On November 13, the Lithuanian Real Estate Development Association (LNTPA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and the Vilnius City Municipality, invites you to the 18th Lithuanian Urban Forum, titled “15-Minute City: Solutions for Sustainable Growth?” The event will be held in Vilnius at the “Dūmų fabrikas” venue (Dūmų St. 5), where we will discuss how cities need to transform not only to become more convenient for residents but also to strengthen urban economies and respond to the century’s biggest challenge—the climate crisis.
Key Topics of the Forum
Today, cities often lack convenient living conditions: some areas are accessible only by car due to a lack of alternatives such as public transportation, bike lanes, or pedestrian routes. This forces residents to breathe polluted air and face increasing environmental challenges.
In search of concrete solutions to these urban issues, the forum will delve into the “15-Minute City” concept—a vision where all essential places and services, like work, education, and leisure, are accessible within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. Such a city is not only convenient for residents but also economically robust and meets the needs of modern urban dwellers. Danish urban planning experts Morten Jensen and Curt Liliegreen will share international experiences from places where these solutions are already successfully implemented. Robertas Dargis, Vice President of the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists and an LNTPA board member, will discuss the prerequisites for sustainable urban growth in Lithuania, while Laura Kairienė, Chief Architect of Vilnius, will address the urban challenges facing the capital.
In the first discussion, titled “How Do We Create a Balanced City for the Modern Citizen?” we will explore how technology and data can help us better understand residents’ needs and use these insights to plan growing and socially inclusive cities. Insights will be shared by Laura Kairienė, Chief Architect of Vilnius, Mindaugas Statulevičius, President of the Lithuanian Real Estate Development Association, and other urban development experts.
Climate Challenges for Cities
Cities that aim to remain competitive and ensure a high quality of life must continually adapt to new challenges. The second part of the event will feature Inesa Alistratovaitė-Kurtinaitienė, Head of the Department of Urban Studies at Vilnius Tech, who will discuss the evolution of Lithuanian cities and their planning.
Cities today face numerous challenges, with the most pressing being the climate crisis, which forces a fundamental rethinking of urban planning principles. In the second part of the event, climate policy expert Dr. Judita Liukaitytė-Kukienė will examine why and how cities must transform to adapt to the challenges of climate change. This phenomenon is already leading to more frequent and intense flooding in Lithuania’s major cities following heavy rains. Architect and urbanist Jeroen Dirckx, partner at KCAP, will discuss ways to transform cities and urban spaces to meet modern challenges and ensure the highest quality of life for residents. The sustainability challenges will also be addressed in the discussion “What Will the (Non-)Adaptation of Cities to Future Challenges Cost?” Together with architects and representatives from the real estate development and insurance sectors, we will analyze how adaptation solutions might impact a city’s competitiveness and residents’ quality of life. The discussion will include insights from Minister of the Environment Simonas Gentvilas, Director of the Lithuanian Insurance Association Andrius Romanovskis, and other urban sustainability experts.