Browsing by department "Geotieteiden ja maantieteen laitos"
Now showing items 21-40 of 454
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(Helsingin yliopistoHelsingfors universitetUniversity of Helsinki, 2012)The study is on the human dimension of animal-based tourism. There is a growing interest in nature and wildlife tourism but also a dire need for more research, especially of tourist experiences and expectations. Animal-based tourism is a little studied subject and a rarely used term. Animal-based tourism, unlike wildlife tourism, includes the use of domesticated animals and also other types of encounters than watching. Wildlife, nature and adventure tourism literature is used for defining animal-based tourism. Experiencing is another substantial sector of tourism business nowadays, alongside nature and wildlife tourism. Instead of services and products, the tourists are seeking experiences. Experience is a complex and diverse concept that is comprised of many different elements. The main object of the study is to understand the phenomenon of animal-based tourism, to interpret the experiences animal-based tourism creates and the elements in the animal encounters that contribute to creating them. The study draws from humanistic geography and uses the hermeneutic understanding of the world in the interpretation of tourists' experiences. Travel magazine Matkalehti's destination descriptions and travel stories are used as data. The research includes altogether 419 different articles in 111 magazines over 16 years of time. The articles are studied with content analysis, by looking for the typical characteristics of animal-based tourism (presented in the background chapter) and finding the various experiences and the elements that cause them (defined in the theoretical framework). The study is deductive, leaning strongly on the experience theories and frameworks presented in animal-based tourism literature. It was found that the animal-based tourism presented in the magazines was quite substantial and it reflected the definitions presented in the tourism literature. However, some variations were found: riding as an encounter had a far greater role than was expected. In Finland, alongside fishing, it was almost as important as watching animals. Abroad, watching was clearly the most popular encounter type. The destinations of animal-based tourism in the magazines varied greatly and they reflected the destinations typically of importance for Finns. However, clear focus points were seen. For example safaris (on land) typically took place in Sub-Saharan Africa, and whales and dolphins were watched in Iceland, Norway, Canary islands and the Azores, etc. Animals were encountered in many different settings but between captive- and wild-settings there was not a big difference, both occurred equally often. Captive-settings were usually located near cities or available areas for attracting bigger user groups, when wild-settings demanded more effort from the tourists. Species of animals reflected the findings in similar studies, and it was noticed that specific types of animals were preferred over others. Watching animals in captive-settings and in shows did not seem to evoke as many or as strong experiences as meeting them in the wild. Rare and endangered species as well as exotic and strange ones were preferred over others almost in every case. Some species were found to be icons for certain areas and were always mentioned with the same destinations. With certain species like dolphins, close interaction was sought after, and domesticated animals were found interesting only if there was a chance for touching and feeding them. Especially in fishing, riding and diving the settings and the beauty of the surroundings were important, but also the intensity of the activity. Education and conservation, which are a part of animal-based tourism according to literature, were not mentioned as often as was expected. The naturalness of the settings, the well-being of animals and the engaging nature of the encounters were the most crucial elements for creating experiences in animal-based tourism. Experiences of animal-based tourism were multiple as were the elements creating them.
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(2015)This thesis looks at an example of how cities can be affected by large scale destruction and subsequent reconstruction, through the case study of post WW2 London bombing and rocket damage and rebuild. This is viewed with the idea that there was a promised effort by planners of the period to move to a more Utopian city layout for London as set forth in the ideals of Ebenezer Howard's Garden Cities of To-Morrow. This thesis seeks to answer three questions: (1) What impact did the Blitz Bombings/V Strikes of WW2 have on London? (2) Which green space or public areas around today were created as a result of the bombings? (3) Did the urban planners apply E. Howard's Garden City Theory to the restructuring of land use as promised? This has been done by the use of a comparative GIS exercise utilising pre and post War maps of six London boroughs forming the study area, and an aggregate of bomb and rocket incidents recorded from various sources, to determine which areas which has been previously urban in nature and then damaged were rebuilt as a Green or Open Space. Emphasis was placed on transformation of the old and new maps as well as categorisation of the various Green and Open Space types. The findings of this thesis were that although the damage to urban areas was extensive during this period, the overall layout of London did not change significantly in terms of Green and Open spaces, and any changes that were made were opportunistic rather than a noted trend towards Howard's ideals. It also offers commentary on the process of utilising pre-GIS maps in a modern context and its shortcomings in terms of data accuracy.
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(2016)The potential of tourism in the development of rural or otherwise marginal areas is nowadays widely acknowledged. From the perspective of community development, community-based tourism (CBT) is often considered as a sustainable form of tourism as opposed to traditional mass tourism. This is due to the emphasis that in CBT is put on the local participation in decision-making and management of tourism as well as the resulting benefits. However, the concept of CBT has often been criticized of failing in practice and resulting e.g. in the benefits being accrued to the elites of the community. It has been proposed that the so called asset-based community development approach (ABCD), an approach to community development that emphasizes the existing assets of the community, could be used to improve the community-based tourism efforts, as the ABCD promotes participation and highlights the potential of also the marginalized groups in the community. The purpose of this thesis was to examine the potential of the asset approach in improving community-based tourism. This was done through analysis of an existing community based hiking tourism project in the West Bank, Palestine. The issue was approached from two angles. Firstly, it was evaluated how the current project meets the ideals of CBT and whether the ABCD in this sense could contribute to improve the project. Secondly, an asset-mapping, which is an essential element of the ABCD approach, was conducted in order to apply the asset approach on a more practical level. In the asset-mapping the local perceptions of the tourism assets of the community were identified and then compared to what is promoted in the existing tourism project. The data was gathered on two separate fieldtrips, in May and August 2015. In total 21 qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with different stakeholders, including the locals involved with the initiative, municipality representatives as well as the organization that is developing tourism in the area. In addition a survey with 74 retrieved responses was conducted in order to map the local perceptions of the assets. The results of the study indicate, that in many ways the CBT initiative already meets the ideals identified in the literature in terms of e.g. promoting cultural exchange as well as socio-economic development goals. On the other hand, as caveats were identified the relatively low level of overall participation and the effects of the local power structures on it, as well as small economic benefits. All these issues have been identified in the literature as typical problems of CBT. It was identified that adopting the principle inherent in the ABCD, that also the marginal segments in the community can contribute, could be useful in making the initiative more fair within the community. On the other hand, even if on a community level it is not the most marginalized that have currently been included, on a regional scale the initiative is doing just that. The initiative is spreading tourism to marginalized, rural areas that struggle with Israeli occupation, beyond the traditional pilgrimage destinations such as Betlehem The asset-mapping revealed that for the most part the assets promoted in current tourism match well with the local perceptions of the community's tourism assets, which is positive from the ABCD perspective. The survey method proved to function as an effective tool for integrating the locals' views on the assets. It could be claimed based on my study, that the locals mapping their own tourism assets could indeed provide a practical application of participation that has been called for in tourism research. At the same time agency and sense of control, which are emphasized in the ABCD, would be promoted. In conclusion it can be argued, that the study identified potential of the ABCD in improving CBT both as an approach towards the community and its marginal groups, but also on a methodological level in the form of the locals mapping the community assets. Despite the focus of my study was on natural and cultural assets, in the end the importance of social, human and physical capital became evident. This is also where the ABCD could be seen as useful, in broadening the scope of interest from only touristic (natural and cultural) assets to view the assets in a more comprehensive way, including also more intangible capital. More research on the applicability of the approach in CBT is needed, especially such that would adopt a more comprehensive view on the assets.
