Browsing by master's degree program "Maantieteen maisteriohjelma"
Now showing items 41-60 of 145
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(2022)Glacial meltwater potholes are cylindrical and often remarkably smooth-walled pits in the bedrock, formed as a result of the evorsion caused by eddy currents of water released by the melting of the continental glacier, and possibly also by the cavitation due to the meltwater rushing to a glacial moulin or crevasse. This study examines how the location, topography, orientation according to the direction of ice movement, bedrock and the distance from the fault lines and eskers explain the occurrence and abundance of potholes in the province of Uusimaa in southern Finland. This study also provides a unified database of potholes that have been found in Uusimaa, which have not been compiled to this extent before. The research material with location and characteristic data was collected in July-October 2020 and in May-June 2021. A total of 320 potholes were selected for the research group, of which 206 were determined from fieldwork and 114 from source data. There were a total of 116 sites around Uusimaa, where the number of potholes varied from one to twenty (1–20). Moreover, especially in the archipelago spreading off the southern coast of the study area, there are numerous potholes marked only in sporadic old articles. As some potholes were located in areas that were too difficult to reach or in private yards, for example, the work also required the use of databases and reports published by research institutes and municipalities. The above-mentioned sources were also utilized in the field when searching for potholes and later in slope and distance analyses. In addition, one hundred (100) comparison sites were drawn from somewhat evenly across the study area in order to interpret how the location and characteristic data of pothole sites differ from rock formations where potholes are not known to occur. The location and characteristic data of pothole and comparison sites were compiled into a material. Based on the data, diagrams as well as regression and correlation analyses were made to visualize the results and their interrelationships, and statistical models (generalized linear model, GLM) were used to model several variables simultaneously. The results showed that many physical geography-related factors simultaneously affect the occurrence and abundance of potholes. Since potholes are glaciofluvial landforms, they often occur in north-south or northwest-southeast queues because these directions are equivalent to the direction of ice movement. The proximity of bedrock faults of tectonic origin strongly explains the occurrence of potholes, as the faults, like glacial moulins and crevasses, were favourable locations for meltwater flows. On average, there are more potholes in the sites located on the lee sides (downstream sides) compared with those on the stoss sides or central parts, because there were cavities and cracks as well as more space between the ice and the rock in the rough and plucked lee sides. The thin, non-uniform soil and the abundance of rock outcrops have led to the discovery of many more potholes in the lower southern parts of the study area and especially in the archipelago than in the higher northern parts. A significant proportion of potholes, which were not known to be located near bedrock faults, were located in the archipelago. In contrast, inland potholes typically occurred in steeper and rugged terrain near the fault lines. However, there was a weak negative correlation between the proximity of the eskers and the occurrence of potholes, which is probably due to the fact that the formation of potholes requires faster flows in glacier rivers than the formation of eskers. Most of the potholes in Uusimaa are quite small, up to about 120 centimetres in diameter and depth, but approximately one in eight potholes were more than three (3) meters deep or wide. The steepness of the slope was most strongly associated with the occurrence of large potholes. Potholes formed on rock consisted of granodiorite were, on average, larger than potholes formed on microcline granite, probably due to the granodiorite minerals are more prone to dissolve.
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(2023)Urbanization, densification of the built environment, community degradation, and privatization and commercialization of space have shaped the urban development of Helsinki and also worldwide. These environmental, social, and economic problems have increased political pressure to find appropriate uses for existing spaces. The development of urban commons, i.e. shared, often non-commercialized spaces in urban environments, has entered the policy arena in recent years. This master's thesis examines how the ideas underlying urban commons are intertwined with contemporary neoliberal urban policy and planning. The ideas underlying urban commons include notions of social processes and socio-spatial relations that allow us to reimagine urban space and to figure out in what ways and by whom it is owned, managed, and utilized. The study aims to find out how the interrelationships between urban commons and neoliberalism are manifested in urban space and in the objectives behind the creation of urban commons. I approached the topic from the perspective of public administration and therefore examined in more detail two projects/actions managed by public sector organizations in Helsinki: Circular Green Blocks and Enhancement of the Sharing Economy in Zoning Plans. Data was collected through seven semi-structured interviews with planning and policy professionals and from several planning documents. Discourse analysis was used as a method of analysis and enabled the discovery of the meanings and representations of the world that underlie talk about urban commons. The results of this study show that the development of urban commons is intertwined in complex ways with neoliberalism in urban politics, which became evident through five discourses uncovered. The discourses of welfare and the right to the city revealed attempts to create a more spatially and socioeconomically equal as well as open urban space. Creating space that supports sustainable economic development was another key objective manifested in the discourse on the green economy. The support for the private sector in policymaking revealed an entrepreneurial discourse that indicated that urban space was sometimes treated as a commodity. A managerial discourse revealed a shift in urban governance and the role of the public sector, which showed that urban space was also sometimes treated as something non-political. The study concludes that the development of urban commons is influenced by neoliberal ideals, but also by ideas that can be considered as going beyond neoliberal ideology. For example, ideas of equality and welfare that reflect the tradition of welfare state policies in Finnish politics. The study encourages further research on the governance of urban commons, power relations in policymaking, and discourses among other actors in planning.
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(2021)Urban greenery is vital to the people in our increasingly urbanizing societies. It is diverse in nature and provides numerous life improving qualities. Traditionally urban greenery has been assessed with a top-down view through the sensors of aerial vehicles and satellites. This does not equate on what is experienced down at the human level. An alternative viewpoint has emerged, with the introduction of a more human-scale viewpoint. To quantify this human-scale greenery, novel and disparate approaches have been developed. However, there is little knowledge on how these modelling methods and indices manage to capture the greenery we truly experience on the ground level. This thesis is an undertaking to better understand what the greenery experienced by people on the ground level, termed humanscale greenery (HSG), means. The goal was to grasp how the various modelling methods, indices and datasets can be best used to capture this phenomenon. Simultaneously, the study tries to better comprehend how different people experience greenery. To achieve this, human-scale greenery values were collected via interviews at randomly selected study sites across Helsinki. These values were then compared to modelled values at the same sites. The methods and indices tested include modern approaches developed specifically for HSG and traditional greenery assessment methods. Along the greenery values, sociodemographic variables were collected in the interviews and compared to each other in relation to HSG values. The modelled values were on average smaller than HSG values. All methods indicated very strong or strong linear relationships with human-scale greenery. NDVI and semantic segmentation Green View Index (GVI) had the strongest relationships and least deviation. Land use (LU) and color based GVI had the highest error deviations from HSG. The sociodemographic assessment showed hints that age might affect the amount of experienced greenery, but this is uncertain. With a random sampling of interviewees, 25–34-year-olds and less nature visiting people were more common at sites with low HSG. Based on the results obtained here, many different types of novel methods are suitable for modelling HSG with strong linear relationships. However, also traditional greenery assessment methods performed well. It is difficult to curtail the experience of greenery into a single approach. A solution could possibly be obtained via the combination of methods. The results also advocate the usage of machine learning methods for greenery image segmentation. These cannot be applied everywhere due to data coverage problems, but alternative methods can also be used to fill in gaps. The significance of age on the experience of greenery needs further research. Because urban greenery’s benefits are known, attention should also be given onto how different kinds of people are able to experience it. In the future we should also discuss the meaningfulness of assessing absolute greenery in comparison to the types and parts of greenery.
