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ROCK tool supports Vilnius’s strategic direction
The City of Vilnius has developed its strategic direction for the upcoming ten years
With the help of professional consultants, the City of Vilnius has elaborated a strategic direction of the city development – the goal of Vilnius for the upcoming ten years. The strategic direction of the capital city for 2030 is to become a smoothly functioning city by combining vigour and sustainability. Three criteria have been selected to measure the goal achievement, namely, life expectancy, travel time, and the happiness index of residents. The latter was developed within the scope of the ROCK project.
According to the Mayor of Vilnius Remigijus Šimašius, the city needs a simple, clear ambition. “We like to emphasise that we are between East and West, but we cannot be a crossroads between these two different directions only, because crossroads is solely a passing, while Vilnius has to strive to be a centre, a meeting place. We are a young and growing city, so we want and must be vigorous, but on the other hand, the sustainability of the city guarantees stability and comfortable life. After a long search, we found a direction that would combine these two rather different features – Vilnius must become a smoothly functioning city”, said the Mayor of Vilnius.
The implementation of this strategic direction will be pursued in the seven areas of urban life distinguished by the City of Vilnius: environment and urban development, social protection, mobility, culture, security and safety, health and wellness, and education.
The city’s DNA, themes encoded in the identity of Vilnius, namely, history, environment, and progress, were the starting point for the development of the strategic direction of the city. Besides, three engines that push the city forward were distinguished, and they are speed, openness, and intelligence.
The Vilnius ROCK team does not doubt that the data collected by sensors installed in the city will be one of the most important tools for assessing public spaces renovation projects and the quality of services provided by municipal companies or contractors at beaches.
The strongest emotions of passers-by captured by sensors and special lamps installed in six locations of the capital city are assessed and presented as a cumulative expression of happiness of Vilnius residents. This assessment will become one of the most important indicators of the life quality of Vilnius residents in the future. It is already possible to monitor the happiness index of Vilnius residents in real-time on the website https://api.vilnius.lt/happiness-index.
Currently, the City of Vilnius is presenting the strategic direction of the city to all target audiences, and the implementation of the direction in all areas of urban life is planned in the nearest future.
