Benkunskas announced what awaits the banks of the Neris

There is no shortage of places on the banks of the Neris River that today seem like a part of nature, but their history is completely different. Former ports, sports infrastructure, a pier and other objects were used by humans for decades, urbanized territories, which were later abandoned and eventually overgrown with spontaneous vegetation. Vilnius seeks not to leave such places to decay, but to responsibly bring them to a new life, while re-evaluating the natural values that have formed in them over time.

From the municipality’s point of view, one of the most important directions along the Neris River is to first implement what has already been urbanized, rather than create new infrastructure on the shores that have not been touched by human activity so far. This principle is also used to evaluate several projects that are causing public debate – the planned rowing base in Žirmūnai , the revitalization of the Winter Port, and the abandoned boat slip on T. Kosciuškos Street.

The future of these and other objects on the banks of the Neris, their adaptation to new functions, and the balance between the city and nature were discussed in the discussion “Management cannot be left: is there room for humans on the banks of the Neris?” at the “Būtent!” festival. The discussion was attended by the mayor of Vilnius Valdas Benkunskas , architect Andrius Ropolas of “Office De Architectura” and head urban planner Živilė Šimkutė of “MASH studio”, and the discussion was moderated by architect Matas Šiupšinskas.

“When we talk about changes on the banks of the Neris River, it is important to distinguish a new intervention into a natural area from places that were already urbanized before. Some of the areas that are overgrown and look like they are natural today were actually ports, sports or other infrastructure. Our goal is to first revive what was already used by humans, but to do so responsibly, taking into account the natural values that have formed there over time,” says Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas.

Rowing base: solutions have already changed, reducing environmental impact

One of the most questionable projects is the planned rowing base in Žirmūnai. Vilnius rowers have been waiting for this infrastructure for decades, and today they have to travel to Trakai for training. Although the capital has the Neris River, it does not have modern rowing infrastructure.

When planning the base, the aim was to concentrate new development where there are already abandoned buildings and asphalted areas. After assessing the mature tree massif that had formed in the northern part of the plot, the detailed plan was adjusted after the initial project was made public – the buildings were moved, reduced and more concentrated in the already urbanized part of the territory. In this way, the aim was to preserve more than 60 trees.

Even before the environmental impact assessment, solutions related to the Neris River itself were also changed. The initial plans included dredging the riverbed along the perimeter of the embankment, where rowing coach boats were to be moored, but after consultations with the Environmental Protection Agency, these solutions were abandoned, leaving only minimal dredging at the entrance to the inner embankment.

Currently, active design of the rowing facility is suspended, pending the environmental impact assessment. If its conclusions require additional changes, the design solutions will have to be adjusted.

“This project clearly demonstrates that environmental assessments and public comments are not a formality. Decisions have already been changed to preserve mature trees and reduce intervention in the river itself. If the environmental impact assessment shows that additional changes are needed, we will make them,” says V. Benkunskas.

When asked to what extent public comments are actually taken into account in city projects, the mayor emphasized that Vilnius consciously chooses a more open, albeit longer and more complex, path of project development for residents.

“We have consciously chosen the path of openness and public involvement. It is more complicated and takes longer, but the discussion stage is very important. Publication does not mean that everyone will be satisfied after it or that every comment can be taken into account – there are both technical and legal circumstances. However, going through this process, listening to each other and looking for the best solution is very important. We try to do this with practically every project,” said V. Benkunskas.

Winter harbor – not a new intervention, but a restoration of a former function

Another example is the Žirmūnai Winter Port, established in the interwar period. Historically, shipping on the Neris coast was quite intensive, but the infrastructure for servicing ships deteriorated around the 1950s, part of the port territory was privatized, Soviet metal hangars were built in place of the former brick buildings, and the port itself remained abandoned.

According to the city mayor, in such places it is important to assess not only how the territory looks today, but also its previous function. If a port already operated on the coast and dedicated infrastructure was created, its revival is a smaller intervention than creating a similar function in a new, previously unurbanized territory.

