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(2007)The aim of the study was to explore the impact of commuting and location of the residence on a consumer's total emission of greenhouse gases. The subject was chosen because many Finns move to a dwelling that is situated far away from their place of work. The research questions were: 1. How big a proportion of the total emission of consumers' greenhouse gases is due to the passenger traffic? 2. What would be the increase of greenhouse gas emission if an employee moved from Helsinki (Finland's capital city) to Nurmijärvi (a municipality located 37 km from Helsinki) assuming that the employee works in Helsinki and the commuting mode is switched from the metro to a private car. (There is no metro nor train connection between Helsinki and Nurmijärvi.) Passenger traffic forms with its estimated 33% the biggest source of consumption caused greenhouse gas emissions in Finland. Private car use is the main source of greenhouse gas emissions deriving from passenger traffic. If an employee moved to an electrically heated single-family house located about 40 km from the place of work the emission rate would increase by 75% assuming that the commuting mode is switched from the metro to a private car. Most of the increase would be due to the change of commuting mode. Most public transport in Helsinki takes place by rail (metro, tram, and train). Metro is the most favorable transportation mode in regard to greenhouse gas emission. Automobiles are the most damaging commuting alternative. A car with driver and no passengers on a motorway emits about 8 times more greenhouse gas (21.84 kg per 100 km or 62.5 miles) than travel by metro in Helsinki (2.87 kg per 100 km or 62.5 miles). A car moving in city streets emits about 10 times more greenhouse gas (27.3 kg per 100 km or 62.5 miles) than does metro travel. Substituting diesel for gasoline reduces emissions by very little. The use of diesel on a motorway decreases emissions by only 7% whereas diesel driving in a city increases emissions by 4%. Travel distances between home and work in Finland increased by about 80% between 1980 and 2003. In the same period the number of private cars increased by 86% and kilometers driven per year per car increased by 92%. The results are based on statistics and calculations based on these statistics concerning traffic, housing, heating, and electrical use. Also previous studies dealing with residential sprawl, traffic, energy production, and greenhouse gas emissions produced by Finnish consumers were referred to.
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(2020)Tutkielmassa käsittelen noin 30-40- vuotiaiden, puolisottomien ja lapsettomien naisten identiteettiä ja sitä, miten ja millaisista osa-alueista he muodostavat identiteettinsä kulttuurissa ja yhteiskunnassa, joka koetaan hyvin heteroparisuhde- ja ydinerhekeskeiseksi. Tutkin, millaisia sosiaalisia kategorioita yksinelävät naiset kokevat heihin liitettävän suhteessa siihen, miten he itse kokevat oman identiteettinsä. Peilaan nykysinkkujen kokemuksia vanhempaan vanhanpiian stigmatisaatioon, joka liittyi aiemmin yhteiskunnassa 25 vuotta täyttäneisiin, naimattomiin naisiin. Käytän tutkimuksessani kahdentyyppistä aineistoa. Olen haastatellut neljää yksinelävää naista heidän kokemuksistaan, lisäksi olen käyttänyt aineistona kolmea sinkkuudesta kertovaa blogia. Tutkimuksen taustana ovat sosiaaliset kategoriat, erityisesti Jyrki Pöysän tekemä tutkimus Jätkän synty, missä hän tutkii sosiaalisten kategorioiden muodostumista jätkäperinteessä. Lisäksi tärkeä taustakäsite on identiteetin käsite. Sosiaalisten kategorioiden tullessa ulkopuolelta määriteltyinä, identiteetti rakentuu yksilöstä sisältäpäin. Myös intersektionaalisuus käsitteenä liittyy olennaisesti tutkimukseen, sillä yksineläviin naisiin liitetyt sosiaaliset kategoriat eroavat siitä, millaisia yksineläviin miehiin liitetään. Myöskin puolisottomien ja lapsettomien naisten kokemukset ja elämät eroavat keskenään toisistaan. Muodostamaani aineistoa olen tutkimuksessani analysoinut sisällönanalyysin menetelmän avulla, yhdistäen soveltavasti aineisto- sekä teorialähtöistä sisällönanalyysiä pyrkien avaamaan yksinelävien naisten kokemusta sekä ilmiötä. Haastatteluissa olen kartoittanut haastateltujen kokemuksia ja identiteettiä kartoittaen pienimuotoista elämäntarinaa. Haastattelut ovat pohjautuneet tekemääni haastattelurunkoon, jota olen haastattelujen edetessä tarpeen mukaan muokannut. Tutkimukseni perusteella nainen kategorisoidaan vahvasti äitiyden ja puolisouden kautta ja yksinelävä nainen elää yhteiskunnallisen ja kulttuurisen normin ulkopuolella. Yksinelävillä naisilla on kuitenkin toive parisuhteesta ja mahdollisesti myös lapsista, joten sinkkuna eläminen ei ole tietoinen valinta, vaan elämäntilanteeseen on päädytty monien asioiden vaikutuksesta. Elämä koetaan pääosin sinkkuudesta huolimatta hyväksi ja sinkkuus on tuonut elämään myös hyviä kokemuksia, joskin joissakin tapauksissa se on myös kaventanut sosiaalista elämää. Parisuhde koetaan kuitenkin yhdeksi elämänalueeksi, eikä sen ajatella olevan identiteetin perusta. Puolisottoman ja lapsettoman naisen identiteetti määrittyy vahvasti omasta itsestä käsin. Sinkkunaisen seksuaalisuuteen liitetään tutkimuksen perusteella kaksinaismoralismia eri tavalla, kuin sinkkumiesten kohdalla. Sinkkujen elämäntilanne määritellään usein myös väliaikaiseksi ja tämä aiheuttaa kokemuksen ulkopuolisuudesta ja oman paikan puuttumisesta. Yksinäisyyttä vahvemmin tutkimuksessa nousi esiin nimenomaan ulkopuolisuuden kokemus.
