The paper discusses conceptual differences of the definitions “sustainability” and “harmony” and the confusion caused by incorrect interpretations of sustainable development strategies. The paper also deals with gaps in urban design and planning standardization, which becomes a serious obstacle to sustainable urban and regional development. The priority targets indicated in this paper are: 1) urban design normative validation; 2) differential definition of urban structural areas development; 3) establishment of detailed urban central part formation and 4) integrated planning of the suburban and metropolitan range area. Santrauka Svarstomi tvarumo (sustainability) ir darnos (harmony) sąvokų skirtumai ir dėl jų painiojimo atsirandančios netikslios sustainable development strategijos interpretacijos. Aptariamos urbanistinio projektavimo ir planavimo norminimo spragos, tampančios rimtu kliuviniu tvariai miestų ir rajonų urbanistinei plėtrai. Nurodoma, kad prioritetiniai uždaviniai yra: 1) urbanistinio projektavimo normyno įteisinimas; 2) diferencijuotas miesto struktūrinių dalių plėtros apibrėžimas; 3) detalizuotas miesto centrinės dalies formavimo numatymas; 4) integruotas priemiesčio zonos arba metropolinio arealo planavimas.

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The paper discusses conditions for a polycentric development of cities and their systems. Suggestions for possible correction of our country’s regional structure considering changed external interaction course and demographic potential development tendencies. Reasoning is based on attitudes sustained by scientific and global practice which nowadays are respected in different international programmes. The following propositions of accomplished analysis can be formulated: 1. Polycentric development of countries, regions and major cities is an approved strategy of sustainable development. This strategy is successfully evolved in Lithuania since 1957. During the period of intensive urbanization (1970–1990) it enabled to develop a group of small towns which became centres and subcentres of regions. 2. New directions of international integration and a regressive demographic development of the country initiate correction of its regional structure for a better consolidation of demographic and material resources. Such opportunities are provided by: a) the growing role of Klaipėda city and region which is oriented to the Baltic region; b) the fact that the international communication corridors of Via Baltica and Rail Baltica, emphasizing the importance of the north-south direction, are becoming a reality. 3. Urban planning and regional development require the government’s attention, adequate to the importance of the tasks to be solved. The country’s consolidated regional structure with 8 regions instead of 10, stronger Utena region, with growing seaport and Kaunas region, dominating in the centre of the country, would give more dynamics and opportunities for the progress of the state. Policentriška urbanistinė struktūra – strateginis Lietuvos ir EU prioritetas Santrauka Nagrinėjamos miestų ir jų sistemų policentriškos plėtros sąlygos. Iškeliamos kai kurios prielaidos galimai Lietuvos regioninės struktūros korektūrai, atsižvelgiant į pakitusias išorinės sąveikos kryptis bei demografinio potencialo raidos tendencijas. Samprotavimai paremti mokslo ir pasaulinės praktikos patvirtintomis nuostatomis, kurios dar 1957 m. buvo pradėtos diegti Lietuvos gyvenviečių sistemoje ir išlieka veiksmingu instrumentu darniai plėtojant šalies socialinį, kultūrinį ir eko nominį potencialą.

Comprehensive planning of towns and townships takes a wider scale in the country. Therefore, there appears an urgent need to revise or review some conceptions of planning methodology that should be accepted after various alternatives consideration. According to our opinion: a) classification of centres of a settlement system (towns and townships) requires self-determination and equal understanding which, from one side, should reflect more precisely the existing diversity of development between the centres and their functions and, from the other side, the rank granted to these centres should meet the EU criteria; b) the functional structure of towns and townships, reflected by diversity in the purpose of their territory use and its indefinite character during the process of residential area modernization which takes place under market conditions, forces to give upa detailed setting of plot purpose and look for a more universal model of land- use purpose specification which could be applicable not only for planning of rural agricultural territories but for urban planning of residential areas as well. Proposals presented in the paper (Tables 1 and 2) respect the systematic conception of settlement network, accepted in Lithuania and in the other EU countries and based on the hierarchy of elements and development dependency allowing application of sustainability and balance principles for the system element development. They are prepared taking into account new urban planning conceptions and reflecting the following factors: changing business and production conditions as well as growing qualitative safety, service and ecological requirements for a residential environment; increasing importance of economic factors and resulting need for a more rational land use and broader urban internal integration when developing public transportation and urban system for a common space use; respect to stable urban structural elements of residential areas (urban framework) as well as to local cultural identity and historically formed compositional peculiarities; advantages of the functional and social diversity and polycentric character of urban structures.