Smart cities are not a new phenomenon and it is an interdisciplinary definition that became a popular labeling for modern cities. However, there a is surprisingly little academic research in urban design and planning field that discusses this phenomenon. Smart cities definition is similar to intelligent, creative, sustainable or liveable cities which appears to be considered as a part of a play with words. In most of the technological and social science articles smart cities refer to a smart urban management and development via technologies and infrastructure. Based on the scientific literature overview, there are several factors affecting the city smartness, such as technology, people and communities, economy governance, planning and infrastructure. Overall there is a little information and research on urban design principles and tools in the smart city’s creation and contribution to its smartness. The most important thing is to clarify the urban design, planning and landscape design role importance to a smart city context and vice versa. The aim of this paper is to overview the smart cities concept from urban design perspective to find and highlight the important touch points, relation and role of urban design, planning and landscape design in smart cities creation. This would lead to the robust principles for smart European cities that would enable to achieve sustainable development, efficient urban growth and a better urban landscape.

Indicator 11.3. 1 of the 2030 sustainable development goals (SDG) 11, i.e., the ratio of the land use to the population growth rate, is currently classified by the United Nations as a Tier II indicator, as there is a globally-accepted methodology for its calculation, but the data are not available, nor are not regularly updated. Recently, the increased availability of remotely sensed data and products allows not only for the calculation of the SDG 11.3. 1, but also for its monitoring at different levels of detail. That is why this study aims to address the interrelationships between population development and land use changes in Poland and Lithuania, two neighboring countries in Central and Eastern Europe, using the publicly available remotely sensed products, CORINE land cover and GHS-POP. The paper introduces a map modelling process that starts with data transformation through GIS analyses and results in the geovisualisation of the LCRPGR (land use efficiency), the PGR (population growth rate), and the LCR (land use rate). We investigated the spatial patterns of the index values by utilizing hotspot analyses, autocorrelations, and outlier analyses. The results show how the indicators’ values were concentrated in both countries; the average value of SDG 11.3. 1, from 2000 to 2018 in Poland amounted to 0.115 and, in Lithuania, to −0.054. The average population growth ratio (PGR) in Poland equaled 0.0132, and in Lithuania, it was −0.0067, while the average land consumption ratios (LCRs) were 0.0462 and 0.0067, respectively. Areas with an increase in built-up areas were concentrated mainly on the outskirts of large cities, whereas outliers of the LCRPGR index were mainly caused by the uncertainty of the source data and the way the indicator is interpreted.

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Todays large cities are continually evolving human ecosystem, delivering many services to citizens. The dramatic urbanisation processes and increasing numbers of the population in cities put many strains on city infrastructure and services. XXI century urbanisation issues require robust strategies and innovative planning for their future. Easily cities are characterised as smart or intelligent without regard to clear criteria or specification for a city. There are different opinions regarding smart cities, arguing that it may bring positive social and economic change, developed governance and human capital. However, these aspects are heavily achievable without eliminating the present discrepancy in planning. The purpose of the article is to clarify and identify the characteristics of smartness based on current scholar research. The qualitative study overview on integrative literature review and seven Baltic region cities case study explores possible characteristics, and various city dimension factors which can make a city smart.

The paper deals with Lithuanian urban planning system problem atic areas: sef-contained spontaneous processes - spontaneous mutation and forced mutation determined by planned and free market economy. In Vilnius city’s central part the dynamics of functional mutations was stimulated by the foundation of innovative centers. The study of relative change in the functions carried out by urban research methodology reveals functional change and factors causing the mutations. The paper discusses the trends of urban functions. The purpose of the paper is to reveal the factors causing mutations of urban functions and possibilities of their research. Santrauka Straipsnyje aptariamos Lietuvos urbanistinio planavimo sistemos probleminės sritys: savaiminiai spontaniški procesai – savaiminės mutacijos ir prievartinės mutacijos, nulemtos planinės ir laisvos rinkos ekonomikos. Aptariamas Vilniaus miesto centrinės dalies – šerdies – funkcinių mutacijų dinamiką paskatinęs inovatyvių centrų kūrimasis. Nagrinėjama atliekamo urbanistinių funkcijų kaitos tyrimo metodika, atskleidžiami funkcinę kaitą ir mutacijas lemiantys veiksniai. Aptariamos urbanistinių funkcijų kaitos tendencijos. Straipsnio tikslas – atskleisti miesto funkcijų mutacijas lemiančius veiksnius ir jų tyrimo galimybes.