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(2023)Today, issues related to nature and the environment are increasingly topical and therefore also play a greater role in land use planning and urban planning. In this thesis, I study the different concepts of nature behind urban planning, i.e., the ways in which nature and its relationship to humans are defined. These many different conceptions of nature, such as dualism, materialism, idealistic conception of nature, external and frightening nature, economic and resource -focused thinking, ecomodernism, biodiversity perspective, posthumanism, continuum thinking or ecosystem service thinking, also have a direct and indirect impact on urban planning and what kind of nature and green areas are planned. In this thesis, I examine four partial general plans (in Finnish, osayleiskaava) for the city centre areas of Southeast Finland: the partial general plans for the centre of Kotka, the centre of Karhula, the city centre of Kouvola and the centre of Lappeenranta, which are all fairly recent plans. The main objective of my thesis is to find different conceptions of nature in the materials of these general plans, such as plan descriptions and various impact assessments. The method used in this analysis is qualitative content analysis. With the help of theory-based qualitative content analysis, I identify various conceptions of nature related to previous theory and research from the above-mentioned planning documents. In the analysis and results -section of my thesis, I attach the results of the content analysis to the theoretical framework concerning conceptions of nature. In the results of different conceptions of nature, especially the perspective of cultural ecosystem services, technology-oriented ecomodernism and biodiversity perspectives emerged from many text documents. The economic view of nature as a resource was also emphasised in many texts. In addition, dualistic conceptions that emphasize the dichotomy of man and nature and materialistic conceptions focusing on material reality were reflected as a broader way of thinking. On the other hand, posthumanist concepts related to equality between humans and nature are not as strongly visible in the results.
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(2023)Climate change has been identified as one of the most critical challenges of our time globally, but studies show that the adverse effects are already culminating in sensitive areas such as southern Africa. The increase in drought and extreme weather phenomena confuses the region's hydrological cycle, which poses challenges to countries dependent on surface water. The transboundary river network requires cooperation from governments in decision-making on water use. Studies show that water scarcity often leads to increased cooperation between states, but the situation is not excluded from conflict. Water diplomacy activities aimed at cooperation have been identified in Finland as an effective way of resolving water conflicts, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is seeking better implementation of the paradigm within the institution. This Master's thesis examines policy documents of Southern African actors identifying water and climate-related conflict risks. The theoretical part of the thesis deals with conflict research in geography and the basis for resource conflicts and transboundary water cooperation. In addition to the theory, the thesis examines Southern Africa as an operating environment in its own chapter. The material used in research is official documents defining the use of waters by South Africa, Namibia and two regional institutions, the Southern African Development Community, and the Oranje-Senqu River Commission. The relationship between the actors and their approach to the risks identified in the literature has been examined through content analysis and interpretative policy analysis. The thesis has been carried out as a mandate towards a Water Cooperation and Peace – Finnish Water Way project funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of the Environment. The Finnish Environment Institute and the Finnish Institute for International Affairs coordinate the project. The study's key findings indicate that the documents defining water use in the region are outdated. In international research, climate change has been identified as a key risk in the region, but only the relevant Southern African Development Community document has comprehensively addressed the issue. South Africa is launching a new strategy in 2023, in which, according to the draft used in thesis, the theme has also been taken fully into account. According to the results, Namibia has been active as a single actor in the climate change debate as early as the turn of the 2010s. According to the study's results, the scarcity of water resources and the challenges associated with their distribution impact the region's political power balance. However, despite the asymmetrical nature of power, the initiatives taken by the actors are, in principle, cooperative and therefore peace-building. According to the paper, the region has strong institutions, and decision-making is based on both regional and international norms.
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(2021)Ilmastonmuutos on aikamme haastavin ympäristöongelma, joka uhkaa ihmiskuntaa ja elämää maapallolla. Hallitustenvälinen ilmastonmuutospaneeli IPCC on todennut, että ihmisen toiminta on kiihdyttänyt ilmaston lämpenemistä ja että lämpeneminen tulisi pysäyttää 1,5 asteeseen esiteollisen ajan tasoon verrattuna. Yksi tehokkaimmista ilmastonmuutoksen hillintäkeinoista on onnistunut ilmastokasvatus eli ilmastonmuutosilmiön syvälliseen ymmärtämiseen tähtäävä kasvatuksen osa-alue. Ilmastokasvatusta toteutetaan vaihtelevalla laajuudella suomalaisen koulujärjestelmän kaikilla tasoilla varhaiskasvatuksesta alkaen. Ensimmäisen kerran “ilmastonmuutos” -termi mainittiin Lukion opetussuunnitelmassa vuonna 2003 ja uusimmassa, syksyllä 2021 voimaan astuvassa, Lukion opetussuunnitelmassa ilmastokasvatuksen pitäisi tulla osaksi kaikkia oppiaineita laaja-alaisen osaamisen osa-alueen, eettisyys- ja ympäristöosaamisen, myötä. Kuitenkin yleensä vastuu ympäristö- ja ilmastokasvatuksesta koetaan olevan vain luonnontieteellisten oppiaineiden,kuten maantieteen, harteilla. Oppikirjoilla on yhä vahva asema suomalaisessa koulussa, vaikka koulumaailma onkin viimeisten vuosien aikana muuttunut enenevissä määrin sähköiseksi. Tutkimukset ovat osoittaneet, että opettajat suunnittelevat ja toteuttavat opetustaan usein käyttäen apunaan oppikirjoja. Oppikirja on opetukseen tarkoitettu teos, jonka sisältö peilaa opetussuunnitelman sisältöä. Opetussuunnitelma antaa kuitenkin melko väljät raamit oppikirjailijoille kirjojen sisällön suhteen, joten markkinoilla on keskenään hyvinkin erilaisia oppikirjoja. Ilmastokasvatuksen painoarvo on kasvanut nyky-yhteiskunnassa ja suomalaisessa lukiomaailmassa ilmastokasvatus on ollut perinteisesti maantieteen vastuulla. Perinteisillä oppikirjoilla on yhä merkitystä opettajille työvälineenä ja oppilaille opiskeluvälineenä, joten on mielenkiintoista tarkastella, miten maantieteen oppikirjoissa käsitellään ilmastonmuutosteemaa. Tässä tutkielmassa vertailen keskenään vuosien 2015 ja 2019 Lukion opetussuunnitelmienmukaisia lukion maantieteen GE1 Maailma muutoksessa kurssin oppikirjoja ja sitä, miten näissä käsitellään ilmastonmuutosta. Vertailun kohteena ovat ilmastonmuutosteeman käsittelyn määrä, ilmastonmuutostekstin sisällön pääteemat, ilmastonmuutokseen liittyvät avainkäsitteet ja termit sekä käytetyt havainnollistamisen keinot ilmastonmuutosteeman yhteydessä. Lisäksi tarkastelen, miten vuoden 2019 Lukion opetussuunnitelmassa määritettyihin laaja-alaisen osaamisen osa-alueisiin voidaan vastata maantieteen GE1-kirjojen ilmastonmuutosteemassa. Tulosten perusteella ilmastonmuutoksen käsittelyn määrä on kasvanut ja monipuolistunut GE1 Maailma muutoksessa -kurssin oppikirjoissa huomattavasti siirryttäessä vuoden 2015 Lukion opetussuunnitelman mukaisista kirjoista vuoden 2019 Lukion opetussuunnitelman mukaisiin kirjoihin. Tämä muutos noudattaa opetussuunnitelmissa tapahtunutta ilmastonmuutosteeman käsittelyn kasvua ja suuremmassa mittakaavassa kertoo siitä, miten ilmastonmuutos koetaan koko ajan tärkeämmäksi yhteiskunnalliseksi asiaksi ja miten kansalaisten ilmastokasvatusta pidetään arvossa.
