Vilnius city: urbanism driven by consumption

Abstract

This article covers changes in Vilnius’s urban structure and cityscape during the last twenty years, since the reestablishment of independence. Drawing on theoretical analysis and firsthand observation, the author demonstrates that during this period Lithuania’s capital underwent rapid urbanization of a new kind because of the rise of a capitalist market economy, the commodification of culture in general, the expansion of the real estate sector in the city’s economy, and the construction of large-scale business centers and shopping malls. All these factors and tendencies resulted in creating a new image of Vilnius – one of a globalized capitalist city with a strong shift towards commercialization, urbanization, and internationalization. This trend in the city’s development had an ambiguous impact on public spaces (squares, parks, etc.), and in fact contributed to their erosion in the structure of Vilnius. This implies that a new kind of thinking is needed to prevent further uneven urbanization of Lithuania’s capital.