Browsing by Author "Malmström, Mikko"

One significant contemporary change is the disappearance of the industry from the downtown areas and now also from suburbs. By moving further away from the city centers, the industry freed and is still freeing valuable land that has lately been harnessed to whole new purposes. The industrial district of Pitäjänmäki is now experiencing the second wave of the industrial movement. The industry has once moved away from the center to new and more spacious areas and now it is moving away also from the suburbs. The aim of the study is to find answers to the next two questions: What is the reason for the areal changes of use in the former industrial areas? How well is the industrial area of Pitäjänmäki suitable for housing? Methods of the study are literature review and passive observation in the study area. There is no single term for the areal change of use but many related terms can be found. Regarding the terms the study concentrates on the gentrification, the zone of transition of the concentric zone model of Burgess, the urban fallows and the restructuration. In the observation part the areal change of use is seen concretely in the areal changes from industry to housing. Strömberg living area and Kutomotie area were chosen as subjects of the observation study. In addition two residential areas next to the industrial area, Talinlehto and Pajamäki, were observed in order to find the differences between the residential area built in the industrial area and the more ordinary residential area. There are two things, that support each other, that have an effect on the areal changes of use in the former industrial areas. After moving further away from the city centers the industry has left behind unoccupied usable buildings. It has required a prolonged battle for conservation in order to save the industrial buildings. The change of the general planning ideology to the direction of valuing the old structures has been significant. On the other hand the desire of individualism in housing and the change of housing preferences have been equally important. The so called creative class living in the cities has been in the vanguard of the progress. The suitability of the industrial area of Pitäjänmäki as an housing area was studied by observing the chosen residential areas. According to the points given in the observation the result was bipartite amongst the residential areas situated inside the industrial area. Kutomotie area, the recent area of change, is clearly the weakest of the study areas. The lack of space is the main weakness of the area and it is caused by the trend of preserving and reusing the industrial buildings which prevents the major changes in the area. On the other hand the success of the Strömberg residential area compared to the similar residential area of Talinlehto shows that it is possible to build normal blocks of flats in the industrial areas as functional wholes as long as the residential area and the surrounding streets are well planned.