Rural areas near cities experience population growth and increasing development due to their proximity to urban centers, however they also face challenges from sparse populations and greater competition from developed urban service sectors. More remote rural areas suffer from economic and social backwardness, underinvestment, and even depopulation as opportunities concentrate in growing urban regions. This creates increasing disparities between vibrant urban and struggling rural areas within the country.

1. Pursuit of coherence
Vision towards more compact and cohesive regional spatial development. Case of Kaunas
Delft University of Technology
P2 report
Viktorija Gailiūtė
4187601
victoria.gailiute@gmail.com
23 January 2013

2. P2 report Studio Coplex Cities and Regions in Transformations Key words:
Date: 23 January 2013 Studio supervisors: Prof Vincent Nadin, Francisco Regional spatial strategy, compact development,
Delft University of Technology Colombo, Dr Akkelies van Nes, Dr Qu Lei, Dr Stephen rural areas, economic, social and environmental
Faculty of Architecture Read, Dr Roberto Rocco, Dr Diego Sepulveda sustainability
Department of Urbanism
Chair of Spatial Planning and Strategy Contact:
Studio Complex Cities and Regions in Transformation Dr. D.A. Sepulveda Carmona
T: +31 (0)15 27 87919
Author E: D.A.SepulvedaCarmona@tudelft.nl
Viktorija Gailiūtė Dr. S.A. Read
4187601 T: +31 (0)15 27 88859
victoria.gailiute@gmail.com E: S.A.Read@tudelft.nl
Mentor team
Chair: Spatial Planning and Strategy
1st mentor: dr Roberto Rocco
R.C.Rocco@tudelft.nl
Chair: Cultural History and Design
2nd mentor: Prof. Eric Luiten
E.A.J.Luiten@tudelft.nl
urbanism
Image on the front cover by author
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3. Preface
This report including thesis plan is written within
the framework of the graduation Studio Complex
Cities and Regions in Transformation in the Technical
University Delft, Faculty of Architecture, department
of Urbanism in MSc 3 and MSc 4. This document
explains the framework for the development of
the research and analysis which will lead to the
graduation project. It will be used as a guidance for
the graduation track in direction to the Master thesis.
This document is intended for the examination (P2) of
the graduation track.
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4. 4

5. Table of contents
1. Introduction 7 3. Kaunas region 53
1.1 Motivation 9 3.1 Introduction 55
1.2 Context 11 3.2 Green structure 56
1.3 Problem field 13 3.3 Ecological network 57
1.4 Aim and goal of the project 21 3.4 Traffic network 58
1.5 Research questions 22 3.5 Economic network 59
1.6 Societal and academic relevance 23 3.6 Daily urban system 61
1.7 Theoretical framework 25 3.7 Work framework for the strategy 62
1.8 Involved disciplines 26 3.8 Regional planning in Lithuania 63
1.9 Methodology 27 3.9 Rural development policies 64
1.10 Time schedule 28 3.10 Rural development policies
1.11 Preliminary literature 29 in Lithuania 65
2. Research 33 4. Rural definition 67
2.1 Introduction 35 4.1 Transformation of typologies in Eu 69
2.2 Spatial transformations during 4.2 Classification at national level 73
socialism 37 4.3 Current rural definition in LT 75
2.3 New challenges for a country 41
2.4 Democracy and new planning
system 42
2.5 Free-market economy 47
2.6 Demographic peocesses 50
Left
Impression showing alternative functions
in the village.
Source: Image by author
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6. “Spot master plans” near Kaunas city
Source: http://www.bing.com/maps/#
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7. 1. Introduction
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8. 8

