10th PEER REVIEW SESSION IN VILNIUS 27-29 JANUARY 2014

STRENGTHS

•     strategic location in the city: proximity to the river, the city center (old and new), business and commercial area
•          good connection with the rest of the city including public transport
•          sufficient social services and daily facilities are available in the area
•          youth clubs, schools, NGOs and social institutions are active in the area
•          the eldership office is active in organising community events and launching new initiatives, such as the crime prevention programme “Safe city”

WEAKNESSES

• housing stock is outdated with unmaintained common areas and low energy efficiency
•          value of the flats is decreasing
•          ageing population (average age is 60, at least 20% of the population belongs to the old generation)
•          residents lack sense of ownership and community
•          residents are not motivated to get involved in any renovation process of the buildings
•          lack of  facilities for the elderly such as health care centres, clubs, public spaces
•          lack of car parks,
•          orientation is difficult in the area
•          monotonous environment, outdated and rundown public/green spaces
•          lack of sports facilities
•          decreasing but still high crime rates
•          bad image of the area
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  Informal market at the fringe of the housing estate

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

          The site visit in the target area gave the chance for the participants:

   

  •       to meet the people in the Youth Centre and talk with them about role and services of the  centre and also about the working relationships with other similar organisations
  •         to meet the members of the ULSG in the secondary school situated in the middle of the Zirmunai triangle and learn from them in details about the key issues of the area
  •       to visit the refurbished public library and talk with the Chief librarian
  •     to meet the Head of the Education Development Centre (operating on national level) and talk with him about the possibility that the institution could serve the surrounding society of the Zirmunai area.
  •          to visit a typical apartment and talk with the owner, who is also member of the ULSG, about life in the area
  •       to have impressions on the parking situation, the selective waste collection practice, the state of the playgrounds and efforts of small communities for maintaining public areas (staircases, green areas/gardens) in good condition.

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Once the Knowledge Ambassadors delegated by partners to the Vilnius Peer Review Session learnt about the main issues at the Zirmunai area they presented relevant good practices from Budapest (safety and security in public spaces), Malaga (role of protagonists and communication), Magdeburg and Gelsenkirchen (neighbourhood management), Södertalje (traffic management) and Salford (energy efficiency and selective waste collection) and LE (spatial planning, social mix and borders for public-private areas/residents ownership feeling) in line with the pre-set questions in the briefing note for the Peer Review Session.