Re-thinking the phenomenon of cityscapes in mass housing districts (Vilnius case)

Abstract

The phenomenon of industrial mass housing construction, which was born under the influence of the ideas of modernism, acquired an unprecedented scale in the socialist countries in the second half of the 20th century. The legacy of the construction of that time no longer meets the needs of modern society and forces us to rethink the fate of such neighbourhoods. The study examines the peculiarities of the external and internal cityscapes of industrial mass housing areas and states that the external cityscapes of these areas are sufficiently characteristic and recognizable, but the interiors are leveled and almost indistinguishable from each other. The authors of the research identify and compare valuable / unique characteristics of traditional and modern cityscapes and their unjustified / negative features. A toolbox that can be used to rethink the urban architectural concept of such districts is suggested. The research is carried out in Vilnius. The Karoliniškės residential area (construction year 1970-1976) is chosen to apply the means of rethinking measures to the aforementioned phenomenon, hiding, under the standardized architectural expression of the district, the motivations which are carefully considered by the authors K. Balėnas, G. Balėnienė and which may serve the further shaping of the visual identity of Vilnius.