The massive modernist urbanization of the Soviet era in Lithuania had brought new urban lifestyle models, caused the expansion of builtup areas and affected previously organically developing urban structures. Hence, its analysis and understanding are essential for further sustainable urban development. The research presents an outline of methodology for complex analysis and evaluation of modernization of Lithuanian cities during the Soviet era and its influence on Lithuanian past and present urban development as a socio-spatial phenomenon. Keywords -Content analysis, integrated socio-spatial analysis, Lithuania, modernist urbanization of Soviet era, multi-modal network model, network analysis, sociotop map.Jolita Sinkienė (Kaunas, 1974). Associated professor at
The article analyses the system of urban public spaces and discusses its current situation in the changed sociocultural context of Lithuania. The concept of the system of urban public spaces is approached as a relevant problem, by focusing on the ideological aspects of public space formation. Also, the problem of current transformation of main public spaces in Lithuanian largest towns is discussed considering the background of still persistent post-communist sociocultural situation. In the context of such sociocultural environment, a case of public space development in Šiauliai is presented as one of the most interesting and significant, related to the ideological changes in Lithuania before 1990. Key models of urban public space formation are reviewed in the article with assumptions being made on their possible influence on the situation in Lithuania. Santrauka Straipsnyje nagrinėjamas miesto viešųjų erdvių sistemos klausimas ir aptariama esamą jų padėtis pakitusioje sociokultūrinėje aplinkoje Lietuvoje. Jame aktualizuojama miesto viešųjų erdvių sistemos koncepcijos problema, nagrinėjami ideologiniai viešųjų erdvių formavimo aspektai. Aktualizuojama dabartinė didžiųjų Lietuvos miestų pagrindinių viešųjų erdvių kaitos problema užsitęsusioje postkomunistinėje sociokultūrinėje situacijoje. Sociokultūrnės aplinkos kontekste kaip vienas įdomesnių ir svarbesnių aptariamas Šiaulių miesto viešųjų erdvių plėtros atvejis, kuris susiejamas su ideologine kaita Lietuvoje iki 1990 m. Straipsnyje apžvelgiami pagrindiniai miestų viešųjų erdvių formavimo modeliai ir daromos prielaidos dėl jų galimos įtakos Lietuvos situacijai.
While analysing creative experiments in architecture, one finds a number of different phenomena and examples, not so easy to discuss in a more or less systematic way. These phenomena and results, in one or another way related to experimental architecture, can hardly be defined by a single category and, as shown by the history of architecture, have become one of its driving forces contributing to the development of architecture in the course of time. The issue of the concepts of architectural experimentation on the whole is important and urgent in two aspects. First of all, such concepts are used in attempting to formulate basic architectural and cultural declarations, consequentially applied in forming and proclaiming different political creeds (usual practice of international architectural biennales and expo exhibitions). Secondly, their cultural value is of key importance too, as the ideas and thoughts expressed through the experimental creation often convey social aspects and states, also the idea, how architecture is understood during a specific period of time and the role given to it by society. Finally, as architecture is a language used by society to convey its socio-cultural status and values, the experimental architectural creation can be significant, although often ignored, in architectural practice. The most outstanding examples of architectural experiments confirm that architecture as artistic creation has long ago gained certain features of a cultural phenomenon, which eventually has become closely connected to society. Thus the area of culture and forms of its expression has becoming more and more relevant and significant to architectural experimentation. Although artistic and scientific experiments have certain similarities within contemporary discourse of architectural practices, they still differ a lot in the aspects of their backgrounds, processes and even results. But still, the interdisciplinary aspect, common to contemporary artistic experimentation, draws art and science closer together. Fairly often, peculiar new forms of art borrow scientific data or ideas interpreting, expressing and using them effectively to make pure art. The concept of architectural experimentation still does not exist as an integral concept. Only a few general features and attributes can be named as helping to define the architectural phenomenon as an experimental one. These are: (a) the idealistic trend and (b) very active element of motivation. It is also noteworthy that looking retrospectively, within different epochs the architectural experimentation had different relationship with other arts. The discussed in the article experimental practices of architecture in the 1950-ies – 1970-ies accumulated and effectively operated the languages of other visual – and not only – arts. Although, at the same time it should be admitted that they did not have the same close relationship to traditional, fundamental arts, such as sculpture and painting. So does the contemporary, the 21st century, architectural experimentation – it no longer has closer connection to traditional arts. Although it has to be admitted that the most recent, media-related arts influence experimental architecture on the levels of its forms as well as concepts. In general, the architectural creation at the beginning of the 21st century (both building architecture and urban planning) is getting more and more social. The experiment in such creation is less artistic or valuable as pure art in the traditional sense. Fewer experiments are made on the form only, but rather on the process itself and then – the form. Although the most innovative architectural images being developed and declared are getting more abstract and universal, they are easier to implement than before (due to the most advanced technologies). So, it is not so simple to draw a dividing line between purely idealistic and realistic experimental architecture, because what was just a vision not so long ago, today can be easily realized. Does it mean that experiments have become more social and less creative? Probably, not. Most likely, it’s because creativity has become transformable and gained new ways of expression. Santrauka Straipsnyje analizuojamos esminės kūrybinio eksperimento sampratos architektūroje. Apžvelgiami pagrindiniai mokslinio ir meninio eksperimento principai, konceptai juos charakterizuojant bei lyginant tarpinternatvyje, detalizuojant tiek esminius skirtumus, tiek ir logines sąsajas tarp vienų ir kitų. Taip pat tekste plačiai analizuojamas kūrybinio eksperimento reiškinys architektūroje, aptariant ir mokslinės, ir meninės sričių įtakas jam, jo specifikas ir ypatumus.
