Residential Areas with Apartment Houses: Analysis of the Condition of Buildings, Planning Issues, Retrofit Strategies and Scenarios/Daugiabuciu Namu Gyvenamuosiuose Rajonuose Bukles, Planavimo Problemu Ir Atnaujinimo Strategiju Bei Scenariju Analize (Report‪)‬

1. INTRODUCTION Modernisation and retrofit of buildings is one of the forms of urban development. Both in Lithuania and in other countries, it should help to solve energy and environmental issues and to improve the quality of life (Mitkus and Sostak, 2009; Kaklauskas et al., 2009; Ginevicius and Podvezko, 2008). Therefore, modernisation should comply with the sustainable development requirements based on three components with equal importance: environmentalism, economic development and social development (Seduikyte and Jurelionis, 2009). Sustainable development aims to reconcile economic growth, social progress and frugal use of natural resources, to maintain ecological balance and to ensure favourable living conditions for current and future generations (Burinskiene and Rudzkiene, 2009; Medineckiene et al., 2010). The concept of sustainable development is interpreted as a process for development of healthy environment, viable economics, social welfare and active community (Juskevicius, 2005). The UK Government introduced the Sustainable Community Plan in 2003, describing a vision of how our communities are to be developed over the next 20 years economically, socially and environmentally, while respecting the needs of future generations (McDonald et al., 2009). Sustainable development in construction is interpreted as construction of buildings that better satisfy the needs of people and environment. Fundamental retrofit of buildings constructed in earlier decades and their environment is an increasingly important objective for private, public and non-profit owners or investors. Of course, technical requirements applicable to the building must be considered, but economic and ecological expedience of thorough wide scale modernisation must also be compared with an alternative to demolish the building and to construct a new one or to change the building's purpose.