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(2018)The Finnish food security is currently good, but Finland must respond to threats linked to natural or man-made disasters, climate change and reliance on imported resources. This master’s thesis examines the potential of urban agriculture (UA) as part of the urban food system. Rooftop data, crop yield statistics and the Finnish Nutrition Recommendations 2014 are used to build a case study in which self-sufficiency percentages, nutritional factors and shading are calculated for the Pasila area in central Helsinki. Calculations based on the total potential green rooftop area and open rooftop farming in Pasila show that 4,51 % of the resident population’s energy needs could be supplied with the potato, or 3,87 % of their protein needs with the green pea. Allocating half of the area to the potato and half to the green pea decreases the self-sufficiency percentages, but results in a more even ratio between energy and protein. Adding kale increases the number of essential vitamins and minerals which can be supplied: 500 g of each of the three plants covers the daily recommended intake for 12 of the 19 vitamins and minerals listed in the Finnish Nutrition Recommendations 2014, compared to zero for the potato only and seven for the combination of the potato and the green pea. In addition to the available area, at least farming methods (e.g. open field, aquaponics and greenhouses), crop yield potential, food choices and food wastage influence the food self-sufficiency potential. In central Helsinki shading may affect as much as half of the rooftop area, which needs to be considered in the choice of plants and architecture; strategies such as placing the tallest building on the northern edge of the area may be beneficial. Though the total self-sufficiency based on open rooftop farming is low, Pasila could be a net producer of potatoes or peas, or grow 46 % of its fresh vegetables measured in weight (kale). Whether UA can contribute to local food security, or food system resilience, may therefore depend on how its objectives are defined: maximum energy and nutrient content, alternative food sources, new opportunities for farmers, wealth retention, or some other indirect mechanism. With the right policies, UA could advance the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s Climate Program by increasing carbon sequestration, reducing food waste and promoting a more plants-based diet. It may also serve the objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), including a healthier environment, preserving and creating jobs, protecting local financial interests and contributing to a sound development of our areas
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(2020)The themes of this thesis are alternative, informal, and uncommercial cultural spaces, the scenes using the spaces, and the individual scene participants. The study’s frame is Helsinki between 2000–2019. The study combines relevant theoretical discussion from subculture research tradition and urbanism. The key concepts of the thesis are ‘scenes,’ a cultural definition of ‘subculture,’ ‘alternative cultural spaces,’ ‘DIY culture’ (‘do it yourself’), and ‘enclaves.’ The thesis presents Helsinki’s ‘DIY landscape’ to consist of interconnected actors—scene participants—who are part of a network that revolves around making, performing and facilitating music in a specific urban infrastructure—the city, Helsinki—and in which the alternative cultural spaces create physical ‘hubs’ for the scene. The data has been collected online via a combination of oral history recollections and qualitative surveying. The data was collected in collaboration between Helsinki City Museum and Music Archive Finland in fall 2019. The data consist of 70 individual responses. The data is treated through the epistemology of qualitative research and oral history, and therefore is seen to include both ‘factual’ information and the informant’s subjective interpretations, their experience. On a practical level, the analysis has been conducted mainly via qualitative content analysis (QCA), but also geographic information system (GIS) has been used. The study aims to explicate a widely recognized but poorly known cultural phenomenon. The study’s key results are as follows. Four types of alternative cultural spaces have existed: dedicated buildings, rooms, outdoor venues, and even a ship. All of the study’s 34 spaces have hosted live music events and a variety of other cultural, political, and social activities. The spaces have been acquired for use by renting, squatting, and asking permission, and in two cases are owned by the facilitator. With some exceptions, they are located in the fringe areas of Helsinki’s city center, have a relatively short lifespan (maximum of five years in a set location) and share ‘aesthetics of necessity’ that roots meager or non-existent funding and the use of subcultural symbols and art. The spaces follow certain ‘DIY operating principles’ that aim to create an encouraging and inclusive atmosphere for DIY participation. The spaces, and their users, have faced a variety of challenges, setbacks, and problems. These are rooted in funding, the deficits of the buildings and their facilities, and to other citizens, the police, and the City of Helsinki. The City’s role emerges from the data as ambivalent—a constrainer and enabler. According to the responder’s experience, the City does not have a uniform policy towards the use of vacant urban space, and DIY culture overall is not recognized. For the scenes, the alternative cultural spaces function as platforms where cherish—often ‘marginal’—music and subcultures. Some of the participants connect political and societal ideals to the spaces and DIY activities. DIY activities emerged as—sometimes self-purposefully—social and communal by their nature. In the spaces between scene participants take place socio-cultural ‘cross-fertilization,’ which sometimes leads to new organizational groups and even scenes forming. These might relocate their practices elsewhere, and thus DIY culture spreads to new locations in the urban infrastructure. For the individual scene participants, crossing with the scene represents an important part of finding a social reference group. Some of the responders described going through a ‘DIY phase,’ which is a several yearlong period in their youth when life orientations and identity are intensively connected to DIY culture. The meaningfulness of scene participation lasts to later life, even if the participant’s active years are foregone. For some, the skills and knowledge acquired in the scene creates a basis for a more professional career in cultural production. As the reasons for the diminish or end of the DIY participation are given the closure of an alternative cultural space focal for the participant, challenges in activities, and major life events. In the discussion, the thesis suggests the concept of ‘urban DIY enclaves’ in the toolboxes of urban planners and designers. The DIY enclaves differentiate from the broader urban landscape by their condition, aesthetics, political messages, and subcultural symbols. Socially they have been constructed to advance DIY culture and cherish the creative lifestyle associated with it. The concept is suggested as a device for acknowledging the existence of DIY culture; in other words, its need for space, and its participants’ eagerness to participate in the construction of the urban and cultural landscape.