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(2018)Critical metals are defined as rare specialty metals (e.g. Be, Sc, Co, Ga, Ge, Nb, REEs, In, Ta) that are critical for the facilitation of the Strategic Energy Technology Plan set by the European Union. These rare metals are typically associated with highly evolved granitic ores. Trioctahedral micas are often one of the main, if not sole, hydrous ferromagnesian phases in these granite-related rare metal deposits. Since many critical metals are readily incorporated in the mica crystal structure, micas are often used as petrogenetic indicators in assessing granite melt evolution. This study is a preliminary investigation in the critical metal distribution of trioctahedral micas in Fennoscandian S-I-A type granites. Ten granite samples (6 A-type, 2 S-type, and 2 I-type samples) were selected for examination that represent three distinct areas within the Fennoscandian shield: the Paleoproterozoic Wiborg rapakivi batholith (A-type) in southeastern Finland, the Paleoproterozoic Västervik metasedimentary formation (S-type) in southeastern Sweden, and the Neoarchean Hattu schist belt (S- and I-type) in eastern Finland. Whole-rock major and trace element chemistry was determined via WD-XRF, mineral major element chemistry via WDS-EPMA, and mineral trace element chemistry via LA-ICP-MS. The A-type granites are predominantly ferroan, alkali-calcic, and metaluminous, whereas the S- and I-type granites are predominantly magnesian, calc-alkalic, and peraluminous. Trioctahedral micas in the A-type granites are characteristically annitic, whereas S- and I-type granites trend progressively towards more phlogopitic compositions. Trace element data indicates that most critical and rare metal abundances (Li, Be, B, Sc, Ga, Ge, Zr, Nb, In, Sn, Ta) tend to increase with progressing fractionation, but largely independent from granite type. Moreover, the absolute differences in abundances are often small, but distinct. However, owing to their more primitive character, I-type granites are typically less fractionated than A- and S-type granites, and thus contain lower amounts of critical and rare metals. Furthermore, it is indicated that the fractionation of the following elements may be correlated: Be & Al, Be & Sc, and In & Sc. Moreover, it is indicated that amphibole and muscovite minerals may incorporate Be, Sc, Zr, and In more readily than trioctahedral micas.
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(2016)Tutkielman aiheen valintaan vaikutti tekijän vapaaehtoistyökokemus slummeissa asuvien naisten ja lasten parissa toimivassa kenialaisjärjestössä, joka mahdollisti tutkimusaineiston hankkimisen. Tutkielman tarkoituksena on valottaa kehittyvien maiden urbaanien slummiympäristöjen naisten pelon maantiedettä kenialaisen case-esimerkin kautta. Tutkimuksen tarkoitus on selvittää, miten kenialaiset, aktiiviset, eli lapsistaan huolta pitävät, äidit elävät arkeaan slummissa, miten he käyttävät asuinympäristönsä tilaa, sekä miten he suhtautuvat rikollisuuteen ja millaisia seurauksia mahdollisella pelolla on heidän tilankäyttöönsä. Tutkielman aiheeseen liittyy kiinteästi aiemman tutkimustiedon osalta naisten pelon maantiede kaupunkitiloissa, kehittyvien maiden urbanisoituminen ja siihen liittyvä köyhyys ja slummien muodostuminen, sekä afrikkalaisen naisen eri tavoin kokema sukupuolten välinen epätasa-arvo. Nämä teemat sijoitetaan tutkielmassa kehittyvän maan slummiympäristöön. Aineisto käsittää 17 puolistrukturoitua teemahaastattelua, jotka tehtiin neljänä päivänä maaliskuussa 2010. Osallistuneet nuoret ja keski-ikäiset naiset valikoituivat järjestön toiminnan parista, jolloin aineisto käsittää vain niin kutsuttuja 'aktiivisia äitejä', ja sulkee pois muiden slummin ihmisryhmien näkökulmat: äitiyteen kykenemättömät eli 'passiiviset äidit', miehet, vanhukset ja lapset. Vääristymä on kuitenkin perusteltu, sillä tarkoitus on tutkia 'keskivertoäidin' pelkoa ja sen seurauksia. Haastatteluaineiston analysoinnissa käytettiin teemoittelua ja sen pohjalta hahmoteltiin James Garofalon rikoksen pelon mallia vastaava yksinkertaistettu versio. Tulosten perusteella slummissa asuvien 'aktiivisten äitien' asema sosiaalisessa tilassa on heikko johtuen fyysisestä haavoittuvuudesta miehiin nähden, asuinympäristön turvattomuudesta ja huonoista vaikutteista, joita he välttelevät ja joiden perusteella valitsevat seuransa, kulkureittinsä ja -aikansa. Pimeys sekä ahtaat ja autiot paikat koetaan vaarallisina. Kokemuksellisesti ja kuulopuheina leviää tieto rikollisuudesta, jota harjoittavat tyypillisesti työttömät nuoret miehet. Rikoksenpelko on usein voimakasta ja aiheuttaa syrjäytymistä julkisista tiloista, joskin sukulaisten tai viranomaisten läheisyys saattaa lieventää pelkoa. Urbanisoituvissa kehittyvissä maissa suuri osa väestöstä sijoittuu slummeihin. Naisten vastuu perheen toimeentulosta ja lasten hyvinvoinnista on usein erittäin suuri. Vaikka kyseessä onkin case-tutkimus, tutkielman aihe koskettaa suurta osaa maailman nykyisestä ja tulevasta urbaanista väestöstä: slummien naisia ja heidän lapsiaan. Erilaisten ympäristöön ja ilmastoon liittyvien resurssikiistojen ja heikkojen yhteiskunnallisten rakenteiden johdosta kehittyvien maiden kaupungistumisessa esiintyy köyhyyttä, rikollisuutta ja muita negatiivisia lieveilmiöitä, jotka voivat aiheuttaa pelkoa ja sen seurauksena heikentää naisten mahdollisuuksia osallistua julkisissa tiloissa ja työpaikoilla tapahtuviin toimintoihin, jotka voisivat hyvin toimivina johtaa yhteiskuntien kehittämiseen. Tilat, paikat ja ajat, jotka ovat sosiaalisesti rakentuneita aiheuttamaan pelon tunteita, ovat esteenä paitsi yksilöiden tilankäytölle, myös heikentävät kokonaisten yhteisöjen toimintaa.
