While the term, “urban sprawl” usually brings in pictures of overcrowded cities overflowing from the
centres and sprawling out to the edges and beyond, there is another extreme to that context. In
In Lithuanian cities, sprawl happens despite the available space in the city. This is because the
importance of nature and the quality of life it promises is still not lost in the development race. To
make full use of this, many locals leave the centres in search of calmer spaces. As a result of such
migration, the city expands into the zone of influence which is essentially sprawling even when there
is no overflow of real estate.
The aim of this research was to find the possible biophilic principles that could be applied to the
settlements in the zone of influence of the city. The chosen region for this was the Samylai Eldership
community in the zone of influence of Kaunas city. To put a finger on the principles that needed to
be applied, it was important to analyse the quality, extent and functionality of the existing features of
biophilia in the region. The four settlements that form the Samylai community have distinct natural
features. The closest settlement to the city is Vaišvydava. A quaint neighbourhood bordered by the
Kauno Marios regional park on three sides. The next settlement is Girionys, which houses the Kaunas
Forest and Environmental Engineering College. The smallest settlement of the community is Žegždrai
which is known for the operation of the horse boarding stable in summer. Direct access to the
Marios is through the campus of the mental health institution. The largest settlement is Šlienava which
is an agriculture-based population. Large open fields, fallows and meadows take up 75% of the land
area. A direct path leads to the Marios from the arterial road of this settlement. Each of these
settlements was analysed in context by common meters developed for urban and biophilic quality.
Suggested proposals for these settlements according to the results of the empirical analysis were
virtually executed in context. Using the same tools, the urban and biophilic qualities were re-analysed.
Conclusions of this project were drawn accordingly. It was noted that the provision of economic
opportunities without disturbing the original setting of the settlements was essential to achieve a
sustainable development pattern. The module can further be applied to other zones of influence of the
city with similar sprawl characteristics, to ensure the prevention of further sprawl and sustain the current
limits of the zone of influence of the city