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(Helsingin yliopistoHelsingfors universitetUniversity of Helsinki, 2009)Inadvertent climate modification has led to an increase in urban temperatures compared to the surrounding rural area. The main reason for the temperature rise is the altered energy portioning of input net radiation to heat storage and sensible and latent heat fluxes in addition to the anthropogenic heat flux. The heat storage flux and anthropogenic heat flux have not yet been determined for Helsinki and they are not directly measurable. To the contrary, turbulent fluxes of sensible and latent heat in addition to net radiation can be measured, and the anthropogenic heat flux together with the heat storage flux can be solved as a residual. As a result, all inaccuracies in the determination of the energy balance components propagate to the residual term and special attention must be paid to the accurate determination of the components. One cause of error in the turbulent fluxes is the fluctuation attenuation at high frequencies which can be accounted for by high frequency spectral corrections. The aim of this study is twofold: to assess the relevance of high frequency corrections to water vapor fluxes and to assess the temporal variation of the energy fluxes. Turbulent fluxes of sensible and latent heat have been measured at SMEAR III station, Helsinki, since December 2005 using the eddy covariance technique. In addition, net radiation measurements have been ongoing since July 2007. The used calculation methods in this study consist of widely accepted eddy covariance data post processing methods in addition to Fourier and wavelet analysis. The high frequency spectral correction using the traditional transfer function method is highly dependent on relative humidity and has an 11% effect on the latent heat flux. This method is based on an assumption of spectral similarity which is shown not to be valid. A new correction method using wavelet analysis is thus initialized and it seems to account for the high frequency variation deficit. Anyhow, the resulting wavelet correction remains minimal in contrast to the traditional transfer function correction. The energy fluxes exhibit a behavior characteristic for urban environments: the energy input is channeled to sensible heat as latent heat flux is restricted by water availability. The monthly mean residual of the energy balance ranges from 30 Wm-2 in summer to -35 Wm-2 in winter meaning a heat storage to the ground during summer. Furthermore, the anthropogenic heat flux is approximated to be 50 Wm-2 during winter when residential heating is important.
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(2018)Keltisk folktradition är full av feer. I denna avhandling riktas intresset till den muntliga sagotraditionen på Irland och i Skottland, samt de fe-kreatur som förekommer i berättelser från dessa länder. Enligt folkloristen Eddie Lenihan hotar urbaniseringen traditionerna kring feer och berättelserna om dem. Moderna uppfinningar som tandfen och Tingeling härstammar från keltiska feer, men dessa är ett modernt eko av de traditionella väsen som folk både fruktade och hedrade på den irländska och skotska landsbydgen. Denna avhandling behandlar traditionella keltiska feer i modern, urban fantasilitteratur av Holly Black. Typiska drag för keltiska feer och berättelser om dem diskuteras med hjälp av folkloristiska studier. Verk av bland annat Katharine Briggs används. Tom Peete Cross motiv-index för typiska motiv i tidig irländsk litteratur utnyttjas för att poängtera typiska motiv som kan hittas i Blacks litteratur. Bakgrundslitteratur främst av Alexander Irvine samt Brian Attebery utnyttjas för att analysera Blacks ställning till och sätt att använda urban fantasilitteratur i berättelser om feer. En tolkning av Blacks tre noveller ”The Coat of Stars”, ”Virgin” och ”Going Ironside” presenteras och diskuteras i avhandlingen. Målet är att se hur den amerikanska ungdoms- och barnförfattaren använder traditionella keltiska folkloristiska motiv och feer i en relativt ung litteraturgenre. Avhandlingen behandlar också den nytta och värde som hennes tolkningar av keltiska feer kan ha för en kontemporär stadsbo, och hur hennes noveller skiljer sig från de muntliga berättelserna från landsbygden. Analysen av Holly Blacks verk påvisar inflytandet av keltisk tradition. Hennes feer är mycket lika de keltiska varelserna i traditionella sägner. Novellerna visar hur hennes urbana människokaraktärer drar nytta av möten med traditionella feer. I ”The Coat of Stars” främjas sann lycka genom att hitta en balans mellan urbanitet och tradition i ens liv. Huvudkaraktärerna i ”Virgin” exemplifierar hur olyckligt det kan vara att ägna ens liv åt enbart fantasi eller världens realiteter, utan den balans som finns i ”The Coat of Stars”. Blacks ”Going Ironside” handlar inte om människor, utan berättar om ett keltiskt rå som glömmer sig själv och är glömd i en människostad. Det keltiska råets öde fungerar som en varning för det som kan hända keltisk tradition överhuvudtaget. Blacks novell kan därmed sägas komma till liknande slutsatser som Lenihan presenterar. Holly Blacks noveller är dock ett tecken på att traditionella feer inte är förlorade utan förvandlade, för att bättre lämpa sig för den förändrade lyssnaren – numera läsaren – som har bytt ut den lantliga idyllen mot staden.
