Browsing by master's degree program "Master 's Programme in Urban Studies and Planning"
Now showing items 21-29 of 29
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(2022)Lack of physical activity and obesity are increasing problems that have caused higher healthcare expenses for society. As prior studies have shown, there is a connection between proximity to a sports facility and increased physical activity. Public sports facilities are a way of preventing segregation by providing opportunities for recreational sports for everybody. In my thesis, I studied spatial segregation and accessibility to swimming halls in the Greater Helsinki region. Spatial segregation was studied in terms of travel times to the nearest swimming hall between the most advantaged and the most disadvantaged areas. The disadvantage sum index was used to identify the most advantaged and the most disadvantaged areas which were classified into quintiles by the index. The study was conducted using open source GIS data and applications apart from segregation analysis. Travel times to the nearest swimming facility were calculated using Helsinki Region Travel Time Matrix (250m x 250m grid). Travel times were calculated for six different types of transportation: walking, cycling, public transportation (rush hour and midday) and private cars (rush hour and midday). Statistically significant differences between the most advantaged and the most disadvantaged quintiles were calculated with Student’s t-test in SPSS. The analysis showed that spatial accessibility to swimming halls in the Greater Helsinki region is generally good. Swimming halls have by far the best accessibility by cycling and private car. Travel times to the nearest swimming halls were shorter with all types of transportation for the most disadvantaged than the most advantaged which indicates that living in a more deprived area does not restrict spatial accessibility to swimming halls.
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(2023)This thesis is an exploration of food delivery couriers’ everyday experiences, practices and sensemaking processes through a posthumanist and sociomaterial approach that highlights the idea that technology and society are mutually shaping one another, and that considers the agency of non-human entities such as algorithms, transcendental. Moreover, by adopting a sociomaterial perspective, we can have a better understanding of how social and technological systems, as well as human and non-human beings, are interrelated, how they shape, and are shaped by one another. This work’s aims are threefold: First, it explores couriers’ experiences at work and describes their daily practices in order to understand the enactment of agency from a sociomaterial and post-humanist philosophical tradition. Second, it explores the material implications of algorithmic management in couriers’ lives, and finally, it explores the way couriers perform their work in context, both through the tethered geographical elements of the city, and amidst the platform’s multiple entanglements and spatiotemporal arrangements. The research design of this thesis has a strong qualitative research methodology, including methods such as walk-along interviews, semi-structured interviews, ethnographic reporting techniques, and the author’s 3-month work experience as a food delivery courier. The findings of this work suggest that we should acknowledge the platform as a constant becoming entity where couriers’ sensemaking processes are produced at the intersection of their experience of the city and their relationship with the managing algorithms of the platform. A performative sociomaterial practice that constantly produces knowledge that is used by couriers to negotiate their participation in the platform. This thesis expands previous understandings of digital workers’ experiences of algorithmic management by incorporating a sociomaterial and performative approach in the analysis of couriers’ sensemaking processes. Furthermore, by considering the relationships and interactions between human and nonhuman agencies in the food delivery platform industry, this work contributes not only to the understanding of agency within digital platforms but also to a broader understanding of agency in our increasingly digitally mediated societies.
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(2023)In the last couple of decades, Helsinki Metropolitan Area has been attracting more migrants; however, there is a need for city policies in terms of retaining newcomers and fostering pluralism. Public libraries, as diverse social spaces, play an important role in creating inclusion for segregated and marginalized groups, as well as new residents who would like to experience a community feeling. This master thesis aims to analyze the ways in which Helsinki city libraries serve as ‘multicultural safe spaces’ for the migrant women in the city. Following the theoretical framework of Jochumsen et al. (2012) and Grossman et al. (2021), the paper utilizes the “four spaces” categorization and explores, a) how migrants benefit from the libraries as spaces of learning, inspiration, meeting, and performativity and b) how they navigate “multiple belongings” (Pfaff-Czarnecka, 2013) that emerge between these spaces. Participant observation was conducted at Oodi, Itäkeskus, and Pasila libraries, combined with semi-structured interviews with 23 migrant women from Portuguese-Spanish-speaking countries. The paper’s premise is that libraries wherein the four spaces are more visible, such as Oodi, multiple belongings can rise organically and migrants navigate between these spaces electively choosing the ones that match their life situation. In smaller libraries, however, the learning space is the most used space amongst the other three, which interferes with the migrants’ development of sense of belonging to the local/neighborhood community. The research suggests re-planning of smaller libraries in a way that allows more room for more social interaction and support migrants’ in their longing for ‘finding home(s)’ in Helsinki.