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(2015)Soil moisture regulates a wide range of ecosystem processes at high latitude ecosystems. Soil moisture and temperature control carbon cycle in arctic soils and therefore had impacts on many climate change feedback loops. Arctic-alpine vegetation is adapted for cold and often dry or water saturated soil conditions though the adaptations are species specific. Therefore the aim of this study is to examine how soil conditions, especially moisture, affect on species fine scale distributions in low energy ecosystems. The data contains 21 study grids and holds 378 study plots (1 m2 each) in total. The data is collected during three summers in 2011-2013 at Saana massif in northwestern Finland. Vascular plant, moss and lichen species are sampled from all plots. Soil moisture and temperature are measured in situ, pH is determined from soil samples at a laboratory and radiation is calculated based on the fine scale topography. NMDS-ordination and nominal GBM-models are carried out to study how the explanatory variables affect on species composition. Species richness and diversity are examined by comparing GLM, GAM, and GBM models with the base variables to models which soil moisture is added as a fourth explanatory variable. The same two variable combinations are used to model distributions of individual species in biomod2 platform. Soil moisture and pH were the most effective variables that control vascular plant species composition. Soil moisture was alone the most important variable for mosses but none of the variables showed importance over others in case of lichens. Vascular plant and moss species richness increased with increasing soil moisture. Lichens showed an opposed trend. The community evenness is highest in moist habitats excluding lichens that showed the highest evenness in the driest end of the moisture gradient. Including soil moisture as an explanatory variable into the models improved the predictions of species distribution models in every species group. Vascular plants, mosses, forbs and decidious dwarf shrubs responded positively to soil moisture. Lichens had mostly negative and evergreen dwarf shrubs mostly unimodal response curves towards soil moisture. Soil moisture was the single most important variable in species distribution models but there was a lot of variation between the individual species. Soil moisture is the most important environmental variable that controls species distributions and vegetation characteristics at fine scale in the arctic-alpine environment. The moist habitats maintain the highest vascular plant and moss species pools and are therefore the most important ones for diversity on landscape level. Lichens are distributed more randomly and variables used in this study failed to model lichens as accurately as the other species groups. Most of the lichen species favored dry and acidic soil conditions but results could be due to low competition through low productivity, not direct effects on lichens survival. The individual species vary strongly in their responses to the environmental variables but the different growth forms appears to react quite similarly towards the explanatory variables. This research supports the idea of environmental heterogenity as an important factor for species distributions and confirms the need for local and fine scale studies. According to results of this study soil moisture should be included in species distribution models when predicting climate change effects on the arctic-alpine vegetation.
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(2017)Hiilidioksidivuon alueellista jakautumista maisemamittakaavassa on tutkittu melko vähän. Suurin osa aiemmasta hiilidioksidivuotutkimuksesta on keskittynyt temporaalisten vaihteluiden selvittämiseen tai suuremman mittakaavan alueelliseen vaihteluun. Arktis-alpiiniselle alueelle on tyypillistä, että kasvillisuuden määrä vaihtelee voimakkaastikin hyvin pienellä alueella. Sen takia ilmiötä lähdettiin tutkimaan myös maisemamittakaavassa. Etenkin pensaikon odotetaan lisääntyvän tundralla lämpötilojen noustessa, joten hiilidioksidivuonkin voi tundralla odottaa muuttuvan tulevaisuudessa. On mahdollista, että tundra muuttuu vähitellen hiilidioksidin nielusta hiilidioksidin lähteeksi. Kasvillisuuden määrän ja lämpötilojen voi odottaa vaikuttavan hiilidioksidivuohon, mutta muutkin ympäristömuuttujat voivat olla merkittäviä tekijöitä. Kammiomittauksessa hiilidioksidivuon voimakkuutta tutkitaan asettamalla maahan valoa läpäisevä kammio, jonka sisältä mitataan hiilidioksidipitoisuutta säännöllisin väliajoin. Mittauksia tehdään kirkkaassa valossa, himmennetyssä valossa ja pimeässä. Näitä tuloksia käsittelemällä saadaan määriteltyä kohteen tuotanto ja respiraatio. Tutkimusalueen koko on n. 50 km2 ja se sijaitsee pohjoisessa Norjassa n. 40 kilometrin päässä Jäämeren rannalta Rastigaissa-tunturin ympäristössä. Koealojen korkeus vaihtelee välillä 121m m.p.y ja 1004m m.p.y. Alueen vuotuinen keskilämpötila on -2,5°C. Alueella on ollut melko vähän ihmistoimintaa. Suuri korkeusgradientti tarjoaa monipuoliset ympäristömuuttujat kohtuullisen kokoisella tutkimusalueella. Hiilidioksidivuoaineistoa on 27 koealalta, yhteensä 57 mittauskaulukselta. Tuotannon ja respiraation jakautumista alueella tutkittiin GAM (generalized additive model) -mallien avulla. Koealakohtaista tietoa selitettiin kaukokartoitusmuuttujilla ja kauluskohtaista tietoa paikan päältä mitatuilla ympäristömuuttujilla. Kaukokartoitusaineiston perusteella tärkein hiilidioksidivuota selittävä tekijä on NDVI (normalized different vegetation index). Kauluskohtaisella aineistolla tärkein ympäristötekijä on keskilämpötila. Keskilämpötila on myös oleellinen NDVI:n selittäjä, joten lämpötilan vaikutusta voi pitää varsin merkittävänä. Tärkeimmän selittävän muuttujan osalta vaikutus oli samanlainen sekä fotosynteesille että respiraatiolle. Kammiomittausta kokeiltiin tässä tutkimuksessa uutena menetelmänä Helsingin yliopiston Geotieteiden ja maantieteen laitoksella. Merkittävässä osassa tutkimusta oli menetelmän käyttökelpoisuuden ja luotettavuuden arviointi. Kammiomenetelmä on kohtuullisin ponnistuksin käytettävissä erämaisissa olosuhteissa, vaikkakin mittaamiseen kuluu melko paljon aikaa. Mikäli verkkosähköä ei ole tutkimusalueella käytettävissä, on laitteistoa mahdollista ladata aurinkopaneeliin perustuvalla järjestelmällä. Useista epäluotettavuuslähteistä johtuen mittauskampanjaa ei kuitenkaan voi pitää pelkästään mekaanisena suorittamisena, vaan on jatkuvasti kiinnitettävä huomiosta useisiin yksityiskohtiin. Virheitä voivat aiheuttaa esimerkiksi vääränlainen kauluksen asennus maahan, varomaton kammion asetus kaulukselle, liikkuminen koealalla mittauksen aikana, liian lyhyt kammion tuuletusaika mittauksen jälkeen ja olosuhteiden muutokset. Ottamalla kaikki virhelähteet huomioon on kuitenkin mahdollista kerätä aineistoa melko hankalassakin maastossa.