MASH studio’s head urban planner Živilė Šimkutė pointed out in the discussion that when talking about the Neris River as a public space, it is sometimes forgotten that even a small adaptation of it to people requires some kind of intervention.

“To build a bench, it must be accessible; to build a path, the soil must be compacted; to ensure safety, electricity must be brought in and lighting must be installed. The city’s public space cannot function without intervention,” said Ž. Šimkutė.

According to her, the same applies to shipping. “If a city wants to have shipping, it must also have a Winter Port. This is an infrastructure facility needed for ship repair, electricity and sewage systems, recreation and wintering,” said Ž. Šimkutė.

Currently, the winter port in Žirmūnai is the only inlet where it is safe to store ships and pontoons during the winter and during the ice floe, in the spring. However, the port is silted up, it cannot accommodate all the ship operators operating in the city, and the infrastructure for lifting ships – a slipway and a crane site – is also absent in Vilnius. Therefore, ship servicing is unsafe, and during the ice floe, incidents are increasing when objects carried by the ice floe damage the quays.

Project proposals for the reconstruction of the port are currently being prepared. City representatives will present them to the people of Vilnius in the near future.

The slipway in the city center is a heritage that needs to be preserved.

Another abandoned object, a former boat slip, stands on T. Kosciuskos Street right next to the Neris River. It is a cultural heritage site and one of the few places where the city sees an opportunity to bring people back to the river.

Today, the facility is in an emergency state, so the decision to resurrect it was related not only to the city’s vision to increase the accessibility of the Neris River, but also to the need to preserve a valuable interwar facility, which housed the Vilnius Rowing Society, and to maintain the engineering stability of T. Kosciuskos Street. The retaining wall of the slipway holds the structure of the entire street, so its reconstruction is necessary.

The city’s goal is to find a way to renovate it, adapt it for functional use, and at the same time preserve what is valuable from an engineering, architectural, and natural point of view. This fall, Vilnius residents will be invited to creative workshops to discuss what functions are needed for this historic space.

Where does caution end and the needs of the city begin?

The discussion also raised the view that excessive caution could push the city into the boundaries of previous urbanization. According to architect Andrius Ropolos, today’s discussion about the banks of the Neris River often fluctuates between two extremes – either development is only carried out where the territory has already been touched by previous urbanization, or changes are avoided altogether.

“I would like this discussion to return to a balance where we could talk more boldly about the possibilities of doing something where it is actually needed, and not just where someone built a garage many years ago,” said A. Ropolas.

In his opinion, great caution leads to the fact that new solutions are often sought based on infrastructure formed during the Soviet era – the sites of former garages, warehouses or other objects, although this is not necessarily always the best place for today’s city needs.

V. Benkunskas responded that turning first to already urbanized territories is motivated not so much by the fear of making changes as by the logical sequence of urban development.

“If the natural framework has already been interfered with – the area has been excavated, trees have been removed, buildings have been erected – it is natural that such places need to be cleaned up first. Once they have been cleaned up, it is possible to assess whether society needs further development, and then seek a balance between intervention in nature and people’s needs when living in the city,” said the mayor.

According to him, the city’s decisions are in any case not based solely on attitude or political choice – there are clear legal boundaries: protected Natura 2000 territories, the city’s general plan, which defines urbanizable and non-urbanizable territories and green areas.

“We must reconcile different legitimate expectations and interests. In such matters, we cannot rely solely on emotions – we have legal documents and a clear legal environment that determines where and what actions are possible. We cannot ignore this, because then we would begin to destroy the order that we have created as a democratic state,” said V. Benkunskas.

According to the mayor, different pressures are felt from both sides – one part of society calls for protecting nature, not touching even previously urbanized, today abandoned territories, while on the other hand, there is a sense of business interest in engaging in development.

“The city is under pressure from both sides, so our task is to find a balance,” the mayor said.

Benkunskas announced what awaits the banks of the Neris

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