Kaupunkimetsä osana arkea : Meri-Rastilan metsän merkitykset koettuna tilana ja paikkana

The significance of the forest as leisure time environment has increased in Finland. City forests are used for outdoors exercises and enjoying the nature. The citizens of Helsinki have an opportunity to refresh themselves in the city forests: 22 % of the land area of the city is covered by forests and forests' accessibility is good. However, due to the land use plans of the city and predicted increasing number of city inhabitants of the new Helsinki city plan, the number of city forests will decrease, and the erosion of the remaining forests continues. Meri-Rastila forest, which is situated in eastern Helsinki and well-liked by the residents of the area, is an example case where the construction projects of the city are steered to the city's inner remaining forest areas, and to the neighborhood forests which are important for residents. The aim of the study is to examine what Meri-Rastila forest means to the residents as an experienced space and place. The method for this study is qualitative. The theoretical frame is based on the humanistic geography in which the place is understood as lived and experienced, as an entity formed by the meanings given by the experiences of the people. Therefore the meanings of the forest are investigated by examining the knowledge, memories and experiences of the residents. The second aim of the study is to find out what kind of favorite places, routes and other meaningful objects the residents have in their neighborhood forest. The experiential knowledge of the residents will be linked to the exact locations on the geographical map. The research was carried out by doing nine walking interviews in the Meri-Rastila forest during February and March 2015. The most common routes, favorite places and other meaningful objects were photographed and localized by a GPS device during the walking interviews. In addition, six of the interviewees wrote voluntary free-form story about their relationship to the forest. The contents of the interviews and stories were analysed. The database of experiential knowledge was created from the research results. The database was linked to the favorite places, routes and objects and was visualized on the map using the GIS approach. As result for the first aim, following four outcomes were discovered. Firstly, as being an experienced space and place Meri-Rastila forest is an important source of physical and mental well-being in everyday life and city life for the residents. The forest is a place for everyday recreational activities. Outdoor recreation in the forest has become a part of interviewees' everyday life. Secondly, the forest is experienced as a familiar and cosy neighborhood forest which carries lots of important memories. Thirdly, the Meri-Rastila forest is experienced as an experiential neighborhood forest where one can have nature experiences and feelings of being far away in Lapland wilderness. Fourthly, the future of the interviewees' important neighborhood forest and their everyday use of outdoor recreation of the forest are considered uncertain and worrying. As result for the second aim of the study, following two outcomes were discovered. Firstly, most of the favorite places in the forest are rocky places situated either on the seaside or in the inner part of the forest where the peaceful and calm ambience is of value. Secondly, the sandy road of the forest is a popular walking route but also the small trails are important for the interviewees. Meri-Rastila forest is a meaningful neighborhood forest in the everyday lives of the residents of the area. By doing the walking interviews and using the GIS method it was possible to reveal and localize the residents' experiential knowledge of the forest. The experiential knowledge linked to a place is a valuable source of information which can be utilized to improve urban planning and decision making in the future.