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(2022)The ongoing growth and densification of urban areas is threatening biodiversity in cities. Previously continuous habitats are reduced and fragmented into smaller areas, which increases the edge effect and changes the qualities of the original habitat. Urban greenspaces are frequently used by people, and disturbances, such as trampling, and understorey management are increasing the similarity of habitat patches (i.e. homogenisation). In this study, I investigated the effects of small-scale homogeneity in forests produced by urbanisation on the distribution patterns and trait composition of carabid beetles. Sampling was done with pitfall traps during the summer of 2021 and altogether 21 study sites were selected in the City of Lahti, Finland. The study sites represented three different environments: 1) structurally complex (heterogenous) habitat in remnant spruce forests in the city, 2) structurally simple (homogenous) habitat in remnant spruce forests in the city, 3) structurally simple habitat under spruce trees in managed urban parks. In addition to the beetles, a set of environmental variables was collected to quantify the complexity of the three habitat types. As expected, habitat homogeneity affected carabid beetle species composition so that the proportion of generalist and open-habitat species was greater in homogenous sites, including homogenous forest remnants and highly homogenous urban parks, whereas the proportion of forest specialists was greater in heterogenous forests. Species richness was higher in the homogenous sites due to species-rich open-habitat genera in the carabid beetle family. Trait distribution at the community level showed clear differences between the three studied habitat types. As expected, the proportions of large and heavy species were higher in the forest habitats than in the parks, whereas homogenous habitats, especially highly homogenous park sites consisted of a higher proportion of flight capable species than heterogenous forests. At the species level, individual beetles were generally smaller in the parks, whereas the results between the two forest types varied and a clear difference between habitat specialists and generalists could not be detected. As cities grow, keeping the management of greenspaces moderate, selecting native vegetation, and preserving decaying woody material are ways to increase habitat heterogeneity, which according to this study, can support biodiversity and life of different organisms in urban areas.
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(2013)Changing individuals’ behavior and involving them in environmentally sound practices is a central issue in environmental and climate politics. This master’s thesis takes a closer look at how civic organizations can work beside the public sector toward this goal, and hence discusses the third sector’s participation in climate change mitigation. The environmental organization Dodo’s work for promoting urban gardening serves as the case of the study. The research questions are: What meanings are attached to Dodo’s urban gardening activities, what strategies are used to mediate these meanings further, what results are gained, and what aspects affect Dodo’s work? Dodo’s contribution to the formation of urban gardening practice can shed light on the potential influence of civic organizations in today’s political context. Giddens’s (1984) theory of structuration was used as theoretical framework for the study. The research material was gathered through ethnographic fieldwork conducted at Dodo’s gardening locations. The bulk of the observation took place at Turntable, which is Dodo’s center for urban gardening in Middle-Pasila, Helsinki. The method entailed acquiring detailed information about what kinds of elements formed Dodo’s gardening activities. Dodo’s websites, newspaper articles and documents were used for further material supplement. A longer interview with a Turntable coordinator provided material about the project’s climate political aspects. Although Dodo’s political strategy is influencing citizens, its activities do not condense into mere extension of new public management. Dodo promotes the urban gardening practice from its own initiative, instead of working on the behalf of the city of Helsinki or the Finnish state. The participants at Turntable form a cross-disciplinary group of activists and volunteers, sharing ideas and acquiring new skills concerning urban gardening and sustainability questions. A considerable part of Dodo’s resources is still needed in the practical implementation of the practice: maintaining the gardens, guiding citizens and fundraising. This takes time from promoting the political meaning of urban gardening as first and foremost efficient ecological method of producing food in cities. Dodo needs to cooperate with media and commercial actors, in the hope of more resources and visibility. A dialogue between Dodo and the city has resulted in urban gardening becoming one important point in the city’s food strategy. The core meanings attached to the practice by Dodo have nevertheless fragmented when mediated through different actors. The cooperation between Dodo and the city exemplifies what Giddens defines as 'dialectic of control', referring to a situation where subordinate groups and their superiors influence each other’s action, in this case struggle between identification of the core meanings attributed to urban gardening and climate politics. As an organization Dodo is able to mediate some of its ideas to the city’s political agenda, but as majority of participants at Turntable are Dodo’s activists and volunteers, students and professionals many of whom have background in academic education, this dialogue is related to citizens’ social background. On the other hand, it is here where Dodo attempts to make a difference through its maker-movement ideology: engaging a broader scale of people in civic activity by emphasizing do-it-yourself attitude and concrete action concerning the near environment and everyday context. The meanings of DIY and concrete doing are also transformed into action in Dodo’s projects. However a can-do spirit amongst citizens does not yet guarantee access to political decision-making processes, and it remains a topic for further research: whether people will adapt this DIY attitude on a broader scale and whether this civic activity also extends from people’s own backyards to other spheres.
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(2014)Nowadays there is a growing amount of empirical evidence stating that urban green areas provide health and wellbeing for people. However, there remain uncertainties concerning the processes through which people gain health from green space. Several processes might explain the health effect of urban green space, one possibility being the encouragement of physical activity. Various studies support the statement that urban green space increases physical activity, but there are also studies which question these results. Using a representative dataset from 2079 Finnish respondents aged 15 or over, this study aims to research further the controversial relation between urban green space and physical activity of people. With binary logistic regression analyses, this study explores whether urban green space has an effect on total physical activity or on non-recreational physical activity, meaning walking and cycling for transportation purposes. Analyses are controlled with variables measuring population density of a neighborhood, condition of walking and cycling lanes and respondents’ age, gender and level of education. The main result emerging from the analyses of this study is that, contrary to expectations, urban green space seems to increase the likelihood of insufficient physical activity. This trend was particularly visible when non-recreational physical activity was measured. But when controlled with population density, the effect of urban green space on physical activity is reversed, and it seems that urban green space increases the likelihood of particularly sufficient non-recreational physical activity. The findings of this study provide support for the argument that urban green space can encourage especially non-recreational physical activity in the neighborhoods with sufficient population density.
