City in Transition: How to Plan Riga in the 21st Century

It is clear that the social-economic and political reality of the 21st century has undermined most of all the expectations from the current (2006-2018) planning vision of the city of Riga, the capital city of Latvia and the largest historical and economic canter of the Baltic States. It is time to restart the necessary instruments (evaluating the current state, defining goals and needs of interested parties, developing planning tools and supplementary documents – like visions, normative acts, data bases, etc.) in order to be “well-prepared” in planning, as well as in preserving the most important values of Riga (such as the number of residents, infrastructure, cultural sites and buildings) for the next 12 years (2018-2030). The modern thinking for spatial planning strategies is based on principles of urban intelligence and on the development of the new concept of smart cities, in which the integration between contemporary reality and the historical city becomes an important factor and were urban “smartness” has been also reached through historic (cultural) elements within “the virtual world” of ICTs.[] This paper will discuss the most important aspects (problems and possible solutions) in the planning of the most internationally well-known part of Riga - Riga's Historical Center and its protective zone (HCR and its PZ), which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, noted for its architectural qualities – outstanding urban space, Art Nouveau and 19th century wooden architecture. The paper will also note what kind of modern instruments would be necessary (still not efficiently used) for the planning process of the most internationally well-known part of Riga (Riga's Historical Centre and its protective zone) smart (more and more uses of ICT tools for creation, updating and publication of spatial planning related information)