URBAN TRANSFORMATION OF RIGA‘S MICRORAYONS FROM A SUSTAINABLE URBAN DESIGN PERSPECTIVE CASE STUDY: MEŽCIEMS JOMANTE VALIULYTE INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE 2013 ISU URBANISM Master Thesis, 30ects, Spring Semester 2013 Spatial Planning with an emphasis on Urban Design in China and Europe Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) Karlskrona, Sweden Institute for Sustainable Urbanism (ISU), TU Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany Tutors: Prof.Jana Revedin (BTH); Prof.Dr. Vanessa Miriam Carlow (ISU) Pictures, maps and drawings are made by the author, the ones which are used from other sources are explained in APPENDIX 2 of this thesis. Copyright©Jomante Valiulyte (
[email protected]) CAD drawings were provided by ISU. ABSTRACT Today, almost every town in Europe has a district of mass housing estates. Espe- plemented, would transform Riga into an attractive and sustainable city. These cially European countries, which were in the former Soviet Union, are facing ample strategies also have the potentials to transform other areas plagued by the prob- issues on dealing with mass housing districts, which cover a great part of cities. lems associated with mass housing estates. Most of them are in a critical condition and in necessary need of renovation. Never- theless, they are strongly criticized by researchers, as uncomfortable places to live, Key Words: mass housing estates, sustainable revitalisation, microrayon, urban which do not fit the human scale. These post – Soviet mass housing estates, which transformation, sustainable urban design. are called ‘microrayons’, is an immense headache to all post - Soviet countries. Riga, which is the capital of Latvia and the biggest city in the Baltic States, can be considered as a special case because of its historical and political situation.