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(2013)The ongoing global change challenges us to examine the key factors of rapidly changing northern ecosystems. One of the most important factors in these environments is living vegetation biomass, also known as phytomass. This thesis examines above ground phytomass in an artic-alpine environment, located in northwesternmost Finland and Ráisduottarháldi –area, Norway. The most important aim of the study was to produce a best possible estimate of the phytomass in the study area. Typically, phytomass modelling in artic-alpine areas has been done by using linear regression models having spectral vegetation index (SVI), usually NDVI, as an explanatory variable. Goodness of the model is typically assessed by coefficient of determination (R2). This thesis expands this approach and tests different SVI's alongside NDVI. Bias, root mean square error (RMSE), and correlation of observed and predicted phytomasses are used in addition. The effect of sample size is also briefly tested. Factors affecting phytomass, such as topography, were also examined. Topographic variables, such as the topographic wetness index (TWI), slope, potential yearly radiation and curvature were derived from digital elevation model and used as a predictors. Rock and soil variables were also used, but the quality of the data was found poor. In addition to linear regression models (LM), generalized linear models (GLM) and variation partition were used to find out wether the simple SVI-models can be improved by adding topographic factors into the models. Boosted regression trees (BRT) were utilized to find out the importance of individual effects of topographic factors to phytomass. NDVI was found to be the best SVI to predict phytomass (R2 61,6 %, RMSE 593,5 g/m2). However, the model was slightly biased (–4,3 %), although not statistically significantly. Forest areas cause significant deviaton to the data, which might explain why the explanatory power of the NDVI model is lower compared to other similar studies carried in pure arctic environments. Based on variation partition, the NDVI-model cannot be improved by topograhic nor soil or rock variables. In BRT-models, elevation was found to be the single most important variable explaining phytomass. The relative importance of elevation in the phytomass model was 72,8 %. Potential radiation (11,3 %) and calcium contet of parent material (11,4 %) were also important. TWI also had a slight effect, as its relative importance was 4,9 %. Curvature was not a significant factor in the models. Based on the linear regression model (NDVI), phytomass varied between 0– 6790 g/m2: Mean phytomass of the study area was 687 g/m2. Most of the phytomass is located in trees and other vascular plants located in low elevations (< 600 m a.s.l.). Phytomass decreases rapidly above treeline, which is typically located around 600–700 m a.s.l. at the study area. Only 0,1 % of the total phytomass is located above 1000 m a.s.l. South- and southwestern slopes have higher phytomasses compared to average (c. +17–21 %), which is caused by higher thermal radiation. Phytomass estimates of the study are well in line with other similar studies. Model uncertainties were assessed carefully in comparison to many other studies. The results imply that this kind of approach is needed as the model results varied a lot. Sample and sample size had a significant effect to results and therefore need to be addressed in future studies more carefully. The number of observations was high in this study compared to almost any other similar studies, but it has to be noted that the study designs differ. Clearly, there is a need of more extensive research on the uncertainties of phytomass estimates.
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(2019)Arktis-alpiininen tundra on globaalisti suhteellisen vähälajinen ja melko laajasti tunnettu ympäristö, jonka eliöyhteisöön vaikuttavien tekijöiden merkityksistä on tehty paljon tutkimusta. Tehdyssä tutkimuksessa on käytetty monia menetelmiä, mutta usein yhden selittävän tekijän lineaarisia regressiomalleja. Ekosysteemin laajemmalle ymmärrykselle on kuitenkin tarvetta. Rakenneyhtälömallinnuksessa (structural equation modelling, SEM) havaintoja tarkastellaan kaikkien muuttujien välisenä vaikutuskertoimien verkkona ja eri hierarkiatasojen muuttujien suhteellinen merkitys putkilokasvi, sammal- ja jäkäläyhteisössä otetaan huomioon. SEM auttaa tarkastelemaan arktis-alpiinisen ympäristön tuottajien lajirunsauksiin vaikuttavia tekijöitä kokonaisuutena. Tässä tutkimuksessa käytettiin rakenneyhtälömallinnusta selvittämään, miten subarktisen ympäristön tekijät vaikuttavat putkilokasvien, sammalten ja jäkälien lajirunsauteen. 1200 tutkimusalaa kattava aineisto kerättiin Pohjois-Norjasta 165 km² kokoiselta alueelta. Jokainen tutkimusala sisälsi 4 kappaletta 1 m² kokoista ruutua, joista jokaisesta määritettiin putkilokasvit, sammalet ja jäkälät. Ympäristömuuttujina käytettiin topografiaa, tehoisaa lämpösummaa, NDVI:a, maaperän ominaisuuksia ja säteilyä. Merkittävin lajirunsauteen vaikuttava tekijä oli vihreän kasvillisuuden määrä (NDVI), jonka vaikutus kaikkien ryhmien lajirunsauteen oli unimodaali: NDVI:n kasvu lisäsi lajirunsautta tiettyyn pisteeseen asti, mutta kaikista vihreimmmillä alueilla lajirunsaus oli pienempi. NDVI:in vaikuttivat kasvukauden tehoisa lämpösumma ja lumen sulamispäivämäärä. Merkittävimmät vaikutukset olivat samankaltaisia kaikissa malleissa. Lumen vaikutus oli unimodaali putkilokasveihin ja jäkäliin, sammaliin vaikutus oli suora ja positiivinen. Muita merkitseviä tekijöitä olivat suhteellinen korkeus, säteily ja maaperän ravinteisuus. Maaperämuuttujalla ei havaittu vaikutusta jäkälien lajirunsauteen, kasveihin vaikutus oli positiivinen. Lämpötilan suora vaikutus kaikille lajiryhmille oli negatiivinen.
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(2018)The Arctic ecosystems are facing pressure to adapt to a changing climate. In these low-energy systems, the abundance of shrubs has increased in response to the climatic changes. Shrubification is predicted to increase the amount of shrubs c. 50 % by 2050. This will affect both the abiotic and biotic environment through changes in soil moisture and temperature as well ashorizontal interactions in vegetation. Soil moisture and temperature are important drivers in various ecosystem processes, as they affect e.g. plant species distribution, cardon cycling and permafrost thaw. Due to the complex and vast environmental impacts, shrubification should be taken into consideration in climate change predictions of the Arctic nature. The link between shrubs and soil temperature has been studied on areas with tall shrubs. The impact of low and prostrate shrubs on soil temperature is not fully understood yet, as most studies have been carried out on tall shrubs. In this study, I investigated how shrubification of an Arctic-alpine ecosystem affect vegetation, soil temperature and moisture. This research was based on a paired study design, in which I compared plots with shrubs to shrubless ones, using in situ measurements of soil and vegetation variables. The study area covers large environmental gradients (e.g. soil moisture and topography) as well as prostate to tall shrubs. Landscape level variation was studied using topographic variables derived from high-resolution LiDAR-data. Mean soil temperature was lower (0.8 ºC) under shrub canopies and the effect might be considerable during vegetational stress periods. In addition, there was a positive linear relationship between soil temperature and shrub canopy cover. Mean soil moisture was 6 % lower underneath the shrub canopies, but as vegetation, it is mediated by topography as well. Further research on the shrubification of the Arctic is needed, and remote sensing provides a cost-effective way to collect data on large areas. Arctic shrubification may have cascading effects on a global scale through changes in the tundra carbon cycle, which makes it a timely and important research topic
