Jekaterina.Lavrinec@gmail.com PhD, urban anthropologist, art-activist NGO “Laimikis.lt”, Vilnius, Lithuania

Photo: J.Narkūnas / jL. / S.Sadzevičiūtė Drawings: J.Narkūnas / T.Umbrasas

Developing community spaces

in Šnipiškės neighborhood: participatory practices

The wooden Šnipiškės (Vilnius) is a multicultural neighbourhood

with a rich historical background, unique structure of everyday

life, huge recreational potential, and undefined future. Wooden

architecture of the end of XIX – the beginning of XX century.

Laimikis.lt group has been working on regenerating

underused public spaces in Lithuanian cities since 2oo7.

We apply participatory action research methods and

launch sustainable alternative scenarios of use of the

places and objects. It usually involves the development of

urban design and art objects, which are used as a

communication tool.

In 2o12 Laimikis.lt team moved to Šnipiškės. Our primarily goal

was to encourage participatory processes by regenerating

empty plots (turning them into public spaces) and by

launching collaborative initiatives in the neighbourhood.

• Šnipiškės: the right bank of the Neris river (Vilnius, 1892)

Šnipiškės: the right bank of the Neris river.

Modernisation scenario (~since 60’s)

Neighbourhood faces increasing redevelopment pressure,

accompanied with residents’ uncertainty about the nearest future.

wooden part

Wooden

neighbourhood with

traditional Kalvarijų

market.

Modern part with

skyscrapers (offices,

shopping mall).

CONDITIONS:

- Ownership issues (1): private houses-public plots-private plots.

- Ownership issues (2): in many cases houses are divided among several owners (e.g. a house divided into 2-3-5 parts).

Actors:

- Residents: uncertainty for decades. Unsafety because of chaotic redevelopment of the neighbourhood (burnt houses, empty houses, underused territories).

- Local (district) administration:

multiple functions, limited resources and limited decision power,

accompanied with knowledge of local issues and proficiency in

district management. Recent decision of municipality is to eliminate this mediator.

- Municipality: changing visions of the area,

undeveloped dialogue with local community. Recent vision: development of high-rise offices and shopping quarters. Skansen (a model of open air museum) area without a detailed concept.

Residents’ perspective:

• Burning wooden houses in period of 1990-200?

• Empty wooden houses as a source of threat for the neighbours.

• If there is no trust, sharing the same house with several families becomes unsafe when developer starts discussing sale with one of the owners.

• Lack of investments in public infrastructure of the neighbourhood: bad roads and absence of playgrounds. No vision for the renovation of the sewing system.

• Absence of the information on Skansen’s vision:

how residents are included into the scenario?

Skansen territory:

-lack of scenario &

no public discussions;

-growth of land taxes;

-no current

investments

into the condition

of the houses;

- some of the

houses are going

to be “brought” to

the territory from

elsewhere.

Stigmatisation of the neighbourhood:

Stereotype: the image of “criminal” district,

“a slum” in the centre of the city.

Tendentious marginalisation of the residents

and their lifestyle for the recent decades in press:

• Lazy and not interested in progress (“village like conditions”).

• Greediness of the dwellers, who refused to sell the plots, while “waiting for millions”.

• Drinkers, drug addicts, and criminals.

Historic background and ethnic diversity:

• Wooden architecture: the end of XIX – the beginning of

XX cen.

• A district famous for ceramic workshops in XVII-XVIII. Ceramic stoves of XVI and XVII are found.

• Most of the residents are newcomers after WW2.

• Mix of at least three languages (local Polish-Lithuanian-Russian), elderly dwellers remember Yiddish. Roma community lived in the neighbourhood during Soviet period.

Ongoing ethnographic and urban researches

in Šnipiškės neighbourhood: • Changing forms of neighboring in the Post-Soviet context (since

2o11, V. Anglinskas);

• Participatory practices in the development of local community

and regeneration of the neighbourhood (since 2o12, J. Lavrinec

/ J. Narkūnas);

• Playgrounds: childhood

territories and narrative structures

(since 2o13, J. Lavrinec)

Process of regeneration: Laimikis.lt experience

COMMUNICATION:

Finding out potential hot-spots for interaction (mapping everyday

routes in the district), developing tools (formats) for networking in

the neighbourhood. Both online and offline tools are implemented.

PLACEMAKING:

Mapping the potential of “empty” spaces, turning underused

spaces into public spaces in collaboration with residents.

REPRESENTATION:

changing negative image of the neighbourhood by creating

collectively points of attraction and running open neighbouring

events.

2o12 – pilot explorations, 2o13 may-oct – actions:

COMMUNICATION tools:

Notice-boards: two installed, one tuned.

Open facebook-group “Šnipiškiečiai” for residents is launched.

NETWORKING: making contacts with residents, local

administration, local cultural institutions, researchers, who have

been working in this neighbourhood. Collaborating with designers

and urban artists.

PLACEMAKING & REPRESENTATION:

launching series of sustainable community art initiatives.

• A tradition for neighbours picnics;

• A set of typographic urban furniture for placemaking;

• Street mosaic workshop, which brings together residents;

• Street art gallery initiative (with a great enthusiasm from

the garage community);

• Excursions for communities leaders, experts in non-formal

education, etc.

Placemaking: a set of light letters is used both as alternative mobile

playground, a tool for a placemaking and a recognizable place sign.

Concept: Laimikis.lt, designed: in collaboration with T. Umbrasas.

Some photos in the collage are shot by: S. Sadzevičiūtė

The very first neighbours picnic,

Šnipiškės, 2o13

Awareness raising intervention “Letter walk” at Europe sq.

(a skyscraper area next to the wooden neighbourhood).

Street Mosaic Workshop:

mosaic route

Participants: both residents

and guests from other

residential areas. Mosaics as a

form of local memory.

Forms of participation:

• Donating ceramic tiles

• Taking part in creating mosaics

• Inviting participants to expand mosaic area (bicycle shop).

• Commenting the initiative and developing new ideas.

Results of these activities:

• Net of mutual trust and a database of residents contacts;

• Growing interest to the neighbourhood from mass media, Vilnius citizens, visiting experts and researchers.

• Most of launched initiatives are sustainable because of their low-cost and will be continued in upcoming season.

Welcome to Šnipiškės :) Laimikis@laimikis.lt

http://Laimikis.lt Šnipiškiečiai (facebook group) Laimikis.lt (facebook page and group)