Dr. Rūta Ubarevičienė

Geographer and sociologist. Analysing global and local spatial processes of the social and economic systems. Expert in socio-spatial change, social segregation and depopulation.

Introduction

I am a researcher with a background in urban and regional geography as well as sociology. I have successfully defended 2 PhD thesis in these fields. My primary research interests are spatial inequalities, social segregation, internal migration, depopulation and housing. In my research, I specialize in the use of spatial analysis and statistical techniques. Currently, I am a Senior Researcher in the Department of Regional and Urban Studies at the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences, and a Visiting Researcher at the Department of Urbanism at Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands) and the Department of Geography at the University of Tartu (Estonia).

Research Projects

The Lithuanian Urban System: the Impact of Immigration from Third Countries on Development Prospects

2025 10 – 2027 11Ongoing

National research project led by G. Pociūtė-Sereikienė

PROWD – Proximity without density

2025 01 – 2027 12Ongoing

DUT Partnership, Project coordinator: Universita Degli Studi Roma Tre, Participating countries: Hungary, Italy, Lithuania (led by R. Ubarevičienė), Portugal, Romania.

The dynamics of urban socio-economic segregation: A global comparative perspective

Ongoing

Coordinated by R. Ubarevičienė, M. van Ham & T. Tammaru

Ensuring the need for housing: problems and perspectives in Lithuania

2023 04 – 2026 03

National research project led by J. Aidukaitė

Occupational change, mobility, and the changing spatial patterns of inequalities

2022 01 – 2024 12

Estonian Academy of Sciences led by T. Tammaru

Peripheral regions in Lithuania: migration and local communities

2021 09 – 2024 03

National research project led by E. Kriaučiūnas

MOOC - Building Inclusive Cities: Tackling Urban Inequality and Segregation

2020 09 – 2024 12

Co-Developer & Instructor (edX)

EUSOCIALCIT – The Future of European Social Citizenship. Horizon 2020

2020 02 – 2024 01

International research project

DEPRIVEDHOODS – Socio-spatial inequality, deprived neighbourhoods, and neighbourhood effects. European Research Council

2017 11 – 2019 08

International research project

Spatial differentiation of adolescent fertility in Lithuania: socioeconomic environment, the role of sexual education and individual experiences. Research Council of Lithuania

2017 10 – 2019 11

National research project

Urban reconfigurations in post-Soviet space, umbrella-project on Strong and Weak cities. Free State of Saxony and the Federal Republic of Germany

2016 03 – 2016 08

International research project

Growing urban regions and spatial segregation of their residents in Lithuania. Research Council of Lithuania

2014 04 – 2016 12

National research project

Urban Socio-economic Segregation and Income Inequality: A Global Perspective.

The editors: Maarten van Ham, Tiit Tammaru, Rūta Ubarevičienė and Heleen Janssen

Measuring Universality in Social Protection. A pilot study on housing benefits

European Commission, Joint Research Centre

Consulting and Expert Engagement

2026Short-Term Consultant appointment, World Bank, Catching-up Regions Initiative (CuRI)

2025Advisory Board Member, SUBLIME-AGE research project, led by dr hab. Katarzyna Kajdanek, University of Wrocław.

2022External Expert/Researcher, European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Universality of social protection systems in Europe; co-author of Measuring Universality in Social Protection: A Pilot Study of Housing Support Benefits.

Women in Science Baltic Fellowship 2025

Watch on YouTube

Publications

2026

Ubarevičienė, R., & Aidukaitė, J. (2026). Assessing housing rights in the EU countries: the current state, government’s efforts, and the role of the EU. In The Future of European Social Rights and European Social Citizenship (pp. 193-209). Edward Elgar Publishing.Chapter

Tammaru, T., Kalm, K., Ubarevičienė, R., Mooses, V., Aasa, A., & Järv, O. (2026). Digital transition and new forms of spatial inequality [Special issue introduction]. Social Inclusion, 14.

Pociūtė-Sereikienė, G., Ubarevičienė, R., & Burneika, D. (2026). The development of medium-sized post-industrial cities in Lithuania during the period of polycrisis. Cities, 174, 107030.

Aasa, A., Ubarevičienė, R., Estévez, R. G., & Tammaru, T. (2026). Which Regions Gain the Most From Digital Transition: Urban, Suburban, or Rural? Social Inclusion, 14.

Ubarevičienė, R., & Aidukaitė, J. (2026). Housing provision: A comparative study of housing availability, accessibility, and adequacy in EU member states. Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy, 1-20.

2025

Ubarevičienė, R., Tammaru, T., van Ham, M., Basílio Junior, L., Bērziņš, M., Credit, K., Gaspar Silva, D., Harris, R., Kalm, K., Kauppinen, T., Krišjāne, Z., Malheiros, J., Maloutas, T., Manley, D., Musterd, S., Nel·lo, O., Nevanto, M., Novotný, L., Ouředníček, M., Porcel, S., Ribardière, A., Šimon, M., Smętkowski, M., Spyrellis, S., Strömgren, M., van Gent, W. & Wessel, T. (2025). A comparative study of socio-economic segregation in European capital city-regions: From segregation to desegregation? Urban Studies.

