Transformation of Public Space As a Controversy: The Case of Opening the Black Box of Social Conflicts in Vilnius, Lithuania

The collapse of the 20th century totalitarian regimes left cultural landscapes marked by memorials and ideological symbols. A notable example of this in Eastern and Central Europe is public urban spaces. Local and national governments have proposed transformation plans to replace the symbols of former regimes with new ones, aiming to reflect modern societal values and address the needs of democratic societies. However, these transformations have not proceeded smoothly. Redevelopment plans of public spaces in Vilnius, capital of Lithuania faced and face undergoing conflicts, turning into protests, opposition of social groups, tensions between self-government and local residents, and lost funds. Public space as an essential part of the urban space, not only serves complex societal functions, but also reveals what groups constitute society and can belong to it. Transformation projects highlight sociopolitical divisions, related to different interpretations of historical memory and national identity formation in public spaces that are sensitive in post-socialist region. Additionally, these discussions highlight conflicts over ecological issues, biodiversity, possibilities for appropriation of space that reflect global trends in urban development and use practices. These public disputes are not simple differences of opinion, but complex socio-technical debates or controversies (Yaneva 2012, Venturini, Munk 2021), in which the actors involved disagree on the very premises of the disagreement. Remodeling projects face complex political debates, various uncertainties, contested responsibilities, competing knowledge and ambivalent value creation. Our research, grounded in discourse analysis and controversy mapping, seeks to unpack the "black box" of disagreements and explore how miscommunication arises. The presentation is based on the research of the transformation of 5 public spaces in Vilnius. We will discuss one of the analysed cases: Lukiškės square, the most iconic public space controversy that is related to the ongoing debates, conflicts and material interventions in Vilnius since the collapse of the Soviet Union.