URBANO ARTICLE

JUST A NEEDED FIRST WRITING ABOUT THE SUBTLE AND PRACTICAL EFFECT OF URBAN MANAGEMENT ON PEOPLE’S LIFES – IN THE SOVIET CONTROLLED AREAS. IN VILNIUS, THE AREAS OUTSIDE THE CENTER BEAR THE HEAVY IMPRINT OF THR DOVIET SYSTEM, WHICH USED ARCHITECTURE AND URBSN DESIGN TO IMPOSE AND REINFORCE ITS IDEOLOGY. THESE NEIGHBOURHOODS, HOME TO THE MAJORITY OF LITHUANIANS, ARE SHAPED BY AN OPPRESSIVE URBAN LANDSCAPE MADE OF RIGID RATIONAL LINES, MONOTONOUS CEMENT BLOCKE, DESOLATED PLAYGROUNDS. HERE, SPONTANEITY AND RANDOMNESS IS SYSTEMATICALLY ERASED. PATHWAYS ARE METICULOUSLY DEFINED, FORCING RESIDENTS OF THE NUMBERED HOUSING BLOCKS TO MOVE ALONG PREDETERMINED ROUTES, STIFLING ANY OPPORTUNITY FOR INDIVIDUAL EXPRESSION OR ORGANIC INTERACTIONS DURING DAILY JOURNEYS

PUBLISHED IN URBANO MAGAZINE, ISSUE 3