The program “(R)evolucija” implemented in Kaunas will fundamentally change residential apartment blocks

Kaunas, which has been organizing itself for many years, has decided to make another change. It will be useful not only for the city, but also for its residents. Kaunas City Municipality together with the Kaunas Housing Modernization Agency plans to fundamentally change the environment of residential apartment buildings. The recently launched program “(R)evolucija” has already attracted a lot of interest from the people of Kaunas and promises to surprise everyone. Gedeminas Barčauskas, Deputy Director of Kaunas City Municipality Administration, says: “We want Kaunas to be decorated not only in the center. We want the whole city to shine.”

Kaunas city challenges

The municipality of Kaunas constantly performs works to improve the city’s environment, evaluates their progress and the quality of the final results. During their implementation, a recurring problem was observed – projects are implemented very slowly, and the desired goal is only partially achieved. “We observed the processes, the pace of renewal and the process itself were not satisfactory. Individual areas changed in a fragmentary and haphazard manner, and renovation was slow. This was also confirmed by the urban study prepared by the initiative of the municipality”, the representative of the municipality shares his experience.

For this reason, it was decided to create the “(R)evolution” program, which would unite the municipality and the city’s residents for a common goal. During it, the people of Kaunas are encouraged to live in a modern, cozy and comfortable way, as well as to beautify the city’s spaces and make them more attractive to current and future residents. Kaunas residents, who have decided to renovate their apartment buildings, will be able to take advantage of the opportunity to renovate their living environment with the city’s funds.

“(R)evolution” program

Even 90 percent Lithuanian residential apartment buildings are Soviet, built before 1993. They are not only uneconomical, but also do not decorate the city. The “(R)evolution” program is a new program for the beautification of the urban environment. During its implementation, the city’s residential blocks will be fundamentally modernized: the environment of Kaunas city microdistricts and the energy efficiency of buildings will be improved.

The city is determined to maximally ensure the needs of the residents of the renovated apartment buildings and to create an environment in which it would be pleasant to live, work and have fun at its own expense. Adequate lighting, pedestrian paths, parking spaces, green areas, children’s playgrounds, leisure and sports spaces – these are only a small part of what Kaunas residents can expect.

Kaunas Housing Modernization Agency, an active executor of the “(R)evolucijas” program, is determined to communicate directly and listen to the residents’ thoughts so that the final result meets their expectations as well as those of the initiators of the program. In this way, while developing the trends of a sustainable city, solutions that meet the needs of Kaunas residents are also integrated.

The program is planned to be successful as long as there is a need for it. There are almost 5,000 unrenovated apartment buildings in Kaunas, and over 200,000 Kaunas residents live in them. This shows that, in order to improve the quality of life of the residents, renovation works will be carried out for several years. “This is the first program of its kind in the Baltic States and it is implemented only in Kaunas. But this great example also inspires our neighbors. Therefore, Estonia plans to follow it in the near future”, G. Barčauskas is proud of the city’s leadership.

The importance of renovation

Undoubtedly, neglected residential apartment buildings will require more frequent and expensive repairs and maintenance in the future. With this in mind, it is worth considering renovations before the building is seriously damaged. Experts are unanimous in their belief that, if apartment buildings are properly cared for, they can extend their service life to 100 or even more years.

Cracked building walls, leaky windows and leaky roofs are repaired during housing renovation. In this way, the tightness of the building is fully taken care of, which prevents the entry of cold and damp air into the living quarters. New ventilation systems with vents and ventilation ducts in kitchens and sanitary units ensure adequate air circulation. This greatly reduces the chance of mold growth. Updated heating and hot water preparation systems make it easy to monitor, control and account for energy and water consumption.

In addition, the owners of residential buildings under renovation can apply for financing provided by the “(R)evolution” program and thus have an additional opportunity to update above-ground and underground communication systems. This means that in the future there would be fewer accidents related to untidy pipelines, clogged sewage treatment channels or other failures of engineering objects that affect the quality of the population.

Benefits of the “(R)evolution” program for residents

Each apartment owner understands that he is responsible not only for the maintenance and renovation of his space, but also for the entire residential building. By participating in the “(R)evolution” program, he can save significantly more, because he will no longer have to take care of the outdoor space outside the walls of the building. Besides, there are more benefits here.