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(2020)Arctic peatlands are globally extensive and long-lasting storages of carbon and are therefore important ecosystems controlling global carbon cycling. Changes in climate affect peatlands’ ability to accumulate carbon through changes in hydrology and water table level, vegetation, soil temperature and permafrost thaw. As climate warming is projected mostly to northern and arctic regions, it may change the peatlands’ capacity to sequester and release carbon as carbon dioxide and methane. In this Master’s Thesis I studied how the past climate changes are reflected in carbon accumulation rates over the past millennia. Known climate anomalies, such as the Medieval Climate Anomaly, Little Ice Age and the last rapid warming starting from 1980, and their impact on average long-term apparent rate of carbon accumulation were studied from the peat proxies. 15 peat cores were collected from northern subarctic Swedish Lapland and from North-East European Russia. Cores were collected from the active peat layer above permafrost that is known to be sensitive to climate warming. Cores were dated with radiocarbon (14C) and lead (210Pb) methods and peat properties and accumulation patterns were calculated for one centimeter thick subsamples based on chronologies. The Little Ice Age and the last rapid warming affected the carbon accumulation rate considerably whereas for Medieval Climate Anomaly period the peat records did not show very distinctive response. During the Little Ice Age the carbon accumulation rates were low (median 10,5 g m-2v-1) but during the post-Little Ice Age and especially during the last warm decades after 1980 carbon accumulation rates have been high (median 48,5 g m-2v-1). Medieval Climate Anomaly had only a minor positive effect on accumulation rates. On average, the long-term apparent rate of carbon accumulation during the past millennia was 43,3 g m-2v-1 which is distinctly higher than the previously studied rate of 22,9 g m-2v-1 for northern peatlands (p-value 0,0003). Based on results it can be concluded that warm climate periods accelerated the carbon accumulation rate whereas during cold periods accumulation decelerated. Warm climate prolongs the growth period and accelerates the decomposition of peat; cold climate shortens the period of plant growth and thickens the permafrost layer in peatlands, respectively. However, peat layers that are formed after the Little Ice Age are incompletely decomposed which amplifies the carbon accumulation rate partly. Nevertheless, permafrost thawing has been shown to increase accumulation rates, as well. Studying past carbon accumulation rates helps to understand the peatland and carbon cycling dynamics better. Even though accumulation rates reveal a lot about carbon sequestration capabilities of peat, it does not indicate whether a peatland has been a carbon sink or a source.
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(2023)The aim of this thesis is to explore how the Indigenous people’s rights to education in their own language and culture are realized in practice and what are the challenges for providing education that is both high in quality and equal for all. For the context of the research, the rights of Indigenous peoples were studied, and also central to this research were concepts of intercultural bilingual education and Indigenous knowledge. The research data was collected as part of a case study that was carried out during geography field course to the Ecuadorian Amazon in October 2015. The research was carried out using qualitative methods and the research methods were semi-structured interviews and observation. Expert interviews were conducted in Quito, which teachers and parents were interviewed in schools in Ahuano, Santa Clara and Sarayaku. The results are in line with previous research and show that the education does not in all respects consider the cultural and linguistic rights of Indigenous peoples. Even though the majority of the students in the schools selected for the study were Amazonian Kichwa, the language of teaching and instruction was mainly Spanish, and Indigenous language and culture were taught in separate lesson. There were differences between the schools in both resources and curriculums. As a conclusion, it can be stated that teaching is subject to continuous development, but there is no consensus among different actors and communities how it should be organized in the future. On the one hand, there are calls for organizing the teaching independently in accordance with local traditions and cherishing the language and culture of the Indigenous peoples, but the educational policy guidelines and the teaching materials dictate what kind of teaching is available for the children.
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(2023)Aapa mires are northern peatlands of high conservation value that are currently threatened by hydrological changes caused by land use and climate change. In pristine hydrological state they are characterized by wet fens and waterflows from surrounding landscape, particularly during the snow melt time in spring. In future climate conditions, increased summer evapotranspiration and earlier spring floods can possibly reduce summertime water availability in aapa mires. It is however unclear, how strong effect the changes in the different climatic hydrological components exactly have on aapa mire wetness on regional level. Particularly spatial information of climatic sensitivity of mires is lacking. Current knowledge and large-scale hydrological predictions are based mainly on measurements at individual sites, modeling and generalization, even though climate-wetness relationships seem to vary largely from site to site. In this study, Sentinel-2 satellite imagery from 2017-2020 was used to produce regionally representative information of interannual summer wetness variability in Finnish aapa mires, and to quantify with statistical modeling the relationships to interannual climatic variation based on the observations. Monthly values for optical metrics of surface moisture and areal extent of the wettest mire surfaces were extracted for wet fen mires of the Natura 2000 conservation network (n=2201), covering the whole aapa mire zone of Finland. Wetness metrics from June and July in a regionally representative sample (n=400) of mires were linked to the respective yearly climatic data of summer-time water balance (WAB, precipitation - evaporation), day of snowmelt and snow water equivalent maximum. Climate-wetness relationships were estimated regionally for the eight aapa mire zone sub-regions with mixed effects models. The resulting satellite-derived metrics revealed high interannual variability of the surface moisture conditions and the areal extent of wet surfaces in aapa mires, and this variability was shown to be significantly connected to variation in the climatic variables. Regional variation in climatic sensitivity was remarkable. Mires in the most sensitive regions had twice as strong responses to varying WAB conditions and drought-periods than mires in the least sensitive regions. If the short-term responses are assumed to reflect the sensitivity to climatic changes in the long-term, these effects imply that aapa mires might experience remarkable hydrological changes in the future, especially in the most sensitive areas in the southern and the western parts of the Finnish aapa mire zone. The results emphasize the important role of yearly snow conditions alongside summertime WAB as a driver of aapa mire wetness, especially in June but also later in the summer.