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(2022)As biodiversity loss is identified to be one of the pressing environmental challenges today, Finnish cities have begun to follow in the footsteps of many European cities by creating urban greening plans in the form of increasing meadow habitats. The ecological and economic benefits of urban meadows are well understood, but when meadow habitats are brought into people’s everyday environments, it is important to consider how it affects people’s environmental aesthetic experiences. ‘Aesthetics’ is often understood solely as individual preferences, but the aim of this thesis was to address the aesthetic appreciation of meadows through the field of environmental aesthetics. Combining the fields of environmental aesthetics and ecology, this study provides a fresh perspective to the value debate over urban meadows. The analysis of the work approached the topic from the perspective of Finnish cities. After compiling the operational programs that solely consider urban meadows, qualitative content analysis was used to analyze what ecological and aesthetic aspects are brought up in the documents and how they are valuated. To emphasize the aesthetic perspective, it was further investigated through discourse analysis whether there are consistent ways in which cities construct an image of the aesthetic values of urban meadows. The content analysis showed that the documents have both ecological and aesthetic viewpoints. The ecological content emphasized that meadows are important tool in increasing biodiversity and also provide recreational possibilities for people. The aesthetic content focused on the cultural-historical role of the meadows as well as the experiences provided by the meadows. Based on the content analysis, three uniform discourses were identified throughout the documents. The first relates to meadows which are the remains of cities’ agricultural history, and their cultural and ecological values are easily recognizable. The second refers to meadows that are currently emerging from other green types such as lawns and grasslands reverting to woodland. They are seen as having ecological and recreational value, but as they are unlikely to meet the expectations for flowering meadows, city officials want to inform citizens about the ecological qualities of these meadows to avoid negative feedback. The last discourse focuses on the experiential side of meadows, but instead of talking about the environmental aesthetic experience as understood in theoretical research, the argumentation is restricted to visual and recreational experiences. The way in which the aesthetic qualities, values and experiences of urban meadows are understood in a professional context reflects the way in which they are presented to the users of green areas. This thesis has revealed that the terminology used in the documents referring to environmental aesthetics is insufficient and does not correspond to the concepts presented in the theory of the work. Expanding the debate on environmental aesthetics would turn the goal of ‘people tolerating unordered ecosystems’ to ‘how can unordered ecosystems be aesthetically appreciated’. While informing citizens about the ecological benefits of urban meadows, they should also be informed about the potential aesthetic values of urban meadows, such as wildness, aesthetic diversity, and how the ordinary environment becomes extraordinary.
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(2024)This thesis is a spatiovisual photographic investigation of Singapore. It links to the discussion of human ecology. The thematic object of the thesis is that of human-nature relationship. Its primary produce is the empirical data collected which is described and analysed. Foundations and possibilities of such an endeavour are discussed and affirmed when the positionality of the researcher is contemplated. The complexities and details of those cities that are seen as examples need to be studied, a vision shouldn’t be simply moved from a context to another.
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(2013)The conversion of vegetated land cover to impervious surfaces has made stormwater runoff into a major hydrological concern due to its capacity to deteriorate water quality and stream health in cities. Urban forests are capable of reducing the amount of potential stormwater runoff by regulating throughfall via canopy rainfall interception. The lack of stand-scale studies of urban throughfall hinders realistic estimates of the benefits of urban trees for stormwater regulation. Urban forests are extremely variable with regard to canopy cover and species composition and are to a large extent managed by private residents with varying landscape preferences. To quantify the amount of rainfall interception by vegetation in an urban forest we measured throughfall in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA between July and November 2010. We further analyzed 16 residential yards with varying levels of canopy cover to evaluate the relative importance of different descriptive measures of vegetation in influencing throughfall in an urban watershed. Throughfall comprised 89.7 % (StdErr=0.005) of gross precipitation in the study area. Canopy cover (p<0.0001) and the percentage of coniferous trees (p=0.0305) were the most influential vegetation variables explaining throughfall whereas leaf area index (LAI) was not found to be significant. Throughfall varied significantly among yards (p<0.0001) ranging from 84.0 % (80.2 % canopy cover) to 98.2 % (60.3 % canopy cover). Differences in vegetation between front and backyards resulted in 3.1 % less throughfall in backyards. Thus, residents‘ management choices at yard-level affect the amount of throughfall reduced at the landscape scale.
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(2019)Urban social work differs from social work practice in smaller communities. Most of the social work today is done in cities worldwide due to urbanization. Still it is not clear what urban social work really is. The urban context paradoxically is familiar to social work, yet at the same time it seems evaded. The thesis has two primal aims. One is to examine how social work in urban settings is conceptualized in existing scientific literature. The second one is to contribute to the development of social services for migrants by illuminating what knowledge there is in earlier research about urban social work facilitating migrant inclusion and which the critical elements within the field are. The thesis takes on the critical framework of positional reflexivity. Two methods were used conducting this master´s thesis, a scoping review and an expert interview. The two-staged scoping review strives to find the relevant literature and to systematically delimit the data. The data consists of 17 peer-reviewed scientific articles and an expert interview. The three research questions are 1) How is urban social work conceptualized in existing scientific literature?, 2) What is today's knowledge about urban social work facilitating migrant inclusion from existing scientific literature? And 3) What are the critical elements of urban social work with migrants? The data is analyzed using content analysis. Urban social work is conceptualized in close conjunction with community, however urban communities are changing due to increased mobility and diversity. Urban social workers are working in a myriad of complex social networks and within tensions and boundaries. The rise of emerging concepts like superdiversity, transmigration and gentrification show that urban social work research today is strongly characterized by questions concerning migration. Some factors facilitating migrant inclusion are the need for urban social workers to advocate for structural change of the way urban social work with migrant look like today. Also meeting the superdiverse urban clientele with a cultural humility approach and the acknowledging of the various formal and informal encounters are some of the identified facilitating factors. Significant gaps in social work research concerning urban social work and urban social work facilitating migrant inclusion are identified. Since most migrants arrive to cities and also tend to stay there, the lack of scientific topical knowledge is crucial. The lack of sustainability in urban social work with migrants, the crucial need for structures enabling relational social work and the need for social work to actually start where the clients are turned out to be some of the critical elements. Positional reflexivity turns out to be undetected in many of the included articles on urban social work with migrants, this demonstrates a need for an increased recognition of it within scientific urban social work research concerning of migrants.