Ubarevičienė, R., Žinys, T., & Kriaučiūnas, E. (2025). Migration's Role in Shaping Socio‐Demographic Structure in the Peripheral Rural Regions: A Case Study of Lithuania. Population, Space and Place, 31(2), e70010.

Ubarevičienė, R., & Burneika, D. (2025). The Russian minority in the Baltic capitals. Examining marginalisation in the context of urban dynamics. In Urban Marginality, Racialisation, Interdependence: Learning from Eastern Europe, red. F. Alexandrescu, R. Powell & A. Vilencia. p. 145–166, Routledge.Chapter

Aidukaitė, J., Senkuvienė, K., & Ubarevičienė, R. (2025). Understanding housing issues and satisfaction in Lithuania. In Social Policy Review 37 (pp. 122-143). Policy Press.Chapter

Kriaučiūnas, E., Burneika, D., Ubarevičienė, R., & Baranauskienė, V. (2025). Lithuanian rural settlements: The legacy of Soviet rural planning and current challenges. Quaestiones Geographicae 44(2), 5-17.

2024

Ubarevičienė R., Kalm K., van Ham M., Žinys T., Kliimask J. & Tammaru T. (2024). Residential mobility and new forms of spatial inequality in the settlement system: A comparative study of Estonia and Lithuania. Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science 51(7), 1391-1718.

Cottineau C., Batty M., Benenson I., … , & Ubarevičienė R. (2024). The role of analytical models and their circulation in urban studies and policy. Urban Studies 61(12), 2370-2398.

Ubarevičienė R., van Ham, M. & Tammaru T. (2024). Schelling’s Models of Segregation after 50 years: Bibliometric analysis of the legacy of Schelling and the future directions of segregation research. Cities, 104838.

2023

Kriaučiūnas E., Ubarevičienė R., Baranauskienė V. & Burneika D. (2023). Lietuvos kaimo gyvenamųjų vietovių tinklo kaitos tendencijos XXI amžiuje [The trends of change in the rural settlements network in Lithuania during the 21st century] , Lietuvos socialinė raida, 12, 53-67.

2022

Aidukaitė J. & Ubarevičienė R. (2022). Measuring Universality in Social Protection: A pilot study on housing benefits , Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg., DOI: 10.2760/205855Report

Aidukaitė J. & Ubarevičienė R. (2022). Assessing housing rights in the EU countries EuSocialCit Working Paper., DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6630472Working paper

Mohamed A. A., Ubarevičienė R., & van Ham M. (2022). Morphological evaluation and regeneration of informal settlements: An experience-based urban design approach. Cities, 128, 103798.

2021

Ubarevičienė R., Tretjakova V. & Pociūtė-Sereikienė G. (2021). The Effects of Individual and Regional Factors on Adolescent Fertility Rates: The Case of Lithuania. Regional Statistics 11(3), 95-118.

van Ham M., Tammaru T., Ubarevičienė R. & Janssen H. (2021). Rising Inequalities and a Changing Social Geography of Cities. An Introduction to the Global Segregation Book. In van Ham M. Tammaru T., Ubarevičienė R. & Janssen H. (2021) Urban socio-economic segregation and income inequality: A global perspective. Springer Open. Chapter 1, p. 3-27.ChapterOpen access

2020

Ubarevičienė R. & Burneika D. (2020). Fast and uncoordinated suburbanization of Vilnius in the context of depopulation in Lithuania. Environmental & Socio-economic Studies, 44-56.

2019

Burneika D., Ubarevičienė R. & Baranuskaitė R. (2019). Soviet housing estates in Vilnius – socio-ethnic structure and future(-less?) perspectives , in Housing Estates in the Baltics: The Legacy of Central Planning in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, edited by D. Hess & T. Tammaru. Springer.Chapter

Gedvilaitė-Kordušienė M., Tretjakova V. & Ubarevičienė R. (2019). Bevaikystė Lietuvoje: tendencijos, normos ir regioninė diferenciacija [Childlessness in Lithuania: Trends, Norms and Spatial Differention]. Socialinė teorija, empirija, politika ir praktika, 18, 96-111.

2018

Tretjakova V., Pociūtė-Sereikienė V. & Ubarevičienė R. (2018). Paauglių kūdikių gimstamumo kaitos tendencijos: Europos Sąjungos kontekstas ir regioninė diferenciacija Lietuvoje [Trends in Adolescent Fertility: EU Context and Regional Differentiation in Lithuania]. Lithuanian Journal of Statistics, 57(1), 41-55.

Ubarevičienė R. (2018). City systems in the Baltic states: the Soviet legacy and current paths of change. Europa Regional, 25(2), 15-29.

2017

Burneika D., Baranauskaitė, A. & Ubarevičienė R. (2017). Social segregation and spatial differentiation of electoral alignment in Vilnius Metropolitan area. Geographia Polonica 90 (2), 87-110.

