Planning urban systems in Soviet times and in the era of transition: The case of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania

The article deals with the principles of planning the urban system during the Soviet era in the three Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The main items of Soviet regional and urban planning doctrine are first described and an outline given of urban network development in the programmes and projects elaborated during the post-war decades. Some light is then shed on the peculiarities of the urbanization processes and evolution of urban networks during the period of transition. The article outlines the way in which the restoration of independence in 1990 economic and political conditions change fundamentally in these republics, with concomitant altering of goals and problems in both regional and urban planning.