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(2014)Lagos is the biggest city not just in Nigeria but also in the Sub-Saharan Africa. This megacity has a reputation of being the most dangerous and chaotic city in the world. Despite that Lagos is facing an infrastructural crisis and most of the city acts through informal means, it has its own way to survive and operate. The purpose of this study is to create a picture of the urban structure of Lagos Metropolitan Area and compare it with the existing urban structure models. The purpose is also to discover the possible affects of existing zoning plans on the current structure and dynamism of the city. Again, the aim of this research is to study the characteristics of the metropolis and reflect them to the postmodern concepts of Myers's that intend to explain the nature of modern African cities. This study tries to provide new perspectives on the image of the study area. However, this study tries not to draw a detailed picture of every district of the metropolis but aims at highlighting the dominant features of the city. This study adopts qualitative research methods and is descriptive by its nature. The primary data consists of researches, maps, scientific articles, project documents and different kinds of publications concerning the for example landuse and dominant features of different districts and neighborhoods of Lagos. The data collected from these sources is combined and analyzed in order to create a visualization over the urban structure of Lagos. The secondary data was collected during the field trip in Lagos in 2009 and consists of observation notes. It serves as a supportive tool in the descriptive part of the work. The study concludes that the city structure in Lagos consists much of poor residential districts and slum areas. Most of the citizen live in poverty as medium- or high-grade districts do not exist nearly at all. Lagos is often described as industrial centre of Nigeria, but in reality the industrial activity is not particularly high since the weak infrastructure and low security situation of the city does not attract investors. Again, the structural analysis discovers that the city has currently just one clear core area. The large area of the metropolis would demand several central business districts to improve the mobility and selection of public services of the city. This study suggests that Lagos can be very easily described and expressed with the concepts presented by Myers. On the grounds of his concepts, Lagos has several features typical of modern African city. Colonial era has left its fingerprints both on the city structure and dynamics. The informal sector has a remarkable role in Lagos and violence is a constant part of the streets. Despite that, Lagos has slowly found its place among the global urban centres. Its significance as a centre of trade and culture keeps growing in the future. On the basis if this research it can be argued that there is a great need for urban structure studies in Africa. Often areas that appear as disorganized shantytowns include some structures and operating models of their own. By creating updated structure models and studies it is possible to affect positively on urban planning trends and also local development.
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(2022)Urinary incontinence is a fairly common problem in neutered female dogs with a prevalence of 5 – 20 %. There are different causes behind urinary incontinence that are divided into being of either neurogenic or non-neurogenic origin that can either be congenital or acquired. The most common type of incontinence in neutered female dogs is urethral sphincter mechanism incompetence (USMI) with a prevalence of up to 60 %. Despite having been researched for nearly 40 years neither the etiology nor pathophysiology of USMI are completely understood. While an estimate of 75-97% of medically treated dogs respond to medication, USMI can become refractory over extended periods of medical administration. There are also some cases where medical management isn’t an option due to contraindicative illnesses or severe side effects from the medicine. Some owners also find it too laboursome to administer lifelong medication thrice a day. Injecting bulking agents into the lumen of the urethra is a way of regaining continence through increased urethral resistance. It’s a minimally invasive technique with minimal side effects and high continence rates. However, the effect can be passing, and additional medication might be needed. More invasive surgical techniques are colposuspension, urethropexy, artificial sphincters and different transpelvic sling techniques. These are associated with lower continence rates, more side effects and longer recovery times. None of these options, however, have been successful in treating all dogs. In this literature review I strive to collect the available information on USMI focusing on the treatment when medication is insufficient, with special focus on bulking agents. I hope to form a better understanding of the disease and to be able to highlight the areas in need of further studies, so that more treatment options to resolve USMI could be developed. There needn’t be one treatment to cure them all, however there should be a more systematic approach to diagnosing USMI in order to facilitate the recognition of the best course of treatment for each dog.
