Current trends and management of urban development in Lithuania

Abstract

The spread of urban structures to the rural areas had raised the need and price of infrastructure and public services, it induced inhabitants dependence from own cars, enhanced environment pollution and consumption of energy resources. The sprawl is seen as more state or public, but not individual, interest. A house in the countryside is still Lithuanian’s ideal. People are happy living in surrounding of natural landscapes. European countries had turned to the suburbanization after the World War II. Current EU policy documents and the expert organizations the suburbanization are describing as „urban sprawl“ which does not meet the principles of sustainable development. Urban sprawl is a matter of consern, but only few cities (notably in Northern Europe) are coping well In Europoe. They have srong planning systems that are able to achieve contained growth without sprawl. The sprawl in cities of Eastern Europe iliustrate the developmet of “free for all” of 1990 and impact of transition from socialist to free-market economy with its effect on local economies, social patterns and planning system. The growth of suburbanization, when the local economy and population decline, in Lithuania had occurred not long ago, urban dictionaries do not include the precise equivalent for the term above. Local specialists call it as “urban chaos” or “spread of compact urban structures”, etc. The contributors think that management of cities and territorial planning system shall be based on more realistic social, economic forecasts and sustainable, coordinated urban & rural developmet polisy. The State and municipalities shall take legal, financial and support measures in order to manage and use effectively the inner territories of cities, existing public infrastructure and to stop the growth of energy consumption, use of own cars and environmet polution.