This year, the service is going to publish guidelines, which will contain recommendations on how Rīga's urban landscape should be improved. While the Latvian capital is arguably lagging behind Vilinus and Tallinn, Ratas said in an interview with Latvian Radio's Viktors Demidovs that it is possible to address current shortcomings and turn Rīga into the undisputed center of the Baltics.
Viktors Demidovs: You have worked as an architect for many years in New York, Shanghai. You have been a city architect in Rīga for a year and a half. What have you identified as problems in this time?
Pēteris Ratas: The city is complex. I think there are a lot of things that could have been better and that maybe hold us back, but importantly, in my opinion, maybe we have underinvested in our public infrastructure and outdoor space, and also underinvested in the development of the city, because in order for us to see a better quality city, a more beautiful city, it has to be created, built, streets, squares, buildings arranged, repaired and maintained.
Crumbling facades show that this is not being done enough. There are some positive examples we can see, for example, the square near the Dailes Theater, there are some streets that the city is repairing, and we are really happy about that, but I would like to see it on a much larger scale. The movement of money in that process should be more targeted and systematic. Otherwise, we just fantasize about the things we would like to see, but nothing will change until the actual development process takes place. And that's really quite sluggish right now.
Who is responsible for this? Is it public reluctance to act, political or something else?
There is no single culprit. I mean, it is very complex. You just have to look objectively at yourself. We are not financially rich as a country. We are rich in our cultural heritage. This is perhaps our reflection on everything, but everything we want to see is also a matter of money. Sometimes we don't want to talk about it, but we are not rich.
Not rich compared to New York and Shanghai?
No. We need to compare ourselves with cities that are somewhat equivalent in size. We could start with Vilnius or Helsinki. Let's see what's happening in Copenhagen, what's happening in Stockholm. I mean, cities of that scale, which are somewhat comparable to us both in terms of size and location. somewhere like Hamburg might be a good comparison.
It should also be understood that we are competing with other cities. Those with funds are already looking at where to invest. They compare first place, second place, third place. The only way for us to get that activity is to be competitive.
You found that the environment in Riga has deteriorated in some places. But what next? Are you also working on something to address it?
There are several things that we do as an architectural service, and there are things that are already there, I can say one thing - we have established city street guidelines. During this year, they will be published and will be publicly available, and I would also like to hear the opinions of residents and neighborhoods about it. We would like that in the future, when the streets are repaired, they are gradually improved to some extent.
Similarly, guidelines will be created to detail what kind of sidewalks we would like. The same with lighting, because if we illuminate the environment well, you simply feel it is more pleasant, you will want to stay there, you will want to go out to the store, to the restaurant in the evening. If the environment is unpleasant, people, very naturally, simply do not go there.
Do you feel like your hands are tied? You have ambitious goals, but maybe physically can't do it?
We just need to be aware of our reality. All this requires resources. I think that's why we have to be smart, strategic – where we invest our resources to give maximum effect. We also need to be aware, just accept it as a fact, that we may not be able to satisfy all desires. So we also have to look at the city globally [to understand] what is most important.
It is very important for us to stimulate the core of the city. Because a person has a heart. It has to beat. If the heart stops, we die. The same [happens] in the city. We need to get that very active life in the middle of the city. Then, at the same time, it is necessary to arrange neighborhood centers, some points in the neighborhood where people live, so that from the point of view of the residents, the city will change and become more livable and more attractive.
What have you managed to accomplish during this time? Personally, I have noticed more benches, bike lanes, bike paths. Is there anything else?
We have things that we've already done and that we're doing. If we talk about the urban environment, it has two components: there is the public outdoor space – streets, squares, parks – and also the buildings that form the space around it. Investments are needed, both in arranging street lighting, elements, street surface, paving, pedestrian space, so that it is pleasant. At the same time, it is important for us to create the conditions so that buildings are repaired, so that new, beautiful, publicly pleasing buildings are created that somehow complement the public outdoor space. Synergy should be created between public and private investment, which surrounds it. You can't have one without the other.
If we are careful enough, smart enough, I believe that Riga could really be a center for the region. With the fact that the port and airport are concentrated in one place, we could in principle become the capital of the Baltic States, metaphorically speaking. We have that potential.
You speak in the future tense. What is the Baltic capital now?
It's hard to say. I mean, I don't really see one right now, but…
But it is not Rīga?
We see quite a lot of development dynamics in Vilnius. There's a lot of local capital that's doing that, and there's a lot of positive things that have happened. Fantastic. We also see somewhat more activity in Tallinn than here. And if we look at the amount of investment in the city that is currently taking place, Rīga lags behind. We have to somehow try to change that situation, because we have to be to some extent, I'm not saying rapid [development], but we have to be a growing city.