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(2020)This thesis aims to examine the current regional identity of Jätkäsaari, a district of Helsinki, halfway of its construction phase. In the thesis I aim to find out, what are the most important factors in creating a regional identity for Jätkäsaari from the perspective of both the urban planners of the region and its residents. Moreover, I also sought to find out, how the regional identity of Jätkäsaari has been shaped in the planning phase of the district, and how the regional identity of Jätkäsaari has been modified by means of branding. In addition, the aim of the thesis is to find out how the residents of Jätkäsaari experience the identity of the area, and what factors make up regional identity. I interviewed three key experts for the thesis, who were substantially involved in the planning work of Jätkäsaari. In addition, I surveyed the opinions of Jätkäsaari residents on the topic by using a questionnaire published on Facebook. 80 people responded to the survey. The data was collected in the spring of 2019. The answers to the expert interviews and resident surveys are compared and used to find out, how the views of the residents and the planners relate to each other, and to determine the most important features of Jätkäsaari's regional identity. The results of the questionnaire show, that Jätkäsaari has clearly started to develop a distinctive identity. Maritimeity and the port's presence are important factors of the identity. However, Jätkäsaari is also designed as a clear extension to the city center of Helsinki. On the other hand, some residents of the area also perceive Jätkäsaari as its own territory and as an island that clearly stands out from the city center. Community spirit of Jätkäsaari has started to develop already from the early stage. Resident evenings have been popular from the beginning and there has been active discussion between the residents and the planners about the development of Jätkäsaari area.
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(2022)Kasvi- ja eläinplanktonia esiintyy käytännössä kaikissa boreaalisissa järvissä ja lammissa. Kasviplankton on koko järviekosysteemille tärkeä perustuottajaryhmä, kun taas eläinplankton on tärkeä kasviplanktonin kuluttajaryhmä. Ne siirtävät energiaa korkeammille trofiatasoille. Lisäksi ne toimivat ympäristöntilan indikaattoreina, sillä erityisesti kasviplankton reagoi herkästi elinympäristönsä muutoksiin. Tämän vuoksi kasvi- ja eläinplanktonin esiintymiseen ja levinneisyyteen vaikuttavien tekijöiden tunteminen on tärkeää. Tässä maisterintutkielmassa selvitettiin kasvi- ja eläinplanktonin levinneisyyttä boreaalisissa järvissä viidellä eri valuma-alueella Suomessa. Levinneisyyttä tarkasteltiin kolmen selittävän tekijän avulla, jotka olivat runsaus, ekolokeron koko ja lajipiirteet. Nämä selittävät muuttujat valittiin, koska kirjallisuuden perustella ne vaikuttavat merkittävästi lajin levinneisyyteen. Runsaus kuvaa lajin paikallista esiintymistä, ekolokeron koko puolestaan vuorovaikutusta muiden lajien kanssa ja lajipiirteet vaikuttavat pääasiassa leviämiskyvyn lisäksi saalistuspaineeseen. Tutkimuksen aineisto sisälsi yhteensä 100 järven kasvi- ja eläinplanktonlajien yksilöiden määrän kussakin järvessä sekä fysikaalis-kemiallisten ominaisuuksien mittaustulokset. Lajipiirteistä valittiin tutkittavaksi solukoko, jonka arvot pohjautuivat kirjallisuuteen. Levinneisyyden yhteyttä selittäviin muuttujiin tutkittiin regressioanalyysin avulla sekä tärkeimmille järvien fysikaalis-kemiallisille muuttujille tehtiin pääkomponenttianalyysi (PCA). Runsaus sekä ekolokeron koko korreloivat merkitsevästi levinneisyyden kanssa. Solukoolla ei havaittu lainkaan yhteyttä kasviplanktonin levinneisyyden kanssa. Eläinplanktonilla yhteys näiden muuttujien välillä havaittiin, mutta tulos ei ollut merkitsevä. Tulokset levinneisyyden ja solukoon välillä eivät kuitenkaan olleet luotettavia tai vertailukelpoisia, koska aineiston lajeilla oli liian pieni otanta. Aiempien tutkimusten perusteella voidaan kuitenkin sanoa, että solukoolla olisi käänteinen suhde levinneisyyden kanssa. Lajisto ja järvien fysikaalis-kemialliset olosuhteet olivat samankaltaisempia mitä lähempänä valuma-alueet olivat toisiaan.
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(2021)Large amounts of carbon is stored in the soil and vegetation of the tundra ecosystem. Carbon dioxide is stored in the vegetation in photosynthesis and is released into atmosphere from the soil and vegetation in ecosystem respiration. Rising temperatures can cause considerable changes to the delicate tundra ecosystem and create new potential feedbacks to global warming as the environment changes. There are several factors regulating carbon dioxide fluxes and their interactions and temporal changes are not yet fully known. Understanding carbon dioxide fluxes and the factors contributing to them is important in order to study and predict temporal and local changes. This research focuses on describing changes in net ecosystem exchange, primary production, and ecosystem respiration in the tundra as well as the factors contributing to them. The measurements were made with the chamber method in Saana fell, Kilpisjärvi in Finnish Lapland. This study includes 14 nivations with a total of 84 study points that were measured three times during the growing season in the summer of 2019. In addition to flux the measurements, information about controlling environmental variables were collected. These included vegetation, air temperature, soil moisture and soil temperature. The impact of the explanatory variables on fluxes at different times in the growing season was studied using mixed effects model and an estimated carbon budget was calculated for the region. The largest fluxes were measured mid-July during the peak growing season. Ecosystem respiration and primary production declined from the peak of the growing season in August towards the end of the growing season, but net ecosystem exchange increased slightly due to imbalances in the other two fluxes. Vegetation was an important explanatory variable (p ≤ 0,001) in every flux and during different times of the growing season. Air temperature had the greatest impact on net ecosystem exchange and ecosystem respiration, but the intensity of its response varied during different periods of the growing season. In both of these fluxes, higher temperatures increased the flux into the atmosphere. In primary production, the response changed in the middle of the growing season from positive to negative due to high temperatures. Soil moisture had a positive effect especially on ecosystem respiration, but its significance varied during the growing season (p = 0,0012; 0,02; < 0,001) and the response increased towards the end of the growing season. Also in primary production, response intensity and significance (p = 0,02) increased at the end of the growing season and in net ecosystem exchange the response changed from negative to positive at the end of the growing season. The response of soil temperature increased with all fluxes from the beginning of the growing season and decreased with ecosystem respiration and net ecosystem exchange towards the end of the growing season. Soil temperature was only significant in the second measurement campaign for net ecosystem exchange (p = 0,01) and ecosystem respiration (p = 0,005). During the growing season, carbon dioxide fluxes changed considerably and their explanatory factors also varied in time. The responses to soil moisture and air temperatures also turned negative or positive during the growing season. These changes and studying them is very important to understanding the processes behind different fluxes. The change in carbon dioxide fluxes and the variables that affect them in the tundra environment affects the region's carbon budget.