Ubarevičienė R., & van Ham, M. (2017). Population decline in Lithuania: who lives in declining regions and who leaves? Regional Studies, Regional Science 4 (1), 57-79.

2016

Burneika D. & Ubarevičienė R. (2016). Socio-ethnic segregation in the metropolitan areas of Lithuania. Czech Sociological Review 52 (6), 795–819

Ubarevičienė R., van Ham M. & Burneika D. (2016). Shrinking regions in a shrinking country: The geography of population decline in Lithuania 2001-2011. Urban Studies Research.

Ubarevičienė R. (2016). Lietuvos gyventojų vidaus migracijų teritoriniai ypatumai XXI a. [Territorial features of internal migration of Lithuanian population in the XXI century]. Lietuvos socialinė raida [Social Development in Lithuania] 5. P, 9-24. Vilnius: Lithuanian Social Research Centre

Valatka V., Burneika D. & Ubarevičienė R. (2016). Large social inequalities and low levels of socio-economic segregation in Vilnius , in Socio-economic segregation in European Capital cities: East meets West, edited by T. Tammaru, S. Marcińczak, M. van Ham and S. Musterd. P, 313–332, London and New York: Routledge.Chapter

2015

Burneika D., Ubarevičienė R. & Valatka V. (2015). Socio-economic segregation in growing urban regions of Lithuania. Filosofija. Sociologija 26 (4), 277-292.

Burneika D. & Ubarevičienė R. (2015). The economic crisis and development of Vilnius urban region – spatial aspects. Regional and Local development 2 (60), 81-96. EUROREG.

Ubarevičienė R. & Burneika D. (2015). Spatial transformation of the economy in the post-communist period: The case of the Vilnius urban region. Geographia Polonica, 1 (88), 143-157.

Ubarevičienė R., Burneika D. & van Ham M. (2015). Ethno-political effects of suburbanization in the Vilnius urban region. An analysis of voting behaviour. Journal of Baltic Studies, 46 (2), 217-242.

2014

Pociūtė-Sereikienė G., Kriaučiūnas E. & Ubarevičienė R. (2014). Peripheralisation trends in rural territories: the case of Lithuania. Studies in Agricultural Economics 116, 122-130.

Burneika D., Daugirdas V., & Ubarevičienė R. (2014). Migration as a factor of development of the depopulating areas in East EU countries – The case of Lithuania. EUROPA XXI, 27, 79-95.

Ubarevičienė R. (2014). Lietuvos teritorijos apgyvendinimo kaita XXI a.: miestų-regionų formavimasis [The change of the settlement structure in the XXI century Lithuania: city-regions formation]. Lietuvos socialinė raida [Social Development of Lithuania], P. 92-112. Vilnius: Lithuanian Social Research Centre

Kriaučiūnas E., Krupickaitė D., Pociūtė-Sereikienė G. & Ubarevičienė R. (2014). Lietuvos kaimo gyvenviečių funkcijų kaitos regioninės ypatybės [Regional pecularities of rural settlements function change in Lithuania]. Geografijos metraštis 47, 70-87.

2013

Burneika D., Ubarevičienė R., Pociūtė G. & Kriaučiūnas E. (2013). The impact of Vilnius city on the transformation trends of the sparsely populated EU east border region. Etniškumo studijos/Ethnicity studies 2, 50-69.

2011

Ubarevičienė R., Burneika D. & Kriaučiūnas E. (2011). The sprawl of Vilnius city – establishment and analysis of growing urban region. Annales Geographicae 43-44, 98-109.

Burneika D. & Ubarevičienė R. (2011). The sprawl of Vilnius city – some consequences of rural-urban transformations. Annales Geographicae 43-44, 110-117.

2010

Burneika D., Kriaučiūnas E., & Ubarevičienė R. (2010). The problem of research of actors of urban change in post- soviet cities – Vilnius case. Annales Geographicae 43-44, 42-53.

Books

2021

van Ham M., Tammaru T., Ubarevičienė, R., & Janssen H. (2021). Urban socio-economic segregation and income inequality: A global perspective. Springer Open.BookOpen access

2016

Burneika, D., Ubarevičienė, R., Valatka, V., Baranauskaitė, A., Pociūtė-Sereikienė, G., Daugirdas, V. & Krupickaitė, D. (2016). Lietuvos metropoliniai regionai: Plėtros ir segreacijos ypatumai XXI a. pradžioje [The metropolitan regions of Lithuania: Residential differentiation in the 21st century]. Monograph. Vilnius: Lithuanian Social Research CentreBook

Lietuvos socio-demografinės politikos “Baltoji knyga”. Gairės tolesnės demografinės politikos plėtrai [“White book” of socio-demographic politics in Lithuania. The guidelines for demographic policy] (2016). Co-author. Vilnius: Lithuanian Social Research Centre & Ministry of social security and labourBook

2013

Daugirdas, V., Burneika, D., Kriaučiūnas, E., Ribokas, G., Stanaitis, S. & Ubarevičienė, R. (2013). Lietuvos retai apgyventos teritorijos [Sparsely populated areas in Lithuania]. Monograph. Vilnius: Lithuanian Social Research CentreBook