Vilniaus miesto erdvinė plėtra 1944–1989 m.

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THE SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITY OF VILNIUS BETWEEN 1944 AND 1989 Summary The article examines the spatial development of Vilnius in Soviet times based on historiographical and archival material, and reveals the determining factors and the correlation between spatial development and demographic processes. The first changes to the city space occurred in the second half of the 1940s, when by means of mechanical change, the city expanded eastwards (incorporating the town of Naujoji Vilnia). The next stage in its extensive development dates from the late 1960s, when the city grew by 40 per cent (from 15,300 ha to 26,200 ha). However, the city’s spatial structure was also affected by decentralisation processes, when for political and economic reasons, Vilnius was reduced by detaching certain areas. The territorial development of the city was also affected by the exponentially growing number of citizens, which led to the modernisation of the social infrastructure (the mass construction of blocks of flats, schools, streets, etc). The city expanded most in western and northern directions. By the end of the Soviet era, the area it covered had expanded by 2.5 times since the postwar years (1945).