This article concerns theoretical principles and practical aspects of the management of abandoned municipal real estate property. As a first stage in deciding on the further fate of the property, a survey for residents of the community is developed and its necessity is substantiated. The various ways of using abandoned real estate municipal property are then described, and the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative are analyzed. Next, an algorithm which serves as a decision support system for municipal property management is constructed. Finally, the necessity of efficient application of community potential in the context of the beneficial use of municipal property is substantiated, and the expected consequences of such actions are outlined.

The paper argues for the need to involve the public in decision-making on abandoned community real estate property in small communities with limited financial resources. This can be achieved by giving the public the opportunity to express their opinion via a survey. For this purpose, a specific approach was developed which involves conducting a survey and evaluating the results. A particular weighting factor is given for each chosen rank of indicator. A system of 50 indicators for five different groups (interior, exterior, environment, historical and cultural value, and finance) is proposed. The indicators are divided into 38 incentives and 12 disincentives, in accordance with their impact on the final assessment of the real estate property. An example of an assessment is given and it is proposed that the survey results be categorised and analysed based on the age of respondents. The aim of this paper is to develop a way of investigating the opinion of the local community regarding abandoned municipal real estate property in the cheapest and easiest way, applicable even in small villages. Not only will this ensure the assessment is carried out, it will also involve more people in community life and increase their interest. Public participation in solving community affairs is crucial when it comes to increasing the interest of residents in the life of the territory in particular and the effective development of civil society in general. At the initial stage citizens may only engage in one-time participation; however, in the future a critical mass of caring locals will be formed who can bring forward new ideas and offer innovative solutions.

Every countrywide reform can always have specific opponents and fans as the changes make people leave their comfort zone. As an example, we have chosen a Ukrainian decentralization reform. Although this local self-government reform can be considered the most successful in our country, the attitude of Ukrainians to the changes has not always been unambiguous. Using taxonomic analysis, the paper calculates the integrated indicator of public approval of decentralization reform in Ukraine based on sociological research for 2015–2020. We have described the features of conducting surveys in different periods and identified the reasons for the emergence of such an attitude to the reform. We have also calculated the weights of the impact of each primary indicator on the integrated indicator, which helped us identify the weaknesses and strengths of the reform in public opinion Furthermore, the analysis allowed us to reveal and substantiate a set of problems in implementing decentralization reform in Ukraine, and the causes and solutions were worked out for each problem. Finally, we have made a generalized algorithm for the application of the experience of public opinion analysis in planning and carrying out reforms.