Topic outline

  • General

    We meet on 7.9 at F102/Väre at 13.20

    Tale of Four Regions, Pearls & Patches!

     

    The main task of the studio is drawing Vision 2050 for 4 Finnish regions as part of European Baltic Sea Region. The vision responds to the main question addressed: How could a Finnish region be a dynamic and sustainable part of cross-border development corridors around the Baltic Sea? The studio specifically focuses on the impacts of major transportation investments on regions and the relevant need for new investments in land use. Each group studies one of the regions: Helsinki-Uusimaa, Pohjois-Pohjanmaan, Pirkanmaa, and Varsinais-Suomi addressing the following sub-questions: 

    How can the Finnish Region be developed towards desirable futures?

    What is the role of strategic planning in creating new urban corridors enjoying diverse economic attractions and competitive specialized agglomeration? 

    What are the reasonings/justifications that are used in planning for promoting thoughts and concepts of strategic planning?

    How can future vision(s) enhance and protect the ecosystem and biodiversity, on both local and global scale, and integrate them into planning decisions to improve the people quality of life, simultaneously with preserving other non-human components of the ecosystem?

    Background

    Planning, in its different scales, is a future-oriented action by nature. Regions encounter growing complexities in their operational environment, requiring an ability to acknowledge the accelerating change dynamics and uncertainties in their planning processes. Accordingly, dealing with uncertainty is essential, and the planning system should be equipped to adapt to constraints and shocks, be they economic, environmental, or social. Therefore, sustainability of regional planning has been emerged in recent regional studies and research. Additionally, resilience has become a frequently discussed attribute in planning. However, adopting resilience-oriented development needs to consider that planning is not any more structured solely by or rooted merely in the local context. Finland has commitments to several initiatives and membership of European spatial territorial visions.

    First, Finland is part of the ESPON programme bridging research with policies and providing territorial analyses, data and maps to support EU development policies –and particularly Cohesion Policy- with facts and evidence. The programme aims to help public authorities to benchmark their region or city, identify new challenges and potentials and shape successful development policies for the future (e.g., Territorial Agenda 2023, A future for all places).

    Second, the TEN-T networks comprises two levels: the core network, to be completed by 2030 and the comprehensive network to be completed by 2050. The goal of the TEN-T network is creating an efficient, safe and sustainable EU transport system that promotes the seamless movement of goods and people. The TEN-T core network focuses on the most important connections and hubs. The TEN-T network covers all forms of transport: road, air, internal waterways, sea, as well as platforms enabling a combination of different forms of transport. The national transport infrastructure in Finland contributes to the TEN-T through core network and comprehensive network. For example, the length of the Finnish national comprehensive road and rail network is about 8,800 km, of which the TEN-T core network accounts for about 2,460 km. Helsinki, Turku, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Lahti, Oulu and Tampere are presented as city hubs of the TEN-T network in the updated guidelines. These cities have signed MAL agreements with the state and other municipalities in urban areas regarding land use, housing and transport, within the framework of which they already meet the requirements of sustainable urban transport plans.

    Third, Finland is a member in the VASAB (Vision and Strategies around the Baltic Sea). Over the next decades demographic changes including aging and migration, the impacts of climate change and the loss of biodiversity, changing societal behaviour and values, technological innovations, changes in energy supply and demand, macro-economic developments and geopolitical situations will contribute to shaping the Baltic Sea Region. VASAB works on initiating new approaches to security and (geo-) political stability with more focus on sustainable solutions for the production and consumption of goods as well as improving people´s work life, sustaining green and blue ecosystems and biodiversity.

    Fourth, with over 50 metropolitan regions, Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council jointly enjoys the membership of METREX network (The Network of European Metropolitan Regions and Areas). The network is focusing on the regional strategic planning (aluesuunnittelu). The network is a partner of European institutions, the research community, governmental organisations and other networks. Through shared knowledge and practices, METREX aims to bring innovations to face the challenges of climate adaptation, energy production and consumption, productivity, competitiveness, migration and inequality, and digitalization.

    Fifth, regrettably Helsinki region comes fourth compared to Stockholm region, followed by the urban areas of Oslo and Copenhagen-Malmö (Hämäläinen, 2021). In terms of the availability of skilled labour and research and development expenditure, the Helsinki region is ranked the lowest in the Nordic comparison. Furthermore, all the regions in the Nordic countries set target dates for achieving carbon neutrality; however, such targets might be faced by many demanding challenges. 

    Finally, resilience-oriented planning needs to cope with uncertainty and create open ends and flexible visions. Scenario planning has emerged as a potential way for planners and policy makers to navigate the uncertain futures. Furthermore, mutual learning is a common practice in urban and regional planning; therefore, learning from best practices of successes through new transportation infrastructure can contribute to improving the planning decision choices. Finland has a strategic location where Scandinavian-Mediterranean and North Sea-Baltic corridors are intersecting. Through connecting Helsinki to Tallinn via an undersea tunnel and extending such a connection towards the south connecting the Rail Baltica (already under construction) and the north via Main Line (Suomen päärata), Finnish infrastructure contributes to the territorial cohesion of the continent. 

    Tasks:

    Period I:

    A1 Knowledge Strategy 

    A2 Framework 

    A3 Best Practices 

    A4 Nodes & Networks 

    Period II: 

    A5 Scenario Planning

    A5 Vision 2050

    A6 personal portfolio 

    Dates & times Thursdays, Lectures at 13.30-15.45 Exercise at 16.00-18.45

    26.10 No Teaching

    02.11 Mid-term

    07.12 Final Critique

    Teachers: Architects Terhi Kuusisto and Kaisa Jama Landscape architect Sirkku Huisko

                       D.Sc. (Arch.) Hossam Hewidy, responsible teacher (hossam.hewidy@aalto.fi) 

    Refences 

    Ahern, J., Cilliers, S. and Niemelä, J. (2014) The Concept of Ecosystem Services in Adaptive Urban Planning and Design: A Framework for Supporting Innovation. Landscape and urban planning 125, pp.254–259.

    Hämäläinen, T. (2021) Helsingin seutu jäi neljänneksi pohjoismaisten suurkaupunkiseutujen kilpailukykyvertailussa. https://www.mdi.fi/helsingin-seutu-jai-neljanneksi-pohjoismaisten-suurkaupunkiseutujen-kilpailukykyvertailussa/

    Veckalne,R. & Tambovceva,T.(2023).Sustainability in Regional Planning: A Bibliometric Analysis. TalTech Journal of European Studies,13(1) 133-149. https://doi.org/10.2478/bjes-2023-0007