Facilitating Sustainable Development of Urban Landscape by Involvement of Local Territorial Communities in Vilnius City

Abstract

The article analyses importance of territorial
communities in the process of urban development of a modern city
from the aspect of facilitating public involvement for improving
aesthetic, functional and ecologic quality of urban landscape. More
sustainable qualities of urban environment are achieved by direct
involvement of the local territorial communities into programming,
planning, constructing, managing and further modifying the
elements of landscape system. The topic is disclosed by the analysis
of wide international planning and implementation practices, and
by comparative socio-economic research. The article arguments
in favour of urban communities in Lithuania to be given a more
influential role in developing individually shaped solutions for
sustainable urban landscapes. Based on the case study of the selected
residential area in Vilnius City, the way of activating the local
residents’ groups is presented. The problem of miss-match between
the informal setting of urban communities and the formal territorial
subdivision of local territorial authorities is outlined by comparing
the informal network to the formal administrative subdivision.
The article demonstrates how the potentials of implementing
territorial structure of informal territorial communities are
empowered by modifying the legal boundaries of local urban
authorities and by providing a local community with a role of a
strong stakeholder in all phases of planning, construction and
maintenance of urban landscapes. The associated local residents
get more opportunities to contribute to planning and development
programs of landscape empowerment and to increase the aesthetical,
social and environmental quality of urban architecture and enhance
the quality of life.