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(2022)The past decades have seen the emergence of the shrinkage phenomenon throughout cities leaving urban planners, communities and their administrations perplexed as to what to do next. The phenomenon encompasses complex, interconnected processes which are embedded in economic, demographic and structural changes. However, it is the population decline aspect that is often one of the telltale signs synonymous with shrinkage. Whilst shrinking cities are not something new, it has been gaining widespread attention as it becomes more prominent in urban areas and is no longer just an issue associated with rural areas. With Finland’s population forecast expected to decline in the coming decades, the relevance of the phenomenon and its urban planning implications will only become more prominent. Historically and still widely today, a city’s success has been connected to its ability to grow, resulting in the ideal that only growing cities are deemed to be successful. Urban planning transpired from the need to spatially manage growth and therefore, has its origins in facilitating for growth. Given the negative implications associated with the phenomenon and its impact on demographics, economy and the built environment of cities, it is often stigmatised and portrayed in a negative light. This research contributes to the knowledge on the shrinkage phenomenon in the context of Finnish urban planning. The study aims to explore the negative portrayal of the phenomenon through understanding the social and structural implications for cities and examining the implications this has on the actions that are being taken by cities to adapt to shrinkage. Specifically, the study involved interviews with urban planners, researchers and other relevant experts across Finland with knowledge on the shrinkage phenomenon and/or urban planning. The results of the study demonstrated that the negative connotation has led to many cities unwilling to openly accept the phenomenon. In turn, this has resulted in denial and the constant desire to strive for growth which has compromised the opportunities available to appropriately plan for the future. The influence of the political realm has shown to be a contributing factor to the stigma surrounding the phenomenon and further reinforced growth aspirations that are not reasonable for many shrinking cities. The prominence of the phenomenon has further fuelled the debate of whether old and current urban planning practices supporting and emphasising growth is the way forward and if existing planning systems are able to (un)plan for shrinkage. Ensuring the importance of quality of life indicators for residents within shrinking cities and the obligation for urban planners to accept shrinkage and plan the future of cities accordingly are key takeaways from the research.
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(2021)Julkinen tila on kaupungissa keskeinen tekijä ja tori on julkisista tiloista leimallisin. Historiallisesti torien merkitys kaupungissa on suuri ja vaihdellut historian aikana. Tori on mielenkiintoinen keskus kaupungissa: dynaaminen ja eläväinen torikaupan aikoina, hiljainen ja autio niiden ulkopuolella. Julkisten tilojen monipuolistuminen on asettanut torit asemaan, jossa ne eivät enää ole ensisijainen kokoontumispaikka. Tori elää kaupungin mukana ja saa kehityksen tuloksena uusia funktioita. Tutkimus selvittää näitä käyttötarkoitusten muutoksia käyttäen tapausesimerkkinä Porvoon toria 1832–2021. Tutkimus on saanut alkunsa Porvoon kaupungin keskustakehittämishankkeesta, johon liittyen tutkimuksen tekijä laati toriympäristön historiaselvityksen vuonna 2020. Tutkimuksen metodina on temaattinen tarkastelu, joka torin historiallisia vaiheita vertaamalla ja yhteiskunnalliseen kontekstiin asettamalla vastaa kysymykseen, kuinka torin muuttuvat funktiot ovat vaikuttaneet sen rooliin kaupungissa. Lähdeaineisto koostuu arkistolähteistä, valokuvista, sanomalehtijulkaisuista täydennettynä toriyrittäjien haastatteluilla. Kirjallisuus hyödyntää erityisesti julkisen tilan piirteitä sekä Porvoon historiaa selvittäneitä teoksia. Tutkimuksen teoreettinen viitekehys soveltaa Lefebvren tilan tuotannon teoriaa korostamalla ihmisen oikeutta kaupunkiin ja toria kaupunkilaisten arjen tilana. Teoria tarjoaa perustan kaupunkisuunnittelun historiassa tehtyjen arvovalintojen tutkimiseen. Tutkimus teoretisoi myös tilaa suhteellisena käsitteenä ja tarkastelee paikan merkitystä kaupungissa siihen liitettyjen mielikuvien avulla. Tutkimus jakaa torin neljään toiminnalliseen funktioon, jotka ovat tulleet torille eri aikoina, mutta ovat kaikki läsnä nykyisin. Ensimmäinen funktio, torikauppa, on pitkään hiipuneenakin yhä elävä torin käyttötarkoitus. Toinen funktio on torin symbolisesti merkittävä edustusrooli. Se näkyy paitsi torin varrelle sijoittuneissa instituutioissa myös torin ajoittain korostuvassa roolissa kansalaisaktivismin näyttämönä. Kolmas funktio on kaupungin keskeisenä liikennealueena toimiminen. Keskeinen sijainti on tuonut torille linja-auto- ja taksiasemat, jotka ovat merkittävästi muokanneet torikuvaa 1930-luvulta tähän päivään. Neljäs funktio on tapahtumapaikka, joka liittyy kaupunkikeskustojen kehittämisen trendiin. Tori tarjoaa puitteet niin perinteisten kuin uusien kaupunkitapahtumien paikkana. Lisäksi tutkimus vertaa Porvoon toria kolmeen muuhun suomalaiskaupungin samanikäiseen toriin ja niiden historiaan. Torien taustojen analysointi selvittää, miksi ne ovat kehittyneet eri tavoin ja asettaa Porvoon torin historian laajempaan yhteiskunnalliseen kontekstiin.
