Browsing by Author "Hirvensalo, Jenni"

An increasing amount of attention has recently been paid to urban growth and loss of biodiversity, which has also awakened planners to consider urban green areas and both their ecological and social values more thoroughly. Nature is, however, dynamic and diverse and has turned out to be a challenging target of planning especially with current methods. The incorporation and consideration of complex natural processes in the planning system has proved to be challenging and has raised significant issues and problems, which are the focus of this thesis. Moreover, the phenomenon is related to a wider paradigm shift in planning, where the rationalist planning tradition has had to step aside and make way to agonistic and communicative planning theories. A major focus of the study is the concept of wicked problems. The concept was developed to better understand the complex problems planners face today and which are impossible to solve with traditional planning practices. The concept of wicked problems has often been linked with the concept of clumsy solutions, which are imperfect and only partial solutions to complex problems, but accepted as such and only expected to contribute something to the solution of wicked problems. The main material used in the study has been collected though semi-structured expert interviews conducted by researcher Maija Faehnle as a part of ENSURE –research project. The interviewees represent planners and other professionals with special expertise in planning of urban green infrastructure. The main method of analysis is a thematic content analysis aimed at recognizing the main problems and challenges the planners and other professionals face in the process of planning urban green infrastructure. The problems have been grouped into themes that help recognize the interrelations between different problems and their connections to more pervasive underlying problems. The first theme is formed by problems related to the planning system. The theme also includes two sub-themes: problems between different planning levels and problems related to conflicts caused by different interests and goals. The second theme consists of problems related to planners' needs and demand for information. This theme is again divided into sub-themes related to the use of scientific expert knowledge and the experiential knowledge provided by residents and other participants. In addition, some problems arising from outside of these two themes have also been included in the analysis. Finally, the material has been used to recognize conflicts and contradictions as well as suggested solutions to the addressed problems. According to the data, planners face severe problems when planning urban green infrastructure. Many interviewees hoped for more specific norms and sizing guidelines to help protect nature in cities. However, many interviewees simultaneously wished that there would be more flexibility and adaptability in planning practices. In many cases, the goals and expectations set to different planning levels were quite ambitious. Behind the recognized problems, however, lies a more complex and wicked problem that is related to different goals and professionals not meeting properly. It also has to do with the more general complexity and wickedness of the addressed things and phenomena. When aiming at solving this wicked problem, it is crucial to recognize the wickedness and complexity of the problem and accept the clumsiness of the proposed solutions. Aiming for solutions that are too holistic and ambitious can result in more conflicts and contradictions instead of contributing to the solution of the problem at hand. Consequently, the whole process is locked.