Vilnius: 2025 European Green Capital

Vilnius.   Flickr photo by Martin Brummie.

I've been remiss this year in not calling attention to the European "Capitals" programs, the Cultural Capital--this year, Chemnitz, Germany and the twin cities of Nova Gorica in Slovenia and Gorizia in Italy; the Green Capital; Vilnius, Lithuania; and the Youth Capital, Lviv, Ukraine.

There is also a program new to me, an environmental recognition program for smaller cities, called the European Green Leaf.  Treviso, Italy and Viladecans, Spain are the award winners for 2025.

These programs are used to highlight existing programs and to drive forward new programs and ideas.  The Cultural Capital designates two cities, one bigger, one smaller.  Cities are picked based on their achievements and initiatives in seven areas:

• Air Quality 
• Water 
• Biodiversity, Green areas & Sustainable Land Use 
• Waste & Circular Economy 
• Noise 
• Climate Change: Mitigation 
• Climate Change: Adaptation

I wrote about these EU programs as part of an EU National Institutes of Culture Washington Chapter program in Europe, sharing best practices about art and culture programs primarily.

-- "Richard Layman Reflects on EU in Baltimore and Blog," Europe in Baltimore blog

I think it would be fantastic for the US to devise and launch similar programs, as a way to call attention to best practice, and to build bridges and community within a nation that is increasingly divided.

====

Vilnius, Lithuania ("Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, is entering a new stage: the general plan has been approved," Baltic Review) is this year's Green Capital.

“Achieving the title of European Green Capital is not just an honor for Vilnius but a commitment to the future,” said Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas. “The city has evolved into an oasis of green spaces, clean air, and thriving biodiversity. With innovative solutions like electric vehicle charging via streetlight poles and empowering residents with open data access, Vilnius is setting an example for a greener, smarter, and more inclusive future.”

The city is 61% forest, parks, gardens, and green spaces, and is crossed by two rivers, the Neris and Vilnia.  A forest lies in the city center, along with campgrounds! 

The city's Green Capital website is full of great information and ideas, organized by four main categories: urban mobility; environment and biodiversity; green transformation; and sustainable ideas.  For example, one program provides small grants to implement student initiated sustainability projects in their schools.  

Flickr photo by Martin Brummie.

Vilnius is the national capital and the Old Town is a UNESCO Heritage Site with a large ensemble of  baroque architecture.  

Commerce.  The city is a commercial finance center and is considered the most "business friendly" city in Central Europe and the Baltic States ("Vilnius once again seen as the most business-friendly city in CEE and the Baltics," Emerging Europe, "As Lithuania Joins Eurozone, Relief and Hesitation," New York Times, 2014).  

It's a major center for IT and startup businesses, especially in the financial sector.

Skyscrapers edge Old Town Vilnius.

Vilnius is the most populated and wealthiest city in the Baltics ("Vilnius Officially Becomes the Largest City in the Baltics," We Love Lithuania).

In keeping with its place as the national capital, Vilnius is where the country's premier higher education and scientific research enterprises are located.

Tourism.  Vilnius is an up and coming destination for tourism, with moderate summer temperatures ideal for summer vacations in a world where the climate is getting much hotter in Southern Europe ("Vilnius Surging Ahead Will It Become the Ultimate Destination for Cool, Green, and Affordable Travel Experiences?," Travel and Tour World).  "A first-time guide to Vilnius," Lonely Planet).

-- Go Vilnius tourism promotion organization

Public saunas dot the banks of the Neris River. In-city water activities abound on the rivers and lakes.

Arts.  Justifying its selection as the 2009 European Capital of Culture ("Ex-Post Evaluation of 2009 European Capitals of Culture," "Cultural Policy and Politics of Culture in Lithuania - Vilnius -- European Capital of Culture 2009, an Anthropological View," Santalka), Vilnius is the national hub for visual and performing arts, with major museums, concert halls, galleries, and performance spaces for music and dance ("New Era in the Baltics Cultural Space: Vilnius Begins Construction of the Lithuanian National Concert Hall," We Love Lithuania).

The EU article series I wrote often featured examples of the adaptive reuse of otherwise abandoned buildings and sites into multifaceted arts and culture centers, such as Cablefactory in Helsinki, Friche la belle de Mai in Marseilles, and an old bus terminal in Dublin's Temple Bar district.  

Vilnius' contribution to that end is the adaptation of the LUKIŠKĖS Prison into version 2.0 ("I Went to Prison in Vilnius, Lithuania, you can too," Travel Magazine, "How this Lithuanian prison (with a dark past) became a stronghold of art and festivals," National Geographic). From the article:

Lukiškės continued its function as a high-security prison until its closure in 2019, when Lithuania was well into its independence from the Soviet Union, and the prison was seen as a relic of an era best left behind. According to tour guides, its conditions were subpar; cells were overcrowded, and ventilation was poor, according to tour guides.

But instead of demolishing this bleak monument, Lithuania chose a different path. Recognizing the prison’s historical significance and unique structure, Martynas Butkevičius and Povilas Oželis won a public tender lease of the prison and reopened it as Lukiškės Prison 2.0. It was an opportunity to breathe new life into its empty halls. The idea was radical yet simple. Turn the prison, once a symbol of oppression, into a space for creativity and self-expression. This approach echoed the country’s desire to remember its past while embracing a future rooted in innovation and cultural exploration.