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(2023)Tarkastelen tutkielmassani Suomen pääkaupunkiseudun kiinteistömarkkinoita kriittisten teorioiden näkökulmasta. Hyödyntäen historialliseen materialismiin nojaavia ajatuksia finansialisaatiosta (Aalbers, 2017, 2019), yrittäjämäistymisestä (Leitner, 1990, Harvey, 1982, 1989, Hyötyläinen, 2015) ja kasvukoneesta (Molotch, 1976, 1993) luon kriittisen linssin, jonka läpi tutkin niin kiinteistöpolitiikan kuin kiinteistömarkkinoiden muutosta. Uusliberalismin pohjustama muutos kaupunkien hallinnassa on johtanut finansialisaatioon ja yrittäjämäistymiseen, jotka muuttavat kaupunkeja kasvukoneiksi. Kasvukoneistuminen tuottaa taloudellista riippuvuutta ja polkuriippuvuutta yrittäjämäisistä politiikoista sekä finansialisaatiosta luoden kehämäisen prosessin, joka pyrkii purkamaan esteitä pääoman kerryttämiselle. Kehämäinen prosessi on mahdollista erilaisten mekanismien, kuten hyvän sijoitusilmapiirin ylläpidon, kansainvälistymisen, arvopaperistumisen ja dehumanisoivien diskurssien avulla. Prosessin vaikutuksena on pääoman epätasainen jakautuminen spatiaalisesti ja sosiaalisesti. Tarkastelen tutkimuksessa tästä näkökulmasta Suomen pääkaupunkiseudun eli Helsingin, Espoon, Kauniaisten ja Vantaan kiinteistömarkkinoita ja kiinteistöpolitiikkaa. Aineistonani käytän Maanmittauslaitoksen Kiinteistötietojärjestelmän kiinteistökauppatietoja, kaupunkien kiinteistöpoliittisia julkaisuja sekä media-artikkeleita. Yhdistelemällä kvantitatiivista ja kvalitatiivista aineistoa syvennyn kiinteistöpolitiikan ja -markkinoiden toisiinsa kietoutuvaan luonteeseen. Keskeistä tutkielmassani on kiinteistösijoittajien ja kaupunkien roolit sekä niiden yhteistoiminta ja -vaikutukset. Toimijoiden rajauksen vuoksi keskityn erityisesti kiinteistökauppoihin, joissa myyvä osapuoli on kaupunki ja ostaja yksityinen yritys. Kiinteistöpolitiikka on tutkimusalueella vaihtelevaa kaupungista riippuen, mutta Kauniaista lukuunottamatta kaikki osallistuvat aktiivisesti kiinteistömarkkinoihin. Julkinen sektori perustelee kiinteistömyyntiä esimerkiksi palvelujen kustannuksilla. Liiketalouden toimijat ovat monesti saajia kiinteistökaupoissa ja kiinteistömarkkinoita voisikin luonnehtia finansialisoituneiksi. Suurin osa kaupunkien myymistä kiinteistöistä on rakentamattomia ja yleisin ostaja on kiinteistöosakeyhtiö. Kiinteistöosakeyhtiö on huomattavasti yleisempi ostajana, kun myyjä on kaupunki. Kiinteistöosakeyhtiön luonteen vuoksi todellinen ostaja eli yhtiön osakas jää pimentoon. Tukevien lähteiden, kuten Patentti- ja Rekisterihallituksen sekä Yritystietojärjestelmän tietojen perusteella kiinteistöosakeyhtiöiden takana on monesti kiinteistösijoittaja. Osassa kaupoista oli myös hyödynnetty yrityssarjaa ja yritysten ketjuttamista kolmannen osapuolen, kuten asianajotoimiston avulla. Monimutkaisten omistusjärjestelyjen kautta jäljet vievät usein ulkomaille, mikä osoittaa kiinteistömarkkinoiden kansainvälistymisen. Tutkimukseni osoittaa, että kaupungit kasvukoneina luovat yrittäjämäisillä maanhankinta-, kehitys- ja myyntipolitiikoillaan finansialisoitunutta kiinteistömarkkinaa myymällä kiinteistöjä suurella volyymillä liiketalouden toimijoille, kuten pankeille, rahastoille ja kiinteistösijoittajille. Samalla kaupungit heikentävät kykyjään harjoittaa kestävämpää asuntotuotantoa omilla hallintoalueillaan. Kiinteistömarkkinoiden finansialisoitumisen on mahdollistanut etenkin läpinäkyvyyden puute, joka johtuu yritysten sarjoittamisesta, ketjuttamisesta ja kiinteistöosakeyhtiöiden hyödyntämisestä. Läpinäkyvyyden puute heikentää mahdollisuuksia kiinteistömarkkinoiden ja kiinteistöpolitiikan kriittiseen arviointiin ja tutkintaan.