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(2016)Tämä pro gradu -tutkielma tarkastelee urheilijoita brändeinä ja heidän kohtaamiensa henkilöbrändikriisien vaikutuksia urheilijaan ja tämän brändiin. Tutkimuksen päätavoitteena on ymmärtää, selittää ja kuvailla urheilijoiden brändin rakentamista ja sen vaikutusta brändiarvoon sekä henkilöbrändikriisin vaikutusta urheilijaan ja tämän brändiin yleisemmin. Lisäksi pohditaan syitä kriisien vaikuttavuuden takana. Tavoitteen toteuttamiseksi on ensimmäiseksi ymmärrettävä, mikä on henkilöbrändiksi miellettävä urheilijabrändi, miten se rakentuu ja mitä tarkoitetaan henkilöbrändikriisillä. Henkilöbrändit ovat arkipäivää urheiluympäristössä, mutta silti urheilijabrändien tutkiminen on jäänyt vielä kovin vähälle. Henkilöbrändi on käsitteenä myös vielä suhteellisen nuori. 2000-luvun alusta lähtien urheilijoiden kohtaamat kriisit ovat näkyneet laajasti julkisuudessa. Median vaikutusvalta kriisien välittäjänä yleisön tietoisuuteen sekä uuden median tarjoamat mahdollisuudet ja uhat niin brändin rakentamisen kuin kriiseistä selviytymisenkin yhteydessä tekevät tutkielmasta ajankohtaisen. Tutkielma edustaa laadullista tutkimusta ja sen aineisto on kerätty yhdeksällä teemahaastattelulla. Haastateltavien joukko koostui kolmen eri ryhmän, urheilutoimittajien, viestintäalan ammattilaisten ja urheilumanagerien, edustajista. Haastatteluaineistoa on täydennetty vielä kahdella havainnollistavalla tapauksella –Tiger Woodsin ja David Beckhamin uskottomuusskandaaleilla, jotka toimivat esimerkkeinä yhdestä henkilöbrändikriisityypistä. Henkilöbrändikirjallisuuden vähyydestä johtuen tutkielma nojaa aineiston lisäksi yleiseen brändikirjallisuuteen, jota on täydennetty henkilöbrändeistä löytyvillä tutkimuksilla. Työssä on käytetty viestinnän ja markkinoinnin kirjallisuutta, tutkimuksia ja tieteellisiä artikkeleita sekä tapauksista löytyviä artikkeleita ja tilastoja. Tutkimuksesta käy ilmi, että brändin rakennuksessa ja arvon luomisessa urheilulliset ominaisuudet sekä persoonan kiinnostavuus nousevat tärkeimpään asemaan. Urheilijabrändin arvo kasvaa entisestään, mikäli urheilija pystyy tekemään itsestään kiinnostavan myös urheiluympäristön ulkopuolella. Aineiston avulla päädytään tulokseen, että urheilijabrändin pystyy rakentamaan ilman kirkkainta urheilullista menestystä, mutta arvokkain brändi on sellainen, joka menestyy urheilullisesti ja on kiinnostava persoona niin urheiluympäristössä kuin sen ulkopuolellakin. Aineiston analyysin perusteella voidaan myös todeta, että henkilöbrändikriisillä on vaikutuksensa niin urheilijan aineelliseen kuin aineettomaankin omaisuuteen, mutta nämä vaikutukset saattavat näyttäytyä hyvinkin erilaisina eri urheilijoille. Henkilöbrändikriisi voi vaikuttaa urheilijaan negatiivisesti niin henkisesti, taloudellisesti kuin urheilullisestikin. Toisaalta aineistosta nousi esille myös ajatus kriisin vaikuttamattomuudesta ja kriiseistä hyötymisestä. Henkilöbrändikriisistä selviytymiseen vaikuttaa olennaisesti uuden tarinan luominen vanhan tilalle. Yksi hyvä tapa tähän on urheilullisen menestyksen kautta. Myös rehellisyys sekä tukijoukkojen ja median tuki auttavat selviytymään kriiseistä. Tulosten perusteella voidaan todeta, että kriisin vaikuttavuus ja kriiseistä selviytyminen riippuu lopulta yleisön lojaalisuudesta ja sympatiasta henkilöä kohtaan sekä brändin vahvuudesta ja totuudenmukaisesta asemoinnista.
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(2022)Goals. The purpose of this research is to graph, analyze and interpret the dual career of an athlete, specifically a synchronized skater. Additionally, the research delves deeper into a synchronized skater’s life in the context of an athletic and academic career. The research also maps out the support structures these athletes have in their dual-careers and the kinds of support they feel they’ll need in the future. The research focuses on undergraduate students, i.e., SM-level (National championship level) junior synchronized skaters. The given target demographic is chosen based on the lack of extensive research on the timing of a high-level athlete’s career-path in synchronized skating during undergraduate studies. Methods. The research was carried out through a qualitative interview survey. A total of 10 SM-level junior synchronized skaters participated in the interviews. They were chosen from, based on the results of the 2019-2020 season, the five best junior-level teams of the country. The athletes spoke of their own experiences relating to a dual career and the kinds of support they’ve received. The material was gathered through semi-structured thematic interviews from December to January of 2021-22. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed, the purpose of which was to summarize and conceptualize the interview material and add understanding to the theme of an athlete’s perspective on dual careers. Results and conclusions. The experiences of high-level Finnish synchronized skaters in a dual career are rather positive. A significant portion of the athletes felt that the combining of an academic and athletic career is possible and the two can even support each other in some areas. A high-level synchronized-skater appears to be a very performance-oriented and effective person. According to the research, the goals of an athlete were ambitious in both careers, but the athletic career was still overall the priority. This was seen especially in their studying speed: athletes often finishing their undergraduate studies in four years rather than the typical three. The athletes succeeded in their dual careers mainly due to their own persistence rather than their support structures surrounding them. There does exist support for their dual career, but for the support to be effective they require development. The athletes brought up many ideas for development of the support structures in place, mainly related to communication between actors, low-threshold support-services and asking about training times and places. Additional areas for improvements were identified as the oftentimes burdensome first year of undergraduate studies, morning-trainings in sports-oriented schools and supporting athletes who live on their own.