First of all, these are economic advantages. Laura Jankauskienė, director of the Kaunas Housing Modernization Agency, points out: “The energy efficiency of Soviet houses is about half as bad as that of houses built according to updated norms or renovated. Therefore, residents who decide to join this program and renovate apartments in apartment buildings can pay up to 70% lower taxes for heating in the future and spend up to 80% less on apartment maintenance costs.” . This is especially relevant for those who plan to sell their real estate in the future.

No less important are the psychological benefits. People feel comfortable, warm, cozy and safe when living in renovated housing and in a beautifully arranged environment. They can safely walk on well-maintained sidewalks and walk pets in lighted areas in the evenings. Mothers with babies in strollers can comfortably go for a walk, and small children can play in safe playgrounds. And fans of a healthy lifestyle – young people, residents of working age and seniors – can engage in physical activity right in their backyard.

Destroys entrenched myths

The Kaunas Housing Modernization Agency constantly communicates with the city’s residents by phone and e-mail: it advises them, answers their questions, dispels doubts and destroys entrenched myths. The representative of the agency emphasizes: “During the preparation of the plan for renovated outdoor spaces, many discussions are held with the residents of multi-apartment apartments. And works to improve the living environment are started to be designed, organized and implemented only in cases where the majority of apartment dwellers agree to it.”

L. Jankauskienė admits that during her work, she often comes across myths prevailing in the society, which slow down the residents to make a favorable decision for them. Most of the time, they have doubts about the benefits of renovation, but after hearing the positive experiences of their neighbors, they easily change their beliefs. They are also worried about the differing opinions of apartment owners on environmental improvement issues. For this purpose, live meetings are organized with the people of Kaunas and solutions that meet the expectations of the majority of the population are sought.

The director of the agency recalls: “Even before the start of “(R)evolution”, we knew that this path would not be easy, but very interesting and, most importantly, meaningful. So speaking honestly and providing Kaunians with the necessary information, the program is implemented faster and more efficiently.”

Program stages

The entire “(R)evolution” program consists of 6 stages: 3 coordination and 3 realization of works. After completing the first 3 stages, the citizens become real candidates for Kaunas municipality financing for environmental renewal, new structures and roof installation works.

At each stage, there is direct communication with the residents. First of all, we meet with local communities that express their desire to participate in the “(R)evolution” program. After assessing the individual situation of the housing block and the expressed expectations of Kaunas residents, a scheme for the formation of land plots in the apartment block and residential areas and the arrangement of the home environment is being prepared. It is presented and approved by the local community.

Then the residents of the quarter who have already renovated the buildings and signed the renovation contract submit an application to participate in the “(R)evolucija” program and sign a cooperation agreement. After that, the implementation of the plans begins: the plot of the group of apartment houses is formed, the technical project is prepared, foreseeing the infrastructure in the managed territory.

Knowing all this, the people of Kaunas are more inclined to trust and get involved in the progress of the implemented project, boldly express their opinion and encourage their neighbors to make decisions that improve their quality of life. Therefore, the residents willingly participate in the weekly meetings and often prepare many questions that help to dispel the doubts and worries that arise.

The first task is 40 blocks

Due to the great interest of the population in 2024 only Kaunas residents who have completed or are currently doing renovations can apply for funding provided by the “(R)evolucija” program to improve the neighborhood environment. Currently, urban planners are preparing over 40 different schemes for the renewal of neighborhoods, which they will soon present to the citizens applying for support.

While some are waiting for information, others are already watching the first steps of the project organizers. One of the first participants of the program were the residents of the block of six houses of P.Lukšios and V.Landsbergis-Žemkalnis. Since the renovation of their homes has already been completed, the living environment of this quarter will begin to change in the near future. Citizens are looking forward to enjoying the new paved paths, sidewalks, economical LED yard lighting, parking lots with video cameras and green spaces decorated with greenery.

The Kaunas Housing Modernization Agency constantly updates information related to the project and shares the completed work with the public. Therefore, all news related to the “(R)evolucijos” program can be found and read in the www.kbma.lt/naujienos section.

Participant of the “Super Cities” project.