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Asemanseudun kilpailukyvyn kehittäminen julkisen ja yksityisen toimijan välisenä yhteistyöprosessina (2018)Tässä pro gradu -tutkielmassa käsitellään asemanseudun kilpailukyvyn kehittämistä julkisen ja yksityisen toimijan välisenä yhteistyöprosessina. Aihetta on lähestytty Lahden rautatieaseman välittömässä läheisyydessä sijaitsevan Askonalueen asemanseudun tapauksen kautta. Askonalue valikoitui sopivaksi tapaukseksi, koska alueen suunnitteluun on osallistunut Lahden kaupungin lisäksi yksityinen kiinteistökehittäjä, joka omistaa suurimman osan asemakaava-alueen maasta. Alueen kehittämiseen on osallistunut intensiivisesti myös yksityisen ja julkisen sektorin rajapinnassa toimiva seudullinen kehitysyhtiö LADEC Oy. Tutkielmassa analysoidaan, mistä tekijöistä Askonalueen kehittäjät näkevät alueen kilpailukyvyn muodostuvan suhteessa olemassa olevaan teoriaan alueellisesta kilpailukyvystä. Lisäksi tutkitaan, miten kehittäjät näkevät alueen roolin laajemmin osana seudullista kilpailukykyä. Alueen liittymistä osaksi seudullista kilpailukykyä haluttiin tutkia siksi, että Askonalue on osa laajempaa Radanvarren kokonaisuutta, joka koostuu useammasta eri asemakaava-alueesta. Työssä tutkitaan myös, miten yksityinen ja julkinen toimija sekä heidän rajapinnassaan toimiva seudullinen kehitysyhtiö ovat tehneet yhteistyötä alueen kilpailukyvyn kehittämiseksi ja millainen kunkin toimijan rooli on ollut tässä prosessissa. Asemanseutujen kehittämisessä on usein mukana yksityinen toimija maanomistuksen kautta. Sen sijaan julkisen ja yksityisen toimijan rajapinnassa operoiva organisaatio, jonka tehtävänä on kehittää alueen yritysten toimintaedellytyksiä ja toimeenpanna seudullisessa kilpailukykystrategiassa linjattuja tavoitteita, tarjoaa asemanseudun kilpailukyvyn kehittämisestä uudenlaista tutkimustietoa. Tutkielma on laadullinen tapaustutkimus, jossa on haastateltu seitsemää Askonalueen kehittämiseen osallistunutta toimijaa sekä yhtä kaupungin kehittämiseen keskittyneen yhdistyksen edustajaa. Aineistoa on täydennetty analysoimalla alueen suunnitteluun liittyviä asiakirjoja. Aineiston analyysimenetelmänä käytettiin sisällönanalyysia. Askonalueen kehittäjien näkemykset asemanseudun kilpailukyvyn muodostavista tekijöistä pohjautuvat osaavan työvoiman saatavuuteen. Kehittäjät näkivät osaavan työvoiman saatavuuden tärkeänä tekijänä etenkin yritysten sijoittumispäätöksissä. Askonalueen kehittämisellä pyrittiin lisäämään osaavan työvoiman tarjontaa Lahden seudulla. Askonalueen sijainti raideliikenteen solmukohdassa houkuttelee kehittäjien mukaan osaajia töihin paikallisiin yrityksiin ja asumaan alueelle. Asemanseudulle tyypillisesti alueella on sekoitettu asumista, työpaikkoja ja vapaa-ajanviettomahdollisuuksia sekä panostettu julkisen tilan suunnitteluun. Alueen kilpailukyvyn kannalta tämä luo alueen kehittäjien mukaan paremmat mahdollisuudet innovaatioiden syntymiselle eri taustoista tulevien ihmisten kohdatessa toisiaan. Lisäksi alueen kehittäjät näkivät osaavan työvoiman arvostavan urbaania elinympäristöä. Tämä näkyi kehittäjien pyrkimyksenä liittää Askonalue voimakkaammin osaksi Lahden keskustaa sekä alueen suunnittelussa ilmeeltään urbaaniksi asemanseuduksi. Alueen kehittäjien tekemä yhteistyö on mahdollistanut julkisen ja yksityisen toimijan resurssien ja tietopohjan yhdistämisen alueen kilpailukyvyn kehittämisessä. Yksityinen kiinteistökehittäjä ja seudullinen kehitysyhtiö ovat olleet jatkuvasti yhteydessä Askonalueen ja laajemmin koko seudun yrityskenttään ja tuoneet heidän näkemyksiään ja tarpeitaan suunnitteluun. Kaupungilla on puolestaan ollut asiantuntemusta ja valtaa perinteisissä maankäytön ja liikenteen suunnitteluun liittyvissä kysymyksissä. Kehittäjät ovat aloittaneet yhteistyön laatimalla yhdessä alueen kehitystä ohjaavan strategian. Strategian edistämisestä on vastannut eri toimijoista koostuva kehittäjäryhmä. Yhdessä laaditun strategian ja sen edistämisestä vastanneen kehittäjäryhmän ansiosta alueen kilpailukykyyn liittyvät näkemykset ovat säilyneet eheinä läpi suunnitteluprosessin. Askonalueen kehittäjät kaavailivat yhteistyön alueen kilpailukyvyn eteen jatkuvan vielä pitkään myös yksittäisen kaava-alueen rajojen ulkopuolella. Ajoissa aloitettu yhteistyö on myös LADECin ja Renor Oy:n yritysrajapinnan kautta mahdollistanut yritysten näkökulman integroimisen osaksi suunnitelmia.
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(2017)The photosynthetic light use efficiency (LUE) is used to estimate the rate of photosynthesis in green vegetation. LUE is generally defined as the carbon uptake divided by absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). Several proxies for LUE estimation from remotely sensed data have been introduced, while the most promising results have been achieved by the Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI) and chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF). Both PRI and ChlF can serve as a proxy for photosynthetic downregulation and photoprotection, and can theoretically be measured and calculated from hyperspectral remote sensing data. Fluorescence and PRI were measured at leaf-level for sample trees of Pinus sylvestris and Betula pendula during two field measurement campaigns at Hyytiälä Forestry Field Station in 2014 and 2015. The spectrometer measurements were performed at crown height, separately for sunlit and shaded foliage. The measurements were taken at different hours of day to observe the diurnal variation of fluorescence and PRI. Along with the spectral measurements, CO2 exchange was constantly measured in shoot chambers attached to the sample trees. The diurnal trend of CO2 assimilation and LUE was then projected against the spectral indicators. An airborne campaign was conducted concurrently with the field measurement campaign in 2015. Hyperspectral data (< 5 nm spectral, 60 cm spatial resolution) was collected over the study area using AISA Eagle II line scanner. ChlF was estimated from the data using Fraunhofer line discrimination (FLD) approach. A change in ChlF between morning and noon acquisitions was estimated using different flight lines covering the same area. The reliability of the estimation was tested in several ways including noise reduction and a change analysis of non-fluorescent targets. Moreover, the non-physiological impact of shadow fraction on apparent fluorescence was estimated. The leaf-level results show a distinctive diurnal trend in fluorescence values measured with the spectrometer. The diurnal variation of PRI appears more unpredictable within the sample trees. Statistically, fluorescence values and PRI were only able to predict CO2 assimilation and LUE during the midday measurements with higher values of PAR, fluorescence performing slightly better. The results obtained at canopy level show an increase in radiance emitted as fluorescence and a decrease in PRI between morning and midday acquisitions. The change was observed in all the canopy types, including low vegetation, broad-leaved forests and coniferous forests. The average change of FLD-derived fluorescence (F763) between different canopy types varied between +24.0 units (14.9 %) and +6.3 units (4.9 %). Furthermore, it was observed that illumination conditions and shadow fraction had a major impact on F763 values, which must be considered when estimating ChlF using the FLD approach.