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(2016)Tutkielman tavoitteena on tarkastella urheilijan persoonallisuuselementtien luvatonta käyttöä markkinoinnissa kansallisessa oikeusjärjestelmässä. Persoonallisuuselementeillä tarkoitetaan tutkielmassa yhdistetysti kuvaa, nimeä sekä goodwill-arvoa. Urheilijaan yhdistettävän positiivisen mielikuvan takia yritykset haluavat jatkuvasta hyödyntää urheilijan persoonallisuuselementtejä markkinoinnissaan, mikä korostaa urheilijan persoonallisuuselementtien kaupallisen käytön suojelun tarvetta. Tarkastelu ulotetaan täten erityisesti tilainteisiin, joissa urheilija ei ole luovuttanut persoonallisuuselementtiensä käyttöoikeuksia, ja yritys pyrkii markkinoinnissaan hyödyntämään luvatta urheilijaan yhdistettävää positiivista mielikuvaa. Ensimmäisessä luvussa tarkastellaan persoonallisuuselementtien oikeudellista suojaa ja niitä oikeusnormeja, joiden nojalla voidaan kieltää persoonallisuuselementtien luvaton markkinointikäyttö. Urheilijan persoonallisuuselementtejä voidaan yleisesti suojata markkinointiyhteydessä pääsääntöisesti tavaramerkkilain, lain sopimattomasta menettelystä elinkeinotoiminnassa perusteella sekä kansallisessa oikeuskäytännössä muodostuneen vakiintuneen oikeussäännön nojalla, joka kieltää henkilön kuvan tai nimen luvattoman markkinointikäytön. Lisäksi ICC:n markkinointisäännöt kieltävät nimenomaisesti toisen kuvan tai maineen hyväksikäytön markkinoinnissa. Tutkielmassa tarkastellaan erityisesti lakia sopimattomasta menettelystä elinkeinotoiminnassa sekä kuvan ja nimen markkinointikäyttöä koskevaa vakiintunutta oikeussääntöä ja toisessa luvussa tutkitaankin lähemmin näiden normien perusteella asetettuja suojan edellytyksiä. Persoonallisuuselementtien suojan ulottuvuuden kannalta on relevanttia lisäksi tarkastella luvattomasta käytöstä aiheutuvia seuraamuksia omana lukunaan. Lopuksi tarkastellaan persoonallisuuselementtien kaupallisen käytön suojan riittävyyttä urheilijan kannalta. Läpi tutkielman käytetään vertailtavana oikeuslähteenä Ruotsin lakia nimen ja kuvan käytöstä mainonnasta. Johtopäätöksenä voidaan todeta, ettei urheilija saa kansallisen lain nojalla erityistä suojaa persoonallisuuselementtiensä luvatonta markkinointikäyttöä vastaan, mutta suoja on johdettavissa eri oikeusnormeista. Oikeustila jättää kuitenkin aukkoja ja oikeussuojan tehokkuus on paljolti riippuvainen siitä, mihin oikeusnormiin vedotaan suojan aikaansaamiseksi. Oikeustilan epäselvyys antaa aihetta pohtia, olisiko Suomeen mahdollista säätää Ruotsin oikeustilaa vastaavasti erityinen laki henkilön imagon suojaamisesta markkinointiyhteydessä.
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(2016)Objectives. Self-talk is an essential part of an athlete's mental training. It has an influence on sport performance, which makes self-talk an interesting subject to study. With Automatic Self-Talk Questionnaire for Sports (ASTQS) it is possible to evaluate the content of athletes' self-talk during performance. In this study the ASTQS questionnaire was translated into Finnish and the aim was to study construct validity of the instrument and also to evaluate Finns' self-talk use. In addition, the aim of this study was to examine associations between self-talk and the Big Five personality traits because clarifying the role of personality can help identify individual differences in self-talk. Differences between individual sport athletes and team sport athletes in self-talk and personality traits were also examined. Methods. The data in this study was a sample of over 15-year-old athletes who compete at relatively high level in their own sport in Finland (N = 383). Included sports were football, ice-hockey, floorball, orienteering, and athletics. The mean age of the participants was 19 years. The participants filled a web-based form, which consisted of ASTQS measuring self-talk and Big Five Inventory measuring personality. The construct validity of ASTQS was examined with factor analysis and associations between self-talk and performance with canonical correlation analysis. Results and conclusions. The structure of the Finnish ASTQS corresponded to the original eight-factor solution quite well. All of the eight self-talk dimensions were found, but a few connections outside the original model were also allowed. On average, the athletes reported using self-talk a little less frequently than sometimes. They also reported using more positive than negative self-talk. Individual sport athletes used more instruction, psych up, and anxiety control related self-talk than team sport athletes. Team sport athletes had were more agreeable than individual sport athletes. Associations between self-talk and personality were ambiguous, but there seemed to be a positive relationship between neuroticism and worry and between the other traits and positive self-talk. This study produced the first Finnish version of ASTQS that can be used to evaluate Finnish athletes' content of self-talk during performance. Using a systematic self-talk measure can help identify and modify athletes' self-talk. Knowing the role of personality can in turn direct self-talk interventions to athletes who could benefit from them the most.
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(2018)Tämä tutkimus tarkastelee urheilijoiden sosiaalisen median käyttöä. Tutkimuksen taustalla on ilmiö sosiaalisen median mahdollistaman henkilöbrändäyksen yleistymisestä. Tutkimus selvittää miten urheilijat käyttävät sosiaalista mediaa itsensä brändäämiseen ja miten he näkevät sosiaalisen median osana urheilijan rooliaan. Tutkimus keskittyy yksilöurheilijoihin, sillä tarve sponsorien peräänkuuluttamaan näkyvyyteen on yksilöurheilussa joukkueurheilua kriittisempää. Tutkimus on laadullinen tutkimus. Aineisto koostuu kahdeksan suomalaisen huippu-urheilijan haastattelusta sekä valmiista haastatteluaineistosta, jossa on haastateltu suomalaisia urheiluvaikuttajia. Tutkimuksen kirjallisuus koostuu urheilukulttuurin, sponsoroinnin sekä henkilöbrändien tutkimuksesta. Tutkimuksessa käy ilmi, että kaikki haastatellut urheilijat kokevat sosiaalisen median päivittämisen olevan osa huippu-urheilijan roolia nykypäivänä. Sisällön suhteen urheilijat eivät kuitenkaan koe velvoitteita tai pakkoa, mutta pyrkimys laadukkuuteen ja säännöllisyyteen tulee ilmi. Urheilijat kokevat sosiaalisen median olevan hyvä väline oman julkisuutensa hallitsemiseen sekä yhteistyösuhteiden luomiseen ja ylläpitoon. Analyysin pohjalta voi todeta, että sosiaalisen median henkilöbrändin onnistumiseen vaikuttavat ainakin seuraavat kolme tekijää: urheilumenestys, aitous ja persoonallisuus. Urheilijoille näyttäisi olevan hyötyä siitä, että he julkaisevat myös urheilun ulkopuolista sisältöä elämästään, jotta voivat sitouttaa laajemman kohderyhmän yleisöä. On kuitenkin tärkeä myös huomioida, ettei oma-aloitteinen itsensä brändääminen sovi kaikille ja voi pahimmillaan kuormittaa urheilijaa liikaa.
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