The act of "Talka" in historic preservation discourse in contemporary Latvia

The stem of contemporary culture in the Baltics arose from the countryside and folklore. Among the traditions of the Baltic cultures, there is talka – a term derived from work in the field, which historically was the act of communal work of the village residents to help each family in their agricultural work, such as haymaking, rye harvesting, manuring, threshing, flax pulling, and breaking. Known in other countries as "bee," the term ‘talka’ in the Baltics refers to voluntary community work. As the communities have been moving to cities, talka has followed them naturally. Currently, cooperative work efforts include maintenance of sites and buildings, and it is a frequent and widespread act. The paper reviews examples of combined efforts of small communities to improve the appearance, performance, and security of public spaces. The application of joint work has allowed for low-cost gentrification and urban upgrade of several neighborhoods in Latvia.