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(2021)The goal of the Helsinki City Strategy for years 2017–2021 has been to make Helsinki the most functional city in the world. Strategy of functionality aim to improve economic attractiveness and competitiveness in Helsinki as one of its main objectives. In academic literature, regional competitiveness is connected to a wide range of different factors. However, common for many theories is an underlying idea of companies benefitting from functioning as part of a wider regional system. These benefits may relate a to better availability of labour and other specialized inputs but above all, to companies being able to make use of the knowledge located in the region. Company’s ability to utilize knowledge is linked especially to developing innovations that improve production. For cities, motivation to improve competitiveness lies in questions of employment and welfare. It can be linked to a development in which globalization and post industrialization have together led to a situation, where cities are considered to be competing on resources. This development can also be seen in a change in the role of city governments. In so called entrepreneurial cities, governments function as active agents aiming to mould cities into favourable platforms for entrepreneurship. However, despite the fact that companies are located in regional system they automatically do not have access into the benefits, such as knowledge. This brings importance to the networks of regional actors and to the manner of how they communicate through these networks. Academic literature gives evidence to an idea that besides examining only the dynamics between urban governments and companies, there should be research placed on how public and private actors exchange knowledge and how that interactions is experienced. The aim of this theses is to examine the interaction between a city and its entrepreneurs as one factor of a regional economic system. The knowledge gained is also hoped to benefit the city of Helsinki in developing its services. The research is done by examining the role of cities in entrepreneurship and the interaction between a city and its companies. Methodological perspective of this thesis is a case study. The case comprises the interaction that takes place in the permission and advisory services of the city of Helsinki, between the city of Helsinki and six private companies from the field of tourism and services. Helsinki City Strategy and one more economically profiled document are used to shed light to the role of urban government from the city of Helsinki point of view. Company perspective is gained from semi structured themed interviews with entrepreneurs, that have been clients of previously mentioned services of the city of Helsinki. Both documents and interviews are analysed by performing a theme analysis. From the entrepreneurship point of view, the current situation of the city of Helsinki aligns with the theory of an entrepreneurial city. Knowledge that companies need is mainly related to being able to understand what rules and structures effect their ability to function as a part of urban environment and to plan and implement ideas. Companies and the city of Helsinki share a common goal of building high quality urban environment that benefits all involved. However, there are also some identified challenges caused for example by different operating speed and difficulties in finding relevant information and knowledge. In general, knowledge accessibility appears to be one of the key factors in successful interaction between companies and the city. According to the results, knowledge accessibility is related to the ability to understand the structure of the city’s network of knowledge and actors. In addition to that, the type and quality of interaction is also considered important. How companies experience the interaction is related to how well the network is known and how fast the right people will find each other. Interaction that is defined by discussion and communication is viewed as effective and entrepreneur friendly. Based on the interviews there is evidence that effectivity of interaction might effect companies’ ability to run business and implement new ideas. To sum up, for companies good advising is considered to mean fast and clear answers, promoting to mean conversation, and enabling entrepreneurship to mean that companies are allowed to develop their businesses to meet the needs of their clientele. Hence, it seems important to remember that in addition to supporting the creation of innovation it is also important that efficient governance enables companies to implement their ideas.
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(2023)This thesis studies language awareness in the teaching of geographic terminology. In Finland the number of people with foreign background is increasing, and language-aware teaching offers possibilities to better engage students who are learning the school language in the teaching. Geography is an important school subject when it comes to understanding cultural multiplicity, and it supports students in the building of their identities and in their integration to the society. Hence, it is important that the students with foreign background grasp the subjects studied in the geography class. In the thesis the following research questions are answered: 1. What kind of challenges does the teaching of geographic terminology pose from the viewpoint of language awareness? 2. What type of methods in the teaching of geographic terminology are language-aware? 3. What kind of activities support language-aware geography teaching? The thesis adds to the research about language awareness and participative research. Language awareness covers acknowledging and appreciating language and languages as well as taking advantage of them and taking them into consideration. The research material has been produced in a participative research process together with a group of eighth-graders. In participative research the researched become co-researchers and participate in the planning of the research and in the production of research material. The co-researchers talked about language awareness in small groups, and then shared their notes and ideas with the researcher. The research questions are answered together with literature and the empirical research material. Geography is heavily infused with scientific terminology, and a strongly place-based subject. Because of this, the understanding of the language used and the students’ personal experiences that can be connected to theory, are of essence in a geography class. As a visual subject that studies the entire world and different cultures, geography offers excellent opportunities for language awareness. Taking advantage of different languages and using methods that either don’t rely solely on language or focus on language specifically support language awareness. Attention should also be drawn to how the teacher uses language to provide accessible teaching to as many as possible. The research results can be used to guide teaching to become more language-aware, not only the teaching of geography but other subjects too. This way F2-students can better be taken into consideration both through the language(s) and the activities used in class. The thesis also brings forward students’ ideas about language awareness and holds their voices higher to be heard.
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(2023)As people form and experience their daily travel patterns differently, it is important to consider perceived accessibility in public transportation planning. Perceived accessibility affects the way people feel about their abilities to attend desired social activities. Therefore, it is an effective indicator to measure social inclusion, for example. Recently, Western Metro in southern Espoo has expanded from Matinkylä to Kivenlahti and changed the overall bus system within the subdivisions. The target subdivisions have been Matinkylä, Finnoo, Kaitaa, Soukka, Espoonlahti, Kivenlahti, and Saunalahti. Thus, this study aimed to find out if residents’ travel behaviors within these areas have changed and if they feel like public transport supports their travel needs. Ultimately, I wanted to see if the changed routes in public transportation in southern Espoo alter residents’ feelings about the transportation networks, and what is the overall level of perceived accessibility among them. The target group of my research were university students, who live across Matinkylä-Saunalahti scale. As many students do not own a car and their assets may be limited, public transport is considered vital for their every-day trips. As public transportation is seen as a sustainable travel option compared to private car, it is important to assess perceived accessibility especially in terms of young people. The movements of youth are interesting to study, because their perceived accessibility can affect public transportation usage in a long-term scale. PPGIS-based survey has been created for the target subdivisions in southern Espoo. The surveys contain map-based questions with both qualitative and quantitative aspects. According to the survey results, the level of students’ perceived accessibility within the context of public transportation was assessed in a mixed-methods analysis. It is also interesting to compare results (statistically and qualitatively) among the chosen groups to see, if there are similarities or differences regarding to perceived accessibility. Although almost every respondent said that they use public transport in their daily life, most of them were upset with the changes within their every-day routines. Ticket prices, travel options, and travel comfort rose as the most significant issues determining perceived accessibility of a university student. According to this data, public transportation services could be enhanced and the imago of it could be positively increased. Thus, both customers and service providers could benefit from my study.
