Clouds of doubt flow around one of Vilnius’ most promising districts: settlers will face challenges

A place envied by the largest capitals in the world

Šnipiškės, located in the central part of Vilnius, is considered one of the most promising districts of the capital. The beginning of the long-forgotten Šnipišk Renaissance is considered to be the relocation of the Vilnius municipality to Konstitucijos Avenue, its current location. Now apartments in Šnipiškės are springing up one after another, new neighborhoods are forming. However, the economist at Luminor Bank Ž. Mauricas says that in developing a truly promising and promising central part of Vilnius, important infrastructure for comfortable living should not be forgotten. We invite you to take a walk in the Šnipiškės district with him. We begin our stay at the White Bridge.

The White Pedestrian Bridge is a place known not only to Vilnius residents, but also to visitors to the city. It is surrounded by a large green area near the Neris and large sports and leisure fields, which have been recently renovated.

Ž. Maurice emphasizes that such large areas for public use, entertainment and recreation are not common not only in Western Europe but throughout the world.

“We have such large areas for playgrounds. On the right side, the green space, the sakura park. We have a large space for nature, sports and leisure in the very center of Vilnius. The place is animated by a flowing river. Vilnius has the uniqueness that the city is full of space, maybe we fully appreciate it, but in the 21st century, when people choose where to live, they will not choose near shopping centers because online shopping will become popular. These cities will become more and more attractive, “says Ž. Mauricas.

The perspective of the Constitution must be overcome

From the White Bridge to reach Šnipiškės is very convenient on foot, scooter or bicycle. It is true that whichever path you choose, you will have to overcome Constitution Avenue before entering the Šnipiškės district. It is in this place in Vilnius where examples of modern architecture are perfectly visible: glass skyscrapers remind us every day that we live in modern times. The avenue also runs along one of the main streets in the city center. True, there is no shortage of congestion on it. According to Ž. Maurico, the biggest challenge on this street are the roundabouts that surround it on both sides.

“The biggest challenge is that the avenue” bounces “towards the roundabout and those drivers who want to drive towards the southern part of Vilnius, instead of driving on Konstitucijos avenue, Geležinio Vilko street or the ring road, go through the center due to the great congestion. This is a lack of infrastructure. As a result, congestion also occurs in other streets of Vilnius. Driving on Konstitucijos Avenue in the opposite direction, we will even reach two roundabouts. And all traffic stops “, explains the interlocutor .

On the other hand, like the economist Ž. Mauricas, the advantage of Avenida Constitución can be attributed to the fact that there are not many residential blocks of flats here. Office and retail buildings predominate around the city’s main street, making noise pollution from the air less of a risk to human health.

Also, despite the street load on Konstitucijos Avenue, if it weren’t in Vilnius, according to Ž. Maurico, people would drive even further and harder from the city center to the sleeping areas. One of the advantages of this street is its width.

“We have the kind of space here that is needed for traffic to leave the city center. Without those streets, the entire city center would drown. In addition, the street is wide, there is a lot of space on the avenue. This space allows you to build bike lanes, other spaces, etc. There is not a very high compaction, we have a really nice image from an aesthetic point of view, ”says Ž. Mauricas.

This is where one of the oldest parts of the Šnipiškės district, also known as Shanghai, begins, the skyscrapers that mark modern times. This place is repeatedly folded into public space, because for various reasons the owners of the houses in it refuse to exchange or sell their land, making it difficult to develop this part of Šnipiškės. Some of the older houses don’t even have a sewer. However, as the attractiveness of all Šnipiškės grows, the infrastructure that belongs to the municipality is managed: roads are paved or repaired, bike lanes are built. On the other hand, according to Ž. Maurico, it should be noted that the width of the paved road is not enough.

“These districts are a great challenge when planning a city. The biggest: there is little space left for any infrastructure. Often, there is not even space for sidewalks, and if it is streets, there is no space to park cars Of course, maybe it is a good idea, because they don’t really decorate the city, but if the district needs to be developed in the future by conversion, for example, to build apartment buildings, the district will get bogged down, ”explains the economist.

The lack of social infrastructure is worrying

According to the economist Ž. Maurico, it is gratifying that both property developers and residents are moving to the central area of ​​the city, but it is worrying that the municipality is not paying enough attention to public infrastructure. He sees the lack of schools and kindergartens as one of the biggest problems.

“Entire districts are being built, conversions are underway, but no kindergarten or public school is being built. As a result, it often turns out that people living downtown are still forced to transport their children to the city. school or kindergarten even though they live in the center. That development is not sustainable, it can pose many challenges in the future, “says the interlocutor.

Ž. Mauricas mentions another problem in the central districts, as well as in Šnipiškės: the apartments in the apartment buildings that are being developed in them are planned to be too small and challenging in the future.

“Other cities that tried to attract people to the city center, especially Australian cities, have jumped on the same rake: the apartments were not spacious enough, big enough for families with children to live in. So they did not move to the city center due to lack of space. The trend in Vilnius, especially in recent years, is also worrying, as the area of ​​the average apartment is constantly decreasing, ”says Ž. Mauricas.

The economist does not forget the problems of parking. By not giving residents access to parking, people park their vehicles where they can find space. This turns meadows and other free areas into parking lots.

Vilnius, Ž. According to Maurico, it is one of the fastest growing cities. Last year alone, the population of the capital, including surrounding areas, increased by about 11,000, making urban development inevitable.

Convenient network of existing educational schools

However, it should not be forgotten that the development of Šnipiškės has only just begun, so the infrastructure in it will only increase. Mindaugas Pakalnis, the chief architect of Vilnius, says that along with the growing number of new real estate projects, the necessary investments for public infrastructure are coming to Šnipiškės.

“Šnipiškės is a part of Vilnius that is recovering rapidly. In fact, many former industrial sites are being converted for residential and office use. Also, instead of the old old wooden houses, there is a skyscraper and it is natural that the infrastructure that was suitable for a block of wooden houses or an industrial enterprise is not suitable for a normal multi-functional residential urban center. It is, of course, that with this change, so do the spaces and their functions. Along with the projects come wider streets, public spaces, one of the biggest investments that is planned is the reconstruction of Kernavės street ”, says M. Pakalnis.

According to the interlocutor, the municipality is in charge of the installation of public spaces. Šnipiškės residents should have 2-3 spaces near their homes. However, in terms of social infrastructure, according to the city’s chief architect, the municipality does not have a piece of land in Šnipiškės. Where there were state lands, the municipality will form green spaces, as they are currently a priority for the municipality. On the other hand, according to Mindaugas Pakalnis, there is a network of schools already operating around Šnipiškės.

“By evaluating the network of surrounding schools, it is a human enough distance, you can find a school within a radius of 800 meters. At that point, we see that it is more efficient to use the existing social infrastructure. Of course, if we see that the number of children is growing rapidly and that, according to our indicators, a school should already be built, then the municipality should buy a piece of land and build a school ”, says M. Pakalnis.

Despite the challenges Šnipišk its is currently facing, it is a really promising district in the central part of the city. He changes his face, and those who want to be a part of him should appreciate what kind of sweets will come out of the role of Šnipiškės.