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(2022)Throughout history, the growth of cities has been considered a great source of prosperity. However, in recent years negative environmental impacts have led to a growing concern about the consequences of the sometimes seemingly unlimited urban growth. One of the key topics when speaking about these negative environmental impacts is mobility. With the increasing importance of mobility in the modern urbanized world, improving the urban built environment to stimulate the use of sustainable modes of transport is one of the major challenges for today’s land use and transport planners. The research in this thesis builds upon the reciprocal interaction between the (design of the) built environment and travel behavior. Use is made of the concept of transit-oriented development (TOD), a well-established planning approach originating from the US, aiming at achieving a shift in modal share towards sustainable forms of transport, while simultaneously creating a more livable environment with high standards for urban space. Much of the available research on TOD is, however, mainly based on the policy scale and the regional planning scale, while attention to the detailed design level has been minimal. Furthermore, much of the research has focused on the North-American context. Consequently, practical design guidelines for TOD in the European and Finnish context are still lacking. This thesis aims at bridging the gap between academic research on the topic of built environment and travel behavior, and the professional practice of land use planning. This is done, first of all, by examining the relation between land use, design, and sustainable modes of mobility in academic research, and second, by producing spatial design guidelines for TOD in the Finnish context. The main method used to bridge the gap between research and design is the creation of guidelines, a research method for environmental design disciplines defined by Prominski. The creation of the guidelines has been done in two ways. First, a study of three best-practice examples of TOD (Rieselfeld, Vauban, and Hammarby Sjöstad) has been done, from which a number of guidelines have been extracted. Second, the applicability of these guidelines for the Finnish context has been examined through several test designs for the Malmin kenttä district, a new urban development area in Helsinki. Simultaneously, new guidelines have been developed throughout the process. The creation of the toolbox of TOD guidelines for spatial development in the Finnish context forms an important first step in translating the available academic knowledge into usable practical tools for Finnish planners. Although a comprehensive understanding of the functioning of the related theoretical models is still required to achieve overarching goals, such as a modal shift, the toolbox provides a set of practical guidelines that planners can directly apply to their work. Furthermore, the guidelines may, in combination with the test designs, spark a larger discussion on the role of TOD in Finnish planning and the importance of a good integration of land use and transport planning.
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(2022)As biodiversity loss is identified to be one of the pressing environmental challenges today, Finnish cities have begun to follow in the footsteps of many European cities by creating urban greening plans in the form of increasing meadow habitats. The ecological and economic benefits of urban meadows are well understood, but when meadow habitats are brought into people’s everyday environments, it is important to consider how it affects people’s environmental aesthetic experiences. ‘Aesthetics’ is often understood solely as individual preferences, but the aim of this thesis was to address the aesthetic appreciation of meadows through the field of environmental aesthetics. Combining the fields of environmental aesthetics and ecology, this study provides a fresh perspective to the value debate over urban meadows. The analysis of the work approached the topic from the perspective of Finnish cities. After compiling the operational programs that solely consider urban meadows, qualitative content analysis was used to analyze what ecological and aesthetic aspects are brought up in the documents and how they are valuated. To emphasize the aesthetic perspective, it was further investigated through discourse analysis whether there are consistent ways in which cities construct an image of the aesthetic values of urban meadows. The content analysis showed that the documents have both ecological and aesthetic viewpoints. The ecological content emphasized that meadows are important tool in increasing biodiversity and also provide recreational possibilities for people. The aesthetic content focused on the cultural-historical role of the meadows as well as the experiences provided by the meadows. Based on the content analysis, three uniform discourses were identified throughout the documents. The first relates to meadows which are the remains of cities’ agricultural history, and their cultural and ecological values are easily recognizable. The second refers to meadows that are currently emerging from other green types such as lawns and grasslands reverting to woodland. They are seen as having ecological and recreational value, but as they are unlikely to meet the expectations for flowering meadows, city officials want to inform citizens about the ecological qualities of these meadows to avoid negative feedback. The last discourse focuses on the experiential side of meadows, but instead of talking about the environmental aesthetic experience as understood in theoretical research, the argumentation is restricted to visual and recreational experiences. The way in which the aesthetic qualities, values and experiences of urban meadows are understood in a professional context reflects the way in which they are presented to the users of green areas. This thesis has revealed that the terminology used in the documents referring to environmental aesthetics is insufficient and does not correspond to the concepts presented in the theory of the work. Expanding the debate on environmental aesthetics would turn the goal of ‘people tolerating unordered ecosystems’ to ‘how can unordered ecosystems be aesthetically appreciated’. While informing citizens about the ecological benefits of urban meadows, they should also be informed about the potential aesthetic values of urban meadows, such as wildness, aesthetic diversity, and how the ordinary environment becomes extraordinary.