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(2022)This Master’s thesis addresses perceived insecurity in socio-economically segregated districts in Helsinki surrounding metro stations. Helsinki has long been in a cycle of segregation, and news of street violence and youth gangs have caused concern. This thesis focuses on perceived insecurity, which can be caused by many factors, including physical environment and presence of other people. Segregation is a phenomenon with several causes and consequences. Segregation has often thought to be a delayed, regional consequence of economic inequality in society. Segregation can also be driven by the negative spiral in neighborhoods and the associated relocations of affluent population. In Helsinki, segregation is moderate compared to the global scale, but several studies have shown that disadvantage is localized in the eastern parts of Helsinki. Perceived insecurity is a holistic experience involving cognitive functions and risk theories. Insecurity can be experienced, for example, in terms of the characteristics of the physical environment: open spaces without social control or crowded spaces which obstruct escape routes can cause insecurity. In addition, individual factors, other people’s behavior in the space, and surveillance can affect perceived insecurity. The thesis has two research questions. In the first research question, the issues causing perceived insecurity in Lauttasaari, Herttoniemi and Mellunkylä are investigated. The reason for the selection of these districts as target areas is socio-economic diversity and proximity of metro stations, which may have an impact on perceived insecurity. The results of a security survey conducted in Helsinki serve as data related to insecurity. The second research question examines how urban planning and the characteristics of the built environment affect insecurity in the target areas. The data used for this research question are planning documents and photographs taken in the target areas. The results show large regional differences in perceived insecurity. Lauttasaari is perceived as the safest area and Mellunkylä as the least safe area, with Herttoniemi in between. In Lauttasaari, the main concerns are reduction of green areas and traffic behavior. In Herttoniemi, social problems are significantly more of a concern than in Lauttasaari. In Mellunkylä, many are concerned about, for example, intercultural conflicts, street violence and youth gangs. The different responses of the target areas may be explained by the socio-economic differences between the areas. Based on the planning documents, the aim is to improve especially the status of Mellunkylä: The aim is to create a new center in the area surrounding Mellunmäki metro station. Mellunkylä is also involved in the urban renewal project within the housing & land use implementation program concucted by the city of Helsinki. Actions targeting socio-economically weaker regions may reduce segregation and the associated regional disparities in perceived insecurity. According to the results of the photography tour, elements of the physical environment causing insecurity were found in almost all the metro station surroundings. Such elements include, for example, narrow underpasses, blocks without round-the-clock use and signs of vandalism. Helsinki is perceived as a fairly safe city, but regional differences are considerable. Measures to prevent segregation and the resulting insecurity must be aimed at preventing socio-economic disparities at the macro level by closing income disparities and raising the profile of deprived neighborhoods. At the micro level, insecurity can be prevented by improving the quality of the built environment where it is weak. However, the causes and consequences of segregation and insecurity are complex and actions need to be tailored to the local context.
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(2022)Suomalaiset lähiöt sijoittuvat kaupunkien keskustojen laidoille. Ne ovat keskenään erinäköisiä, eri ikäisiä ja keskenään hyvin erilaista kaupunkiympäristöä. Siitä huolimatta termi ”lähiö” tuo meille jokaiselle mielikuvan juuri tietyntyyppisestä alueesta erityispiirteineen. Tämän tutkielman tarkoituksena oli tarkastella sitä, millaisista elementeistä lähiömäinen kaupunkiympäristö mielikuvissa muodostuu sekä sitä, miten se poikkeaa erityisesti kantakaupunkimaisesta ympäristöstä. Lähiöitä on tutkittu Suomessa vuosikymmeniä. Lähiöt ovat kiinnostaneet ja herättäneet keskustelua ensimmäisten lähiöiden valmistumisesta saakka. Tämä keskustelu on vaikuttanut mielikuviimme lähiöstä sekä siihen, miten itse niistä puhumme. Lähiöiden suunnittelussa aikanaan tapahtuneet virheet johtivat paikoittain rakenteellisiin ja sosiaalisiin ongelmiin, joiden takia esimerkiksi sanomalehdissä uutisoitiin pitkään lähiöiden ongelmista niiden asukkaiden todellisia kokemuksia sen enempää kuulematta. Asukkaat itse viihtyivät alueillaan ja yrittivät vaikuttaa lähiöiden negatiivisiin imagoihin muun muassa yleisöpalstojen kirjoitusten kautta. Yhdessä nämä puhetavat ovat antaneet lähiöille maineen, joka kaikuu jo lähiö-termissä itsessään. 2000-luvulla alueellinen eriytyminen on paikoittain syventänyt lähiöiden ongelmia. Samalla lähiöiden määrän kasvu on tuonut ne kaupungin laidoilta lähemmäs arkikokemuksiamme. Kaikki tämä näkyy siinä, miten ihmiset lähiöitä mielikuvissaan rakentavat. Mielikuvia päätettiin lähteä tutkimaan laadullisia tutkimusmenetelmiä hyödyntäen. Huomio haluttiin kiinnittää mielikuvien muodostumiseen, jota tutkimukseen vastaajien toivottiin kuvailevan mahdollisimman vapaasti, mutta kattavasti. Mielikuvien tarkastelua varten laadittiin kyselylomake, joka jaettiin huhtikuussa 2022 sosiaalisen median kautta kaikkien aiheesta kiinnostuneiden vastattavaksi. Lomakkeella selvitettiin vastaajien mielikuvia sekä lähiömäisestä kaupunkiympäristöstä että kantakaupunkimaisesta ympäristöstä. Vastauksia kerättiin sekä vastaajien omin sanoin, että luokittelemalla ympäristöä eri kategorioihin ja pyytämällä vastaajia ottamaan kantaa juuri niiden luonteeseen. Lisäksi haluttiin selvittää vastaajien henkilökohtaista suhdetta lähiöön. Kyselyn aineisto käsiteltiin sisällönanalyysiä hyödyntäen. Tutkimuksessa tunnistettiin tärkeimpiä lähiöön liitettäviä mielikuvia. Vastaajat mielsivät muun muassa ilmeeltään yhtenäisten asuinkerrostalojen, ostoskeskusten, lähiluonnon, ulkoilumaastojen, henkilöautopainotteisen liikenteen sekä ystävällisten, kylämäisessä yhteisössä asuvien ihmisten muodostavan lähiöihin kuuluvia ympäristön kulmakiviä. Vastauksista on tunnistettavissa selvä ero kantakaupunkimaisen ympäristön ja lähiömäisen kaupunkiympäristön herättämien mielikuvien välillä. Samalla vastauksista kävi ilmi, että vastaajat käsittävät lähiön identiteettiä sen suhteen kautta, joka lähiöllä on kantakaupunkiin. Vastaajat ymmärsivät lähiön riippuvuuden kaupungista ja vertasivat lähiömäisen kaupunkiympäristön yksityiskohtia kantakaupunkimaiseen. Piirteet, joissa näiden välinen ero oli suurin, olivat vastaajien mielikuvissa lähiöille kaikkien tunnusmaisimpia. Vastaajat eivät pitäneet lähiötä urbaanina, kaupunkimaisena ympäristönä, mutta eivät myöskään maalaismaisena. Lähiö sijoittuu kyselyyn vastanneiden mielikuvissa näiden maailmojen välimaastoon alueeksi, jolla on näistä molemmista irrallinen, oma identiteettinsä.