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(2014)This research is aimed at investigating the possibility of implementing ecological sanitation technologies in the Taita Hills in south-eastern Kenya, therefore contributing to a sustainable local development approach. The approach taken to this aim is that of a description and analysis of social and cultural preferences regarding sanitation and the idea of reusing human excreta in agricultural production. Poor sanitation circumstances, with the range of problems that they give rise to, is a widely acknowledged and researched issue in the field of human development which is underlined by the inclusion of sanitation in both the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the upcoming Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition to putting a burden of disease on affected populations, lack of proper sanitation facilities are identified as both a cause and a consequence of poverty. Sanitation solutions also play a notable role in the interaction between settlements and the natural environment. Ecological sanitation includes a wide range of technologies and other solutions with the aim of improving sanitation in a given community and simultaneously diminishing the waste that is allowed to pollute the environment, most notably water bodies. A remarkable aspect of ecological sanitation solutions in agricultural areas is the possibility of treating human waste in order to produce fertilizers suitable for usage in local farming. This would enable communities to close the cycle of nutrient flows as nutrients withdrawn from the soil in the form of agricultural produce would be returned as fertilizer. In addition, local, low-cost production of fertilizers is assumed to be a sustainable way of weakening dependence of international fertilizer markets, thereby improving rural livelihoods. The possibility of improved access to suitable fertilizers is also a key aspect of improved food security. Understanding local perceptions and attitudes regarding sanitation is crucial in finding socially and culturally applicable, acceptable and sustainable ecological sanitation solutions. This study will use semi-structured stakeholder interviews and expert interviews to investigate those attitudes, as well as to gain insights on current sanitation and farming practices. Involvement of the local views in the research process is enhanced by the use of participatory ranking exercises, thereby enabling local views and preferences to find practical and specific expression. Current sanitation solutions and their connection to the environment are also included in the interview framework. The results of the fieldwork are investigated with a qualitative content analysis to present a comprehensive picture of the current sanitation situation in relation to local livelihoods, to describe local attitudes towards different sanitation solutions and to describe how ecological sanitation solutions might be implemented that improves local livelihoods and food security. Through this, a framework will be produced that can be used for further work on ecological sanitation in the Taita Hills area. The ultimate objective of the study is to assess the feasibility and potential of using ecological sanitation to improve both food security and sanitation in the study area. The results of this study point to the conclusion that reusing human waste cannot be considered as a taboo in the Taita Hills but could be promoted through locally designed solutions as well as education and training regarding ecological sanitation.
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(2017)Land use changes occur everywhere. Land use changes, such as forest degradation, effect on a global level. They have an influence for example to climate change, water circulation and erosion. However, they affect also on a local level and can have an impact to the everyday lives of local communities. Examining land use changes is important, because it brings more knowledge about changing areas, and how to deal with the changes. Local level examination is important when analysing land use changes, as local level actions help to understand large-scale phenomena as well. Understanding of land use changes can aid policymakers, who are responsible for making decisions about land use management. Land use changes are evident also in Sri Lanka. During the past few centuries, the country has undergone considerable forest loss. The loss of forest has affected to the land management of the country, since strict nature protection procedures have been put in place. In practise, this has meant strict forest conservation policies and forest demarcations in many areas. The strict forest protection has been a successful solution in terms of biodiversity conservation. At times the conservation procedures have been so restrictive that they have affected negatively to the life styles and livelihoods of local communities, who are dependent on the forest resources. This thesis examines the changes in land use in Welioya village, in central Sri Lanka. The village is located in the proximity of a demarcated Bogahapalassa Natural Forest, which has worked as a source of livelihoods for the villagers. This study examines, how the land use and land management has developed in the area. It views also, which kind of governmental actions have been implemented in the area to increase crop productivity. Moreover, it will consider the impacts of the strict conservation procedures to the local communities. It will also present alternative solutions that aim to include locals in the forest conservation. One of these procedures is called community participation. The land use changes are analysed with classifying satellite data by visual interpretation method. With the method, two land use maps are created for two different years, 2003 and 2015. After satellite image classification, the land use changes are quantified with landscape pattern analysis to discover, whether there is change in the landscape. Moreover, patchiness, fragmentation and other features of landscape pattern are assessed. Based on the results it is discovered that the area has gone through significant change. Due to the governmental projects, the area of home gardens has increased and traditional cultivation practises have decreased. The conservation of the Bogahapalassa Natural Forest has had a reviving effect, as the area of the forest has increased and open areas inside the forest have decreased. The government aims at protecting the forest in the future, but their focus is mostly in the biodiversity conservation, and not so much in the subsistence or livelihoods of the locals. This creates challenges in the area, and this remains a concern among the villagers.
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(2013)Urbanization effects on hydrology and water quality on catchment area because of the land use change. Construction sites in catchment causes water quality problems. Waters from construction sites are usually led straight to watercourses without any purification actions. This has also been the practice at residential construction site in Suurpelto, Espoo. The aim of this study is to evaluate how discharge, water quality and loadings have changed during construction at Suurpelto. This research is the second part of the 'Kaupunkirakentamisen vaikutukset Lukupuron hydrologiaan ja veden laatuun' (LUPU) -project which is conducted by the University of Helsinki and city of Espoo. The observation period begins from the year 2006 and has divided into three sections. The first section represents time before construction. At the second section (Construction phase 1) construction work has started, and streets and municipal infrastructure are being built. During the third section (Construction phase 2) residential construction is very intensive and municipal infrastructure is expanding to new areas. The purpose of this study is to compare these sections with each other and report differences between water quality, discharge and loadings. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient is used to evaluate the dependences between water quality variables. Wilcoxon signed rank test is used to discover statistical significance in load variations. This study was carried out by analyzing 22 different variables: Discharge, electrical conductivity and pH was measured by automatic water quality probe. Suspended solids, nutrient concentrations (total phosphorus and total nitrogen) and dissolved substances including metals (total dissolved solids, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, fluoride, chloride, sulphate, chromium, iron, nickel, chopper, arsenic) were measured in laboratory. The hypothesis of this study is that water quality has changed statistically significantly as a result of land use change in the catchment. Another hypothesis is that loadings have increased. Results of this study indicate that loadings of suspended solids, total phosphorus and iron as well as discharge are statistically significantly increased because of construction works. However, electrical conductivity has decreased because of increased discharge. For instance suspended solid load has sixfold in a year, total phosphorus has fourfold and iron load has increased even 11 -fold, when comparing construction phase 2 and time before construction. The growth of discharge has been particularly large in construction phase 1. Between construction phases 1 and 2 the change has been minor and statistically insignificant. Hence, the most significant changes have occurred during construction phase 1 and for instance total phosphorus loading has decreased during construction phase 2. Effects of construction is depended on other human activity and natural causes such as dredging of the channel, fertilization of the fields, weather conditions and the soil type. If one want to decrease the negative effects that construction work causes to water quality, one have to consider new ways to process waters flowing from construction area. Possible new means have been already considered during the restore planning of Lukupuro in spring 2013. Dredging took place in the new part of the Lukupuro main channel and effects were very significant to water quality. Based on the knowledge we have now it is important to consider pros and cons of relocating the channel in the future.
