Browsing by Author "Liski, Juho"

The aim of this research is to acquire new information on the first parking-free housing quarter in Finland, located in the urban development area of Kalasatama, Helsinki. Considering future population growth and cumulative land-use pressure, it is important to respond to the growing demand for mobility in an environmentally sound manner. Parking-free concept can be seen as part of urban development which concentrates on car-free planning or the reduction of private car use. Such development aims to defragment urban structures by improving energy efficiency while creating pleasant housing and livable urban space. Historically, people who do not use cars on a daily basis have also ended up subsidize car use and parking. The customary guidelines of constructing parking spaces were able to be left out as an experimental feature with Kalasatama parking-free project. Thus, the resources saved in planning and realizing parking space were placed in the quality of housing. The parking-free quarter encompasses two residential buildings: the City Building (city-owned rental housing) and the Studio Building (housing built by the city under Hitas –regulations). The study examine how and on what basis the parking-free housing concept has been implemented. The main objective of the study is to examine the success of the concept from the perspective of both the residents and the city administration. The aim of the research is also to analyze whether living in a parking-free concept has an effect on residents' everyday mobility and whether those possible effects can be compared between the forms of residence. The research data was gathered with a semi-structured resident survey that was conducted with both buildings of the quarter. Altogether 108 questionnaires were handed out and the response rate reached 49 %. The results revealed that the residents had moved to the quarter because of the good location, good transportation connections and cheaper housing compared to free market prices. The parking-free concept itself was not seen as a significant pull factor. The major factors influencing the residents' daily mobility turned out to be the incomplete structure of the surrounding urban area as well as the scarcity of local services. Nevertheless, there was noticeable evidence that the concept did have an impact on the residents' daily mobility. On a daily basis, the respondents seemed to cycle and use public transport more and drive their own cars slightly less than city residents in Helsinki on average. Comparing the shares of daily mobility, there were differences between the forms of residence. For example, residents of owner-occupied housing used their own cars significantly more than residents of city-owned rental housing. The experiment of parking-free housing can be reviewed rather successful, because the residents highlighted high quality and amenity of their housing. The quality factors would not have been achieved without resources saved from the parking spaces. The results indicate that car-free projects or projects aiming to reduce the use of private cars require that the quality of the surrounding urban structure is to be taken into consideration. The urban structure should be completed in terms of services and the transportation connections. Also, these kind of housing concepts cannot be implemented just anywhere. Characteristics that support the concept such as comprehensive public transport network and easily accessible local services need to be present in the given location. In Helsinki, such locations with complete infrastructure can be found especially in the surrounding areas of metro stations.