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(2021)Korkeuden vaikutusta eliöiden esiintymiseen on tutkittu eri alueilla jo 1800-luvulta lähtien, mutta vasta viimeisten vuosikymmenien aikana korkeuden vaikutuksen on tunnistettu olevan monimutkainen. Eri eliöryhmien lajirunsaushuiput saavutetaan korkeusgradientin eri vyöhykkeissä eri alueilla. Lintuihin korkeuden ja lajirunsauden välille on tunnistettu neljä toisistaan poikkeavaa trendiä. Korkeuden vaikutusta on tutkittu pääosin lauhkeilla ja trooppisilla alueilla, kun taas korkeiden leveyspiirien alueilta on tutkimusta vähän. Korkeuden lisäksi elinympäristöjen on todettu vaikuttavan merkittävällä tavalla lintujen esiintymiseen, mutta elinympäristöjen vaikutusta on tutkittu lähinnä metsissä, maatalousympäristöissä ja kaupungeissa. Ilmastonmuutos vaikuttaa pohjoisten alueiden elinympäristöihin erityisen voimakkaasti, mikä tekee näistä alueista tärkeitä tutkimuskohteita. Tämän tutkielman tarkoituksena on selvittää, miten korkeus ja elinympäristöt vaikuttavat lintujen esiintymiseen ja runsauteen tunturiympäristössä. Korkeuden ja elinympäristöjen vaikutusta tutkittiin tuottamalla alueellisia malleja kahdella eri mallinnusmenetelmällä (GLM ja GAM) lintuaineiston, korkeuden ja elinympäristöjen välille. Lintuaineisto kerättiin kesän 2019 aikana pistelaskennalla 420 tutkimuspisteeltä Pohjois-Norjassa Rásttigáisá-tunturin ympäristössä noin 180 km² kokoiselta alueelta. Lintuaineiston lajit luokiteltiin taksonomian mukaan lintulahkoihin varpuslintuihin, rantalintuihin, kanalintuihin ja päiväpetolintuihin. Tutkimuspisteet luokiteltiin viiteen eri elinympäristöluokkaan (metsä, metsänraja, kuiva avotunturi, kostea avotunturi, karukko) NDVI-aineiston ja ilmakuvien perusteella. Lintulajeille laskettiin Shannonin habitaatti diversiteetti-indeksi (SHDI), jonka avulla tutkittiin lajien esiintymistä eri elinympäristöissä. Sekä korkeus että elinympäristöt selittävät lintujen esiintymistä tunturiympäristössä. Korkeuden ja elinympäristöjen välillä havaittiin merkittävä suhde ja elinympäristöt sijoittuvat verrattain selvästi korkeusgradientille. Korkeuden ja lajirunsauden suhteen todettiin olevan huipukas, korkeimmat lajirunsaudet havaittiin 300–500 metrissä metsänrajalla ja sen yläpuolella. Korkeus selitti 30,3 % kokonaislajirunsauden, 30,8 % varpuslintujen ja 28,0 % rantalintujen lajirunsauden vaihtelusta (GAM). Elinympäristöluokat selittivät korkeutta paremmin etenkin esiintymisen muutoksia 50 metrin skaalalla. SHDI-arvon mukaan elinympäristöön erikoistuneimmat linnut ovat kosteiden avotuntureiden rantalintuja, kun taas varpuslinnuissa esiintyy enemmän generalistilajeja. Elinympäristöluokat selittivät tarkan skaalan lisäksi erityisen hyvin elinympäristöön erikoistuneiden rantalintujen lajirunsautta (35,5 %). Tulevat muutokset ilmastossa uhkaavat etenkin avotunturissa esiintyviä lajeja, joista monet esiintyvät vain tietyssä elinympäristössä. Korkeuden ja elinympäristöjen vaikutusten syvempään ja tarkempaan ymmärtämiseen tarvitaan lisää tutkimusta. Jatkotutkimusta tarvitaan useammalta korkeusgradientilta ja tarkemmalla elinympäristöluokituksella.
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(2021)School environments have become increasingly challenging due to segregation in cities, escalating social problems and multiculturisation. The challenges do not emerge only in classrooms but are also reflected more widely to the school communities and surrounding areas. The growing challenges raise a question whether a school’s role could be extended from an educational institution to a more versatile node of services that supports not only children’s learning but also all residents’ wellbeing and lifelong learning in the neighbourhood. In this study I examine a school’s local role in increasing social capital, sense of community, inclusion and trust in its neighbourhood and I analyse how a community building, where the school is placed, could take a supportive role in it. The thesis is a case study of a Finnish multicultural urban neighbourhood where a new community building was opened a few years ago. The community building houses a school, daycare, library, youth centre and social- and health services. I take an institutional approach in the study and I interview five institutional actors representing the school and the city. The study material consists of these interviews and of a recording given to me by one of my interviewee who had interviewed other school representatives before my study. In the analysis part, I use a case analysis method, which sheds light not only on the policies and functional practices of the school and the community building but also on the challenges they face. Even as one case study, the knowledge gained from it can be viewed in a wider context in order to understand the functioning of school communities and to take part in discussing the operational school environments. The main results of the study indicate that the interviewed school and city representatives perceive the school as a larger local actor rather than only as an educational institution. The representatives see that the school is an important actor in building sense of community, inclusion and trust in the wider neighbourhood and also believe that it reflects its conventions and values to the whole community. Central finding in the thesis is also the interviewees’ common view that the community building and its versatile services strongly support the school in delivering education, wellbeing and assistance for children, families and all residents of the community. The school and community building are also regarded as important domains of integration for the people with an immigrant background to the Finnish society. A school represents one the most central institutions of the society and it reaches whole families due to compulsory education. Therefore, it works as a natural platform for integrating services and assistance not only for children but also for adults. The main challenges that the school and community building face in its functioning and in creating a wider local role were mentioned to be segregation with its negative side effects and policies made in the city level that do not fit as such to the neighbourhood’s local context. This study takes part in the discussion of segregation in cities and growing spatial inequality with their negative impacts on people’s wellbeing and on equal opportunities. This negative trajectory will also lead to malfunctioning of cities and the wider society. The results of this study provide insights to the question, whether a community building as a concept could be a solution in school and spatial development and in urban neighborhood improvement. A community building that supports a school in taking a stronger local role and working as a node of services for education, hobbies, leisure and assistance can possibly improve people’s everyday lives and wellbeing in the whole society.
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