What is special about this project?
The preparation of the Plan was the first time certain forms of communication with stakeholders had been used. Methods included regular media coverage, the creation of a virtual public space (the Vilnius ‘e-Municipality’) and films showcasing the city's potential. Particularly effective were the broadcasting of meetings from the Mayor’s office, along with informal 'business over breakfast meetings' held between the Mayor, representatives of the Municipality and stakeholder groups. These meetings had a significant impact in increasing stakeholder participation in the preparation of the Plan, and in raising finance.
The development of generic skills has played a vital role in initiating new partnerships between the Vilnius City Municipality and a variety of national institutions and organisations operating at the city level. However, involvement from local NGOs and informal community groups has been low, largely due to the fact that such voluntary associations did not exist in the Soviet era and so are still embryonic.
Despite this, on balance the VCSP has been a success. The aforementioned Vilnius e-Municipality has been hailed as '...a fine example of a model that can be replicated both within and outside Lithuania' and the World Bank's (2003) report on the competitiveness of the Lithuanian economy cited Vilnius as a strategic example for other Lithuanian cities to follow.
What can be learned?
The key principles for successful and sustainable place-making that have emerged from this project have been identified as:
• The importance of developing comprehensive objectives, long-term vision and prioritisation;
• The need to secure political support and the participation of cross-party leaders;
• High profile publicity, including creative forms of communication to raise awareness and attract involvement;
• The provision of public information in easily understandable forms (avoiding the use of jargon), to explain the expected outcomes clearly to the general public;
• Partnership working with educational institutions to build community capacity to participate;
• An in-depth understanding of the external environment, including European urban planning practices, and adapting these to the local socio-economic and political context;
• Ensuring that all key stakeholders are identified and fairly represented, and that individual interests do not dominate the decision-making process;
• The need to reach out to the community from the outset, and to devise tailored methods to ensure their participation.
• The need for municipal administration, politicians and planners to develop skills such as moderation, dispute resolution and reaching consensus if they are to work successfully across community, public and private organisations.
The project has proven that important place-making competencies can be developed through learning by doing – the very preparation and implementation of the Plan resulted in the emergence of many of these skills.
Topics associated with this project
Economy, Governance, International, Local government, Transport