Sustainable development: greening and urban agriculture in Lithuania

• Author: Evaldas Klimas, Mantas Lideika
• Position: Private Law Institute, Mykolo Romerio Universitetas, Vilnius, Lithuania
• Pages: 240-254

Sustainable development:

greening and urban agriculture

in Lithuania

Evaldas Klimas

Private Law Institute, Mykolo Romerio Universitetas, Vilnius, Lithuania, and

Mantas Lideika

Ellex Valiunas Law Firm, Vilnius, Lithuania

Abstract

Purpose –The purposeof this paper is to discuss the measures implementedunder the spatial planning law

of the Republic of Lithuania, along with various initiatives, to identify whether Lithuania is following the

internationaltrend of greening cities.

Design/methodology/approach –The authors’analysisis based on an evaluation of the urban theory-

based approach towards greening cities and adopting urbanagriculture in Lithuania and legal regulations

introduced by the Lithuaniangovernment. The paper specifically analyses the legal requirementsenshrined

in Lithuanianlaw that are intended to encourage green infrastructureand urban agriculture in cities as part of

the adoption of the principles of sustainable development. The paper focuses on Vilnius, the capital city of

Lithuania,to gauge the extent to which the new regulations encourage urban greening and agriculture.

Findings –The authors’reveals that Vilniusis lacking initiatives with regard to urban agriculture, while

existing areas for urban agriculture are disappearing. This is happening despite the promising spatial

planning reform in Lithuania, which introduced the principle of sustainable development into spatial

planning regulations. This is a cause for concern and should lead to renewed calls for a coherent and

ambitious approach to the greeningof Vilnius and other cities in Lithuania. Furthermore, the lack of action

shows that the vague wording used by the regulations does not actively encourage urban agriculture and

even results in ignoranceof its virtues. Therefore, more precise regulations on encouraging urbanagriculture

and greeningof the cities should be introduced.

Originality/value –This paper is the first to analyse the extent to which the newly adoptedprinciple of

sustainable development in spatial planning could affect the greening of Lithuanian cities and encourage

urban agriculture. The paper identifiesthe sequence of opening the meaning of the sustainable development

principlein regular legal norms which encouraging thegreening and indicates the lack of imperativenorms to

ensure thedue implementation of sustainable developmentprinciple.

Keywords Sustainable development, Urban planning, Urban agriculture, Greening,

Environmental law, Landscaping

Paper type Viewpoint

1. Introduction

Sustainable development has been a major area of policy focus since a framework for the

principles of sustainable development was laid down at a UN Conference on Environment

and Development in 1992. On January 1, 2014, a new law on spatial planning[1] came into

force in Lithuania which is in line with the internationally agreed principles of sustainable

development.

The greening of cities and urban agricultureare key elements in helping to ensure long-

term sustainability and are becoming increasingly topical because of the ground-breaking

internationalagreement to curb global warming reached under the ParisAgreement.

JPPEL

10,3

240

Received10 March 2017

Revised10 September 2017

21January 2018

Accepted21 February 2018

Journalof Property, Planning and

EnvironmentalLaw

Vol.10 No. 3, 2018

pp. 240-254

© Emerald Publishing Limited

2514-9407

DOI 10.1108/JPPEL-03-2017-0010

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

www.emeraldinsight.com/2514-9407.htm