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(2013)Pääkaupunkiseudulla on viime vuosikymmeninä ollut havaittavissa uudenlaista alueellista eriytymistä. Seudun itä- ja koillisosiin on alkanut muodostua eri mittareilla mitaten pieniä pistemäisiä huono-osaistuvia alueita, joiden pelätään tulevaisuudessa laajenevan ja kasvavan. Pääkaupunkiseudun kehityksen tutkimiseen on viime vuosikymmeninä kiinnitetty huomiota, mutta asuinalueiden maineiden vaikutusta tähän kehitykseen on tutkittu hyvin vähän. Tarkoituksenani on pro gradu-tutkielmassani tarkastella asuinalueen mainetta ja sen vaikutusta lapsiperheiden asumisvalintoihin. Pyrkimykseni on selvittää, onko asuinalueen maineella vaikutusta pääkaupunkiseudun alueelliseen erilaistumiskehitykseen. Tutkielmani tavoite on pyrkiä selittämään, millä erilaisilla tavoilla asuinalueen maine määräytyy ja kuinka paljon sillä on merkitystä silloin, kun lapsiperheet tekevät asumisvalintojaan. Tavoitteenani on myös selvittää, mitkä maineen osatekijät vaikuttavat eniten asuinalueen maineen muodostumiseen. Tutkimusmetodi on pro gradu-tutkielmassani kvalitatiivinen. Haastattelin kesän 2012 aikana 30 pääkaupunkiseudulla asuvaa lapsiperhettä heidän asumisvalinnoistaan. Haastattelut olivat sekoitus teema- ja syvähaastatteluista. Tarkoituksenani on peilata haastatteluiden antia aikaisempaan, lähinnä kansainvälisesti tuotettuun, tutkimuskirjallisuuteen. Aikaisempaa kotimaista tutkimuskirjallisuutta asuinalueiden maineista on hyvin niukasti ja sen vuoksi tämän kaltaiselle tutkimukselle on mielestäni tällä hetkellä tarvetta. Olen käyttänyt tutkielmassani tutkimuskirjallisuutta, joka on tuotettu lähinnä Euroopassa. Asuinalueiden maineita on tutkittu kattavasti ainakin Tanskassa, Norjassa, Hollannissa ja jonkun verran myös Iso-Britanniassa ja teoreettisessa taustoituksessa käsittelen esimerkkejä lähinnä näistä maista. Haastattelujen perusteella voi sanoa, että asuinalueen maineeseen voimakkaimmin vaikuttavat vuokratalo- ja kerrostalokeskittymät, jotka viestivät alueen sosioekonomisen rakenteen heikkoudesta. Myös maahanmuuttajien runsas määrä alueella viestii heikommasta sosiekonomisesta rakenteesta ja näin ollen asuinalueen huonommasta maineesta. Lapsiperheitä tarkastellessa voimakkaasti nousi esiin koulujen maineen vaikutus asuinalueen valinnassa. Maahanmuuttajarunsaille asuinalueille ei mielellään muuteta, koska pelätään, että lapset eivät tällöin saa parasta mahdollista opetusta kouluissa, joissa on oppilaina runsaasti maahanmuuttajia. Aikaisemmasta tutkimuskirjallisuudesta hieman poiketen asuinalueen status merkitsi haastateltaville hyvin vähän. Muutenkin on havaittavissa, että asuinalueiden maineisiin suhtaudutaan melko kriittisesti. Tärkeänä pidetään asukkaan omia havaintoja alueesta sekä asuinalueen sisäisen maineen vaikutusta. Asuinalueen ulkoisella maineella on merkitystä vain silloin, kun kyseessä on huonomaineisimmat ja seudun asukkaille tuntemattomammat sekä kaukaisemmat asuinalueet. Asuinalueen maineella tuntuu tällöin olevan suuri merkitys asumisvalintoja tehtäessä. Jos asia on näin, on sillä suuri vaikutus pääkaupunkiseudun erilaistumiskehitykseen, koska tällöin heikompien asuinalueiden asukasrakenne on vaarassa heikentyä entisestään.
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(2013)As the trend shifted from a socially balancing spatial composition to growing spatial differences in the Helsinki Metropolitan region, the fear of segregation was increased. The transition was brought by the 90’s recession associated with mass unemployment and an ICT-driven economic growth. Despite social mixing policies, social deprivation has been shown to accumulate into pockets of poverty without any spatial concentration. However, when measured by individual meters, the spatial differentiation and social polarisation of the Helsinki Metropolitan area is more detectable. The past urban studies and research of the Helsinki Metropolitan area have largely overlooked the internal socio-economic differences and changes within a single neighbourhood. The aim of the thesis is to examine the residential differentiation occurring in the Matinkylä area, which previous research has revealed to form a pocket of poverty within the region of southern Espoo, and also to locate the concentrations of deprivation and prosperity. Residential differentiation is approached not only from the viewpoint of the traditional urban theories, but also from the perspectives of national and local factors. Also discussion about the new spatial order of cities is covered. The regional perspective is approached by examining recent studies on spatial differentiation of the Helsinki Metropolitan region, which provides the framework for the research. The work also aims to take important factors, such as social changes, regional history and households preferences into a more detailed examination and study their effects on the social composition of Matinkylä’s neighbourhoods. The case study is carried out by examining individual indicators designed to reflect the structural and socio-economic distinctions between neighbourhoods and differences in the characteristics of the households, which are visualised into cartographic representations using statistical and GIS methods. Research reveals that Matinkylä as an area is significantly polarized between the deprived and the prosperous parts of population that are spatially segregated into their own neighbourhoods. A significant deprived part of population is concentrated in Matinmetsä’s and Tiistilä’s suburban apartment blocks built in 70’s and 80’s. This group is characterised by relatively low income and educational levels with higher rates of unemployment and proportional number of immigrants. The prosperous elite with high educational status is concentrated in Nuottaniemi, an affluent residential area constituted of single-family houses at the seashore of Matinkylä. Based on the study the building stock and form of tenure of the residential areas seem to have a strong influence on the formation of the social structure. Matinkylä’s regional differentiation seems to be resulting from differentiation of the elite from other socioeconomic groups rather than being a trend toward segregation as prosperity in Matinkylä is more clearly and strongly spatially concentrated than deprivation. This is also supported by the result that the share of socially underprivileged is not growing in absolute terms within any of the neighbourhood. However, dualistic features are clearly visible in the spatial distribution of different households, but the change that has occurred during the last decade indicates a trend toward socio-economic balancing between neighbourhoods at least by some measurements. From the perspective of the factors affecting regional differentiation examined in this work urban planning and housing policies seem to have an important effect on the spatial differentiation of Matinkylä as they create a specific and distinctive building and housing stocks, as well as housing tenures in different areas. It seems that Matinkylä’s regional structure, natural environment and neighbourhoods’ reputations have steered different kinds of households into different neighbourhoods according to their life phases, preferences and socio-economic status. Spatial distribution of the households has led to the emergence of social disparities between neighbourhoods and created the spatial differentiation of Matinkylä.
