Urban (Un)Sustainability: Cases of Vilnius’s Informal and Illegal Settings

Abstract

The current analysis addresses cases of both informal and illegal settlements in Vilnius, Lithuania. By using semiotic means (specifically, semiotic squares), the author presents the Romani district (tabors), as well the Šnipiškės district, describing the circumstances of their emerging and comparing these cases. In addition to that, the philosophical questions about the dichotomies ‘formal/informal’, ‘temporal/eternal’, ‘order/chaos’, ‘legal/illegal’, ‘sustainable/unsustainable’ are discussed. On the one hand, illegal buildings serve as a signal about too high a barrier of bureaucracy, about a surfeit of law and even about the violation of certain rights. On the other hand, some urban districts can become illegal because of a changed urban vision reflected in a new General Plan. The paper also analyzes the issue of public interest. Additionally, the tendency of democratic society to turn into bureaucratic society is analyzed. The paper addresses sensitive issues related to sustainable development of cities, intercultural dialogue and equal opportunities.

Visuality 2021: Media and Communication

“…The visual aspects of the intersecting topics of city, culture and creativity (Betlej, Kačerauskas 2021; Kačerauskas 2011; Kačerauskas, Kaklauskas 2014; Kačerauskas 2016Kačerauskas , 2017Kačerauskas , 2018 were also discussed.…”

Evolution and Management of Illegal Settlements in Mid-Sized Towns. The Case of Sierra de Santa Bárbara (Plasencia, Spain)

“…While the term "informal" involves satisfying existential human needs [16], the term "illegal" focuses on this way as one more option and not as an irremediable destination. In other words, informality can be treated as a particular aspect of noncompliance with the law [17]. By means of this denomination, it is intended to clearly define the difference between what some authors [18] name as necessary illegal building and speculative illegal building.…”