists, and educational excursions all contribute to a dynamic academic environment that prepares the next generation of professionals.