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(2022)Social and urban scholars have long been concerned with questions of how unknown others encounter and relate to one another in the city. Stranger encounters can happen spontaneously and serendipitously, for example, at bus stops, in trains or on park benches, often viewed as “chance” encounters. Other stranger encounters are carefully planned, for example, by using digital technology including online social networks, websites, and digital platforms. Today, digital platforms are reshaping the way we relate with strangers, yet there is little research on how stranger encounters are reconfigured by practices mediated through digital platforms. Against this background, the thesis attempts to address this research gap: stranger encounters mediated by two location-based digital platforms for social networking in Helsinki. The thesis focuses on two Finnish digital platforms for social networking, Nappi Naapuri and Commu, which are based around neighbourhood and community interactions. Both platforms lower the threshold of communication between strangers which have the potential to help eliminate loneliness, stress, and promote a sense of community. The thesis analyses planned encounters when meeting with other platform users to better understand what types of stranger encounters are emerging from digital platforms. Rather than focusing on the figure of the stranger as ‘other,’ the thesis examines digitally mediated practices whereby stranger encounters are valued and actively pursued by platform users. Through fieldwork encounters with strangers in Helsinki, the thesis analyses six stranger encounter vignettes to argue that by practicing an open and generous attitude towards unknown others can allow for moments of sociable curiosity, escapism, and intimacy to emerge between strangers. Using multiple methodologies including, autoethnography, walking with participants, participant observation and interviews, the thesis aims to better understand the role digital platforms can play in increasing stranger encounters in the city and how they have the potential to bring different people together to learn from one another and work on manners of cohabitation.
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(2023)Urban development causes a decline of biodiversity, which is alarming as it is crucial for the health of urban nature as well as urban residents. The latter play an important role in the conservation of biodiversity, as they have to accept it. While previous studies have used single attributes and smaller samples to examine whether and how people know about biodiversity, little attention has been paid to place-based perceptions in a more holistic manner at the city level and with including different perception attributes. This study is a secondary analysis of data collected through public participation geographic information system (PPGIS) in Helsinki, Finland, as part of the CO-CARBON project and aims to understand how perceptions of high biodiversity vary between different age groups considering the type of green space, the frequency of access to different green spaces, the distance of perceived high biodiversity from home, and the location of high biodiversity. I analyzed responses of younger (n1 = 290, aged 16-39), middle-aged (n2 = 286, aged 40-52), and older (n3 = 283, aged 53-98) residents of Helsinki using geographical information systems (QGIS and ArcGIS) for spatial and statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) for non-spatial analyses. Statistical significances of the different variables were tested with multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), Chi-square tests, Spearman rho, and optimized hotspot analysis. Some differences, but also similarities, could be found between age groups in their perception of high biodiversity. The age groups are similar in the number of mapped points in terms of green space type, as they mostly perceived natural green spaces as high in biodiversity, but older people differed from the others in terms of frequency of access to green space types, while younger people differed in terms of marking high biodiversity further away from home. Notably, all age groups perceived central bigger green areas, especially Vanhankaupunkilahti, the most as high in biodiversity. Younger people formed the most spatial hotspots of perceptions of high biodiversity, as well as a coldspot at Malmi airport, while the oldest age group formed the fewest hotspots. As a consequence of these results, I discuss and conclude what measures through which media tools could be taken in order to achieve more knowledge and involvement of biodiversity conservation. Further research on perception of biodiversity will benefit from understanding what was understood to be biodiverse at the mapped location, examining other groups, studying effective communication of biodiversity issues and conservation events, looking at biodiversity opposed to high biodiversity, and examining the biodiversity perception of wetland and urban green spaces in more detail.
Now showing items 21-29 of 29