Twenty years of development in a town’s history is not a long period of time especially provided that the sociocultural context conditions for such a development may be defined as “favorable” or “normal”. Under conditions of accelerated urbanization, however, when a town is undergoing particularly rapid development, which is even more encouraged by conditions of the context, the whole situation looks by far worse. Throughout the 20th century Lithuania underwent two stages of such an accelerated urbanization. During the first stage of such an urbanization, at the time of the first Lithuanian Republic (1918–1940), the concept of a national capital was conceived and rapidly developed. As soon as it was realized within 20 years in Kaunas, a capital city of European level was formed not only with all the attributes characteristic of a town of the type, but also with its content – urban culture. It is a consistent pattern that the results of urban development can be seen most clearly not only in expansion of a town’s territory (outward development), but also through changes in its “inner” or public spaces. Within the aforementioned period, when it was so important to entrench the ideology of the nation state, new monuments representing a national idea occurred in public spaces (squares) of major Lithuanian towns, and even such spaces were reconstructed in a new manner (Fig. 1). Similar urban development – although on a fairly accelerated scale - has been carried out during the recent decade, when starting from 1995 to 2008 the capital city and other major Lithuanian towns were growing and developing extremely extensively. As for the changes in urban public spaces, the situation is far worse. The last significant period of public space formation goes back to the soviet occupation times, and within recent 18 years of independence just a few town squares have been formed or reformed. The present situation might be determined by the fact that the key social power entities, planning for the future of a town and most actively participating in its formation – private capital and self-government (rarely, the state) – have different understanding of urban public space significance to the town itself as well as its community, and also have different capabilities to change them. With commercial logic of benefit, typical under conditions of capital prevalence, an, undeveloped space in a town center can be hardly explainable in commercial terms, especially where land is expensive; and only in rare cases the commercial logic can appreciate real value added and social attraction created by the urban public space. On the one hand, in conditions of urban development under rapid and wild capitalism the self-government lacks leverage and power to implement its duties, form and/or take care of public spaces in a town. On the other hand, it should be taken into consideration that tradition of self-government and public space has been terminated and exterminated in Lithuania for half a century. Santrauka Straipsnyje aptariama šiuolaikinė miesto pagrindinių aikščių formavimo situacija Lietuvoje, išskiriant ir apibūdinant kelis svarbiausius bruožus. Čia analizuojama kintanti miesto viešųjų erdvių samprata ir jų pavyzdžiai, kintanti miesto viešųjų erdvių tipologija bei kintantys visuomenės reikalavimai aikšių ir paties miesto formavimui. Tekste išskiriamos ir aptariamos kai kurios aiškiau matomos aikščių formavimo tendencijos bei idėjos.
Summary A city nowadays has become a really complex and multi-layered structure containing the features of a phenomenon. It is a formation that has transformed or forced to rethinking many “standardized” urbanistic theories and approaches. By its shape and content it is a dynamic, constantly changing and multiple system related to other larger urban structures forming larger-scale urbanized networks. Due to such peculiarities, the city and its aesthetic qualities can no longer by judged and defined by the categories of the 19th and 20thcenturies. Its issues and problems have long ago trespassed the boundaries of a single scientific discipline. Nevertheless, the issue of urban aesthetics and composition still remains very relevant, especially bearing in mind recent global socio-cultural conditions and the related urban unification, as, following the intense wave of urbanization, many Lithuanian towns, with the capital Vilnius preeminently, have changed a lot, both on “the outside” (cityscape) and “the inside” (local visual perception) within the last decade. Many examples of such recently transformed towns in Lithuania just testify the fact that the issue of aesthetics and composition has been almost or totally ignored in further developing or newly shaping the centers of such towns. By exploring quite a large number of foreign and Lithuanian sources of urban theory and examples of urban space and composition analysis (these are presented in the attached bibliography), the article author aims at reviewing and analyzing the categories of urban composition, its theoretical approaches and insights. This text is a presentation of interim results of the larger research. Some thesises and concepts have been also presented in different scientific conferences and publications, in the Lithuanian and English languages. Santrauka Analizuojant daug užsienio ir Lietuvos urbanistikos teorijos literatūros šaltinių ir urbanistinės erdvės (Urban Space) bei kompozicijos analizės pavyzdžių, pateikiamų šio straipsnio literatūros sąraše, apžvelgiamos ir analizuojamos urbanistinės (arba miesto) kompozicijos kategorijos, teorinės nuostatos bei sampratos. Šiame tekste pateikiami tarpiniai didesnio tyrimo rezultatai. Kai kurios jo tezės ir nuostatos buvo paskelbtos mokslinėse konferencijose bei mokslinėse publikacijose lietuvių ir anglų kalbomis.
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