Besides tours, art exhibits and music gigs are a regular part of programming at the center.  In addition it has served as a film location, including for the US tv show, "Stranger Things."

The Vilnius Light Festival is held in late January. "A Reason to Visit Vilnius: Vilnius Light Festival," FTN News.

The city is marked by community festivals such as the Kaziukas Fair spring festival, Street Music Day where musicians perform throughout the city, and Vilnius Days, a weekend festival in September, devoted to the arts, with innovative features such as a temporary "Avenue of Arts," an "Avenue of Flavors" devoted to food, and "Book Square" featuring authors and the book arts, at Cathedral Square.

This year, the festival featured a "Green Capital Meadow" leveraging the Green Capital designation and program.

Besides soup, the Pink Soup Festival celebrates all things pink.

The Pink Soup Festival honoring the country's version of cold beet soup ("Vilnius Radiates in Pink, Uniting Food, Fun, & Tradition at Pink Soup Fest 2023," Luxurious Magazine, "In Lithuania, there’s a festival dedicated to a cold, pink soup," Adventure)--next year it's May 30th and 31st.  

The city is also is developing its reputation as a destination for innovative cuisine ("A local’s guide to Vilnius, Lithuania: the best bars, culture and bargain hotels," Guardian).

The Artagonist Art Hotel features art throughout the building, bringing together art and tourism via smart accommodations ("Hotel Review: Artagonist Art Hotel, Vilnius, Lithuania," Travel Magazine).

Green City Action Plan.  Vilnius joined the European Green Cities program, the first Baltic Sea state to do so.  

To achieve environmental goals including carbon-neutrality by 2030, the city created the Vilnius Green City Action Plan, with funding by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and a consultant team led by Arup. 

-- EBRD Green Cities Policy Selection Tool

Focus on sustainable mobility.  Interestingly, given the Trump Administration's antipathy towards the environment, climate change action ("Energy Dept. Cancels $7.5 Billion for Hundreds of Projects, Mostly in Blue States," New York Times) and non-car mobility ("Trump Cancels Trail, Bike-Lane Grants Deemed ‘Hostile’ to Cars," Bloomberg), it's notable that Vilnius is forward looking.  

Among other foci, the Vilnius Green Capital program has a big emphasis on biking, walking and transit.  The walking trail network is about 100km.

The city's population is just over 600,000 and the local bus transit service serves about that many trips each day--routes include small buses and articulated buses and electrified trolleybuses ("NIB and EBRD finance greener public transport in Vilnius," Baltic Times).  Like London's congestion zone, motor vehicle traffic is restricted in the city center ("Collaboration and reinvention: How Vilnius has become a mobility innovation hub," Emerging Europe).  The Trafi app facilitates use of local transport.

Like many European cities the city has pedestrianized areas, including Gediminas Avenue in the Old Town.  

The city is a railroad passenger hub and has recently introduced ferry service on the Neris River ("Zero-emission commuter ferry to serve historic river in European capital." Valley Vanguard).  There's a bike sharing system too. 

One somewhat unique element is the creation of a Citizen's Assembly to guide sustainable mobility practice and improvements throughout the city.  

(It's a variation of a concept I put in the Baltimore County Western Pedestrian and Bicycle Access Plan, where I suggested that in addition to a county-wide committee, each political district could have a subcommittee, guiding improvements based on the plan recommendations, and bringing the citizens, legislative and executive branches together.)

Trolleybus.  Flickr photo by Mariusz Krawczyk.

Sustainability as a way of life. The city is working to develop and expand the green lifestyle through greening activities throughout the city and within different sectors of civil society.

For example, the city is developing a classroom program, called Vilnius is a School, aiming for 10% of classes to be held in the outdoors or in buildings with significant historic culture.  So far more than 120 schools, including kindergartens are participating. 

The city's bike lane expansion program is an element of building sustainable practices in everyday life, shifting from the automobile.  While a bottle and can deposit program has a 90% recycling rate and in the last five years the city has introduced programs to reduce use.  The city aims to reduce landfill emissions through composting, and other initiatives, including  

Dėk’ui (Thank You)—stations that allow people to leave their unwanted but good quality items such as clothing, furniture, books, and other household items for others to take for free. The city says that the initiative significantly reduces waste and encourages sustainable reuse.

But population expansion and the construction of new housing districts is reducing the city's green cover and green space, and remains an issue the city grapples with in terms of balancing its identity as a green community while accommodating growth.

A tool for balance is an online "greenness calculator," the Green Space Index, that architects and urban designers can use to measure the potential impact of their projects ("Vilnius architects can check the greenness index of projects with free online calculator," MayorEU).

Clean energy.  The city has cut greenhouse gas emissions by upgrading outdated heating systems and adding solar power to the energy mix.  

Programs provide financial incentives for residents to install solar energy panels.  The bus fleet is being overhauled, focused on electrification.   

Conclusion.  Europe's Green Capital Program is a great way to move sustainability practices forward and would be a great program for the US to export and implement, were the country focused on developing environmental best practice.

The range of programs and creativity in Vilnius demonstrates that cities of all sizes can be places of best practice and provide examples and initiatives that can be adaptable for implementation in other cities, regardless of their size.