Public Spaces in the Memories of the Residents of Kaunas and Their Impact on the Identity of Urban Residents

Abstract

The article aims to analyse the characteristics of public spaces in the four districts of Kaunas (Dainava, Kalniečiai, Eiguliai, Šilainiai) that were designed and built during the Soviet era. These characteristics affect the process of identity formation. The individual perceives the material environment of the public spaces of the district through the senses of their body. These experiences are being transformed into memories that help to identify with or separate from the urban environment. The analysis of the stories of 115 respondents obtained through in-depth and semi-structured interviews revealed dichotomous characteristics: an orderly physical environment versus a disorderly environment. The roles of respondents in these narratives can be based on avoiding strategies, when a disorderly environment is avoided, and on initiative strategies, when individuals are participating in changing the physical environment. The study revealed that living in the above-mentioned parts of the city, which lack visible signs of important events of collective memory, allows for the formation of an indefinite or displaced identity.