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(2018)In its broadest sense, urban planning is about controlling and modifying space. According to Henri Lefebvre, the space is socially constructed and it can be divided into three aspects. These aspects are conceived/conceptualised space or representations of space, perceived/routinized space or spatial practices, and lived space or representational space. In representational space the reality is covered by symbols linked to the social life. Spatial practices ensure certain order and continuity in society. Representations of space are abstract, spaces simplified in theories and abstracts. Representations of space are based on lived life, but their connection to the reality has deteriorated due to abstractions. Nevertheless, they are part of political and social practices and they direct strongly space and planning of space through different theories and ideologies. By that way representations of space also penetrate lived space and spatial practices. By means of these concepts, it is an intention to understand concepts of space of habitants and experts. Representations of space are abstract space of experts and representational spaces are lived space of habitants. Practices are linked to both experts and habitants' doings. City planning has a huge impact on space and experience of space. Who has the power over space, has the power over its developing and modifying, in other words, over construction of the space. Finnish law guarantees that every stakeholder has a chance of participation in the planning process, but not everyone is satisfied with this. Habitants feel that their opinions do not matter and experts feel like being a pawn in the political game. The purpose of this thesis, is to find how habitants and experts construct and observe space and find a key to better collaborative planning. Collaborative planning brings together stakeholders and tries to make them create common discourse. Its purpose is to make different people from different backgrounds create plans and discourses, where all of them can and want to engage. This is difficult, because even neighbours might share only spatial location. This study is case study, where by means of discourse analysis, reports about Laajasalo and new master plan of Helsinki, reports of interaction, comments of Yleiskaava-blog's Laajasalo related topics, two "citizen discussion nights" and the interview of active Laajasalo dweller and the interview of urban planner from Helsinki urban environment division are analysed. The intention is to find out if different forms of data have emphasized different things, and to find out possible differences between the concepts of space of habitants and experts. The research shows, that habitants see urban space through the concepts of nature, fluent everyday life and visuality. To experts's urban space politics are important as well as city's economic success. Usually these emphases overlap even though they are given different importances. For example to habitants the nature has aesthetical, healthy and recreational value. To the society, on the other hand, aesthetical aspects does not matter as much as nature's significance in promoting habitants' health and well-being. Helsinki's collaborative planning methods get more negative feedback from habitants than from experts. Mostly in interaction reports and in the interview of active Laajasalo dweller show critisism concerning new master plan of Helsinki city. Experts, on the other hand, thank habitants for participation, even though the active Laajasalo dweller says he does know, that not all the experts thank habitants for their input. Differences between different concepts of (urban) space seemed to link to person's age. Young urban citizens are more likely to travel by more sustainable means of communication and long for more compact cities. Elder part of the population, on the other hand, seems to emphasize the importance of nature and parks. The world, in where we born and grow up into, shapes our values through media, researches and social interaction. This is one probable explanation for our different kind of concepts of space. Abstract space penetrates in lived space and shapes it with its own concepts.
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(2015)Discussion about public participation, interaction and citizen power has been on-going since the end of the 1960s. Resident's options for participation started to increase in the following decades after the communicative turn in urban theory. In Finland, the Land Use and Building Act of 2000, enhanced resident's possibilities for participation in urban planning. Finnish municipalities started to develop new participation methods, and the interaction between different parties and actors became more influential. According to previous research, the usability of empirical knowledge and integrating local knowledge into the public sector planning process are still significant challenges of urban planning. The aim of this study is to examine the usability of residents' empirical knowledge in urban planning and the effects of citizen participation on the process and the results of planning. This case study examines the role of citizen participation in the continuous master plan process in the city of Lahti. The research material mainly consists of two parts: the qualitative workshop material generated in the My Lahti citizen workshops and interviews with planning and service design professionals. The research material also includes relevant literature and previous studies concerning citizen participation in urban planning, GIS data, and planning documents of the city of Lahti. The methods used for the study are qualitative content analysis based on textual data and GIS research methods. The current challenges of citizen participation have been tackled in Lahti by using the continuous master plan process, which enables residents to participate more continuously and regularly in the process. In addition, My Lahti workshops arranged in spring 2014 have been used in order to enhance possibilities for participation and to improve the usability of local knowledge. My Lahti workshops were put together in collaboration with city planning staff and the service design team of Lahti University of Applied Sciences. Workshops were mainly based on two map exercises with themes of mobility and services in Lahti. In terms of transport, the development objectives especially raised as being most important were related to cycling, walking and public transport. Participants' comments regarding the living environment and services highlighted the importance of nature and recreational functions and areas of the city. Retaining and developing public and private services were also seen as important goals in terms of future planning. Participants' feedback on the workshops was very positive, but some were sceptical about their actual possibilities to influence on city development. The workshops were also seen as successful from the viewpoint of planning professionals, and a similar concept is intended to be utilised to allow public participation in the next cycle of the continuous planning process. According to this study, the city of Lahti gained valuable information about participants' opinions and ideas for a better city. This information has also been used quite successfully as part of the city's master planning process. Two concrete examples of utilising participants' knowledge are the city master plan map and more importantly, the plan commentary highlighting the ideas raised in workshops. My Lahti data has also been used as background information in other participatory methods and it still has potential for further use. However, there have been challenges in the usability of empirical knowledge, and they are mostly related to technical issues and slowly changing public processes and organisational culture. Communication about the results of participation has also been problematic, and residents may still be dubious about the effectiveness of their contribution. The continuous master plan process in Lahti offers a chance for regular participation and therefore enhances the visibility and awareness of participation possibilities from the residents' perspective. The continuous process also makes empirical local knowledge more visible for planners and provides better conditions for the change of working culture.
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(2015)The Housing markets are going through a change. The financial recession and the segregation of housing markets are creating pressure to themes of housing. On the other hand, the ageing of the population is one important factor in housing markets in the future. In Finland, the ageing of the population will reach its highest level at 2020-2030 when the baby boomers are retired. Then one fourth of the Finnish population is over 64 years old. The ageing and lengthening of lifespan are influencing the housing markets for example by reducing household sizes. According to previous studies, the reducing sizes of households leads to rising demand for smaller apartments. In addition, the rising proportion of elderly people is affecting the structure of the housing markets by emphasizing their role. The aim of this study is to examine what kind of impact the population change will have on the housing markets. In addition, this study examines how these changes should be taken into consideration in housing production. The empirical section of the study constructs of the report of housing markets in the city of Oulu and the structure of Oulu's current population. Furthermore, the study concludes regional forecast for the year 2030, and how the ageing people will be spatially distributed in the city region. The research material consists mainly of free data from Statistics Finland, GIS data of Ruututietokanta 2013 and YKR- GIS data of the housing stock of Oulu. The study methods are both quantitative and qualitative and the main methods are graphical analysis and GIS methods. According to this study, in the year 2030 the elderly people are living mainly outside of the city center in suburbanized areas. The proportion of elderly people is also high in the regions of scattered settlement. The ageing and spatial accumulation of elderly people are affecting the future housing markets in many ways. First of all, the majority of elderly households are one person or two people's households. That increases the demand for smaller apartments. Secondly, the elderly households are mainly living in one-family houses where large cleaning areas as well as the problems with two storeys are factors that are pushing elderly people into a move. As per the previous studies elderly people appreciate in housing the quality of the apartment and accessibility of services. Because of this the elderly peoples housing demand focuses on the newish apartment buildings nearby the center and its services. Based on this study between the times period 2030-2035 in the city of Oulu will be released over 2 500 one-family houses when the elderly people are moving towards the center's urban areas. Almost half of these houses will be released in areas of consolidation of municipalities where the housing demand is anyway lower. Due to ageing, the supply of one-family houses will increase and at the same time the housing demand is focusing on the apartment buildings nearby the city center. On the other hand, other age groups and their preferences are affecting the future housing markets. The portion of people in their late 20es and early 30es who are likely to start a family, is decreasing which affects the demand of one-family houses. Because of these structural changes the demand of one-family houses is decreasing while the supply increases. Therefore, we can detect that the ageing of the population is causing a temporal state of imbalance in the housing markets. For the sake of the housing production the changes of population demography should be anticipated in early stages so the needed changes can be made. According to this study the city of Oulu should reduce the production of one-house family plots for the sake that the supply of the one-family houses would not increase too high in future. At the same time the housing production should be concentrated in apartment buildings where the housing demand is focused now and in the future.
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