Relocating the Urban Center: Lessons of Vilnius

Abstract

The article analyzes the recent relocation of the city center to another semi-central area, formerly a historical suburb of Šnipiškės in Vilnius, Lithuania, which took place in the context of post-Soviet transformations. This article is a continuation of the authors’ work in researching the Šnipiškės territory, where the authors emphasize that an ambitious political decision, poorly supported by data and based on a questionable vision, was not successful. This study employs a concept-driven, qualitative approach to analyze the urban transformation of the territory. Grounded in architectural theories, the research examines how relocating the city center to this historic suburb has impacted its character. The findings highlight the challenges encountered and derive lessons for similar post-Soviet and post-colonial urban transformations.