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Vilnius residents survey data shows that even 20 percent. citizens identify public spaces as one of the most important characteristics of a residential area. But they are often not as satisfied as they would like. When asked to rate on a 10-point scale, respondents scored 6.31 points for public spaces: residents of Žvėrynas (7.05 points) and Naujamiestis (7.02 points) value public spaces more, while that those living in Naujininkai (5.2 points) and Pilaitė feel less satisfied with the situation. (5.82 points).
These statistics are provided by the market research and public opinion company Spinter Research, commissioned by the Sustainable City Laboratory established by the Darnu Group.
The results revealed that the entertainment offer (18%), cultural infrastructure (12%), sustainable solutions (5%), as well as the appearance of works of art and sculptures in the city (4%) are not less important for the Vilnius residents. It is these aspects that help shape satisfaction in the district community, and belonging to it is directly related to a sense of happiness.
“We understand the importance of public and artistic spaces, cultural infrastructure – we always emphasize these things in the projects developed by Darnu Group, we pay special attention to them both in residential projects and in the creation of workspaces. We install cozy terraces in business centers, we pay close attention to public spaces. It is increasingly important for residents to create an environment in which an active community operates, but it is also necessary to understand the needs of the residents themselves, ”says Akvilė Liaudanskienė, director of marketing and corporate affairs at Darnu Group.
Donatas Baltrušaitis, an innovator in architecture and urban planning, is also convinced that promoting a sense of community has a significant impact on the satisfaction of living in a certain area. According to him, such an aspiration is human and natural, so the model can be applied quite universally.
Functional spaces bring residents together
According to D. Baltrušaitis, the feeling of community and sociality is very important for people, it is valid for the residents of any district of Vilnius. Regardless of the place, they want to feel part of the area in which they live, integrate into society, the processes that take place in it and, finally, be proud of their area. “They are very important pillars for human happiness, as well as important projects that promote a sense of community,” said the interviewee.
Seeing such residents’ needs, the urban planner offers the urban planners to pay more attention to the emergence of new public spaces and their care. These could be various playgrounds, multi-functional pavilions, recreation areas, sports spaces with various exercise machines, original sculptural solutions, perhaps even an amphitheater, a small concert hall, a local library or a city garden.
‘Architectural interventions that offer to meet and interact, where a wide range of activities can be carried out, could become Blitz Projects. But the most important thing is to try to understand the needs of each community, to find out what they really lack: perhaps meeting spaces, or perhaps gastronomic vacations? If the latter, first of all, assess the need for shelter, see if there is a place to sit ”, said D. Baltrušaitis.
Joint ownership increases liability
According to the expert, the second important aspect when facing the emergence of such spaces is to make the community understand that these objects belong to them. D. Baltrušaitis suggests involving the community both in the creative process by thinking about what new objects could emerge in a certain place, and in, for example, the Object Protection Law: feeling an exceptional connection with objects, they would appreciate them and they would appreciate more.
“These principles create a common sense of ownership. When a person does not feel like a shared property, they ignore that place, they do not care about it, perhaps they irresponsibly throw away some garbage. In the meantime, otherwise, he becomes partially responsible for the new object ”, shared D. Baltrušaitis.
Pleasing residents of new neighborhoods is a challenge
He is also supported by another urban planner, Martynas Marozas. However, while the most successful public space projects are considered to be those that meet the needs of the community as closely as possible, designers often face the opposite problem: how to behave in newly built neighborhoods, when do not know in advance which settlers will settle here?
“When creating new neighborhoods, it is not clear in advance which community will live here, what its people will be, and ultimately what their needs will be, so adapting early can become a real challenge. Another situation is if the community is already there. formed and perhaps on his own initiative takes something to build and adapt, ”said M. Marozas.
On the other hand, residents are more and more interested in the neighborhood, it is important to them who will live nearby, what people will settle in, how they can build pleasant relationships in the community together – the stronger the community, the more cared for and protected,
However, there is another problem here, as some are closed to strangers and only a small proportion of people make closer contact with their neighbors. For this reason, public community spaces can be very useful: various objects appear in the nurturing home environment, community public spaces are an incentive to come together and forge closer social bonds.
A. Liaudanskienė, Director of Marketing and Corporate Affairs at Darnu Group, founder of the Sustainable City Laboratory, says that developers often help settlers build a strong community: they host founding parties, commemorate neighbors’ days, and organize Christmas events for families.