9. Motivation
1.1
“Traditionally cities were at the core of their hinterland The motivation for this thesis is two fold. Firstly it Why spatial planning?
regions, linked to smaller towns and settlements originates from a desire to understand the effects of Rural and urban areas become complex and
through a pattern of radial routes and a hierarchy of spatial transformations taken place after regained diverse systems with growing economic, social and
centres revolving in a centripetal fashion around the independency in Lithuania and possible methods for spatial interrelations. Separated urban and rural
regional core. Place effects were experienced through addressing them. Secondly, it arises from a belief, that development cannot ensure coherent region growth
dimension of physical proximity. The closer were two if urban and rural development was more integrated, anymore, therefore integrated strategic spatial
phenomena in actual space, the greater their impact it could provide better accessibility of services and planning becomes an important tool to organise
on each other. The city centre was seen as the site of amenities for the rural society and ensure economic the city regions and to ensure economic, spatial and
greatest synergy, and the periphery site of greatest vitality of rural areas while sustaining more cohesive environment sustainability.
isolation. In recent years, however, a new regional economic, spatial and social growth of the regions in As Healey describes, the term “spatial planning” refers
geography has developed to explore the dynamic Lithuania. to:
complexity of various relational webs which transect self-conscious collective efforts to re-imagine
urban areas.” (Healey, 2007) Choice: Complex Cities a city, urban region or wider territory and to
Until recently spatial policies and strategies had translate the result into priorities for area
Urbanization accelerates at increasing speed, when envisioned urban and rural development as separate investment, conservation measures, strategic
rural turns urban at the pace it is hard to imagine. spatial entities, where the cities were surrounded infrastructure investments and principles of
Though this process is almost finished in Europe, by green, open landscape and rural development land use regulation. The term “spatial” brings
still a considerable amount of population lives in the was bound to the agriculture activities (Hidding and into focus the “where of things”, whether the
areas, which are called “rural”. Moreover after many Teunissen, 2002; Korf and Oughton, 2006; Terluin, static or in the movement; the protection of
decades of urban expansion, a growth of the rural 2003). However as current dynamics of the network special “places” and sites; the interrelations
areas re-appears (Clark, 2003) as a consequence of society and growing complexity of spatial organization between different activities and networks
spatial processes of globalization. Rural areas are not within and between urban-rural regions indicates - in an area; and significant intersections and
place of production anymore; instead, they became as “rural development is no longer the ‘monopoly of the nodes in an area which are physically co-
complex as urban systems, dealing with interrelated farmers’” (Korf and Oughton, 2006, p. 278). Instead, located (Healey, 2004, p. 46).
issues of social well-being, economic growth, ecology according to Gallent et al. (2008) rural spaces become
and sustainable growth, energy production and many “increasingly important to regional economies and to
others. environmental quality and liveability”(p. 28).
Left
Impresion showing alternative future for the village
as science and research centre.
Source: Image by author
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10. Former East Block coutries
Central and Eastern Europe
Scheme of the main transportation axes in Lithuania.
Bowth of them crosses Kaunas region.
Source: Lietuvos keliu direkcija www.lra.lt
Map of Europe: Central and Eastern Europen countries
source: Cartographic Research Lab University of
Alabama; The Regional Environmental Centre for
Central and Eastern Europe, 2010
drawing by Vytas Buinevicius
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11. Context
1.2
Geographical context Planning
Lithuania is a country in the North-East Europe. It is a The new planning system was introduced in 1995
part of The Baltic Sea Region and the southernmost - during the period of developing marker and
country of the Baltic states, situated on the eastern democracy and it is still being shaped.
side of the Baltic sea. With the position on the edge of Due to considerably new urban planning and
the central Europe Lithuania holds a strategic location management system, spatial patterns in Lithuania
in the region, functioning as the transition south- changes rapidly. Similarly to many cities of Central and
north and east-west directions. Eastern Europe, urbanisation level increases despite
the fact that already nearly 70% of inhabitants live in
Demography the cities.
With the population of 3 043 000 inhabitants and area
of 65 300 km2 Lithuania is the largest of the Factsheet:
Baltic States. However since the last decade total Lithuania [Lietuva]
number of inhabitants in Lithuania is shrinking. language: Lithuanian
According to Eurostat prognosis, only 2.5 million capital: Vilnius
inhabitants will live in this country by the year 2060. population: 3 043 429 inh.
Furthermore predictions show that the number of area: 65 300 km2
elderly people of retiring age has greatly grown up density: 46.6 inh/km2
(dependence on the factor will increase three times)
and the possibility to use public funds for infrastructure source: Department of Statistics, www.stat.gov.lt
development will be continuously decreasing. (2010)
Political-economical context
On March 11, 1990 Lithuania re-established the
independent state declaring independence from the
USSR. In the political- economical context of the post-
communist countries Lithuania is regarded as a Central
and Eastern European Country (CEE), not as Former
Soviet Union (FSU) country as not being a member
of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Since
2004 Lithuania is also a member of European Union
(EU) and NATO.
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12. Past two decades have marked significant political,
socio-economic, spatial and cultural changes in
Lithuania as well as in other post-socialist countries
(Kay, Shubin, & Thelen, 2012). Yet despite the
historical legacy, on-going spatial transformations
in the urban and rural areas in Lithuania are similar
to the processes occurring in many capitalist based
countries. Driven by free-market economy, increasing
importance of networks and competition for global
attention, economic growth concentrates in urban
regions while creating vacuum in the periphery, thus
economic and social disparities between urban and
rural areas become even greater now than during the
socialist regime (Tsenkova, 2006). Moreover lack of
public planning, individual pursue of fast economic
profit, dependency on private transportation, societal
norms and increasing life standards result in rapid
suburban expansion around previously compact
cities and increasing tension between urban and rural
areas.
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13. Problem field
1.3
Backwardness of remote rural areas
On the one hand locations with highest concentration
of population, skilled labour, capital and access
to global communication- the capital and the few
largest urban centres attracts people, concentrates
urban activities and experience economic growth
(Stanilov, 2007). Whereas development of the rural
areas is largely dependent on their proximity to the
urban centre: remote rural areas experience economic
and social backwardness comparing to urban regions,
underinvestment and decay or even desertion of rural
settlements due to extreme rural population loses.
Income differences between growing regions and
peripheral rural ares indicates the increasing gap Foreign direct investment per district shows even
between economic development as well. higher disparities between economic growth between
Source: Department of Statistics, www.stat.gov.lt the regions.
(2010) Source: Department of Statistics, www.stat.gov.lt
Attractive regions (2010)
Rural
Rural-urban
Urban
Unattractive regions
Rural
Rural-urban
Urban
This scheme above shows the most attractive and
unattractive regions. Mapping is based on neto
migration saldo from and to the region for 2006-2008.
Attractive regions that have population growth, are
those in the vicinity of urban centre. The rest regions
in most cases looses population. Previous page
Source: Lithuanian Institute of Agrarian Economics, Abandoned village. Some rights reserved by
2010 cindy47452, source: www.flickr.com
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