Search

In this paper we draw on the work of Doreen Massey and David Harvey and think with the concept of spatial structure. We divide the concept into three constitutive elements: uneven geographical development (materiality), the discursive production of spatial structures (semiosis) and collective politics of spatial structure (experience). We conclude our argument with the concept of relational inequality and a call for rigorous examination of the history and current development of spatial structures in Finland and elsewhere from the perspective of the threefold conceptual frame presented in the paper.

We present results from an expert panel about the role of urban habitat types (biotopes) for urban biodiversity. Building upon the Biodiversity Quality framework (Feest 2006), we suggest nine community attributes that jointly act as a composite measure for urban biodiversity: species richness, habitat specialist species, biomass, abundance, evenness, uniqueness, regional representativeness, sensitivity, and connectivity. 24 taxonomic experts (representing vascular plants, polypores, fungi, birds, bats, mammals, herpetofauna, butterflies, hymenoptera, and beetles) scored 68 pre-defined urban biotopes in terms of their support for Biodiversity Quality in the Helsinki Metropolitan area. Herb-rich forests and certain anthropogenic biotopes like fortifications generally received highest scores, whereas constructed areas like paved yards gained lowest scores. Results are mostly applicable in other Southern Finnish cities. Our openly available results provide a good tentative understanding of the biodiversity value of different urban environments. Biodiversity Quality is a more holistic measure than mere presence of protected or endangered species and it therefore supports biodiversity-aware and sustainable urban planning.

Cities are increasingly profiling themselves as active agents within the transition towards sustainability. Despite many apparent efforts, discussion on “sustainable cities” has often focused on narrowly defined problems and ignored the interconnectedness of ecological, social, and economic issues that extend beyond the boundaries of formal city regions. Hence, this paper highlights the need for more systemic approaches, taking into account the multifaceted nature of urban sustainability. We use planetary urbanism, urban metabolism, and inclusiveness as conceptual lenses to demonstrate the embeddedness of cities in planetary ecological systems and social structures. We present four examples of urban initiatives that extend from strategic tools to practical urban planning in order to elucidate more holistic ways of thinking about and moving towards, urban sustainability. Our examination calls for rethinking prevailing ideas of cities as forerunners of sustainable development and highlights the need for collaboration for curbing potentially harmful socio-spatial divisions.

Non

This study examines the changing human-mire relationship today. Drawing on a High heels floral dress mire skiing event held in Pudasjärvi, the research material consists of interviews with the participants and organizers of the event, as well as material based on participatory observation. The research asks: How does a carnival event on a mire affect the human-mire relationship and thus the cultural heritage associated with mires? Theoretical concepts of carnivalism and space are used in the analysis of the material. The research reveals that instead of seeking the privacy that is commonly associated with recreational mires, the creation of a carnival space makes the communal physical interaction between humans and the mire possible, so creating a sense of community. As a consequence, the fears and images of death which have traditionally been part of the cultural heritage of mires are being dispelled, and the mire is perceived as safe and regenerative.

Mires are no longer places of hard work, and now attract people for different reasons. This study is based on material gathered from an inquiry where people recounted their personal experiences of mires, and examines their voluntary engagement and subsequent relationship with them. The theoretical framework of this study is grounded in environmental aesthetics. I apply Arnold Berleant’s method of descriptive environmental aesthetics to the described experiences of mires. I also use Joseph Kupfer’s classification of different modes to aesthetically engage with nature. These modes – acting in or within nature; action which takes us into nature; acting against nature; acting with nature – reveal different aspects of the mire relationship. Engaging with mires deepens our material and mental connections to them. The findings suggest that an aesthetic engagement with mires can create new cultural understandings of them, and could result in more sustainable uses of mires in the future.

Recent studies reveal that schools in Finland’s largest urban areas are increasingly segregated. Two dimensions of segregation, residential and school segregation, have been found to be strongly interlinked. In this study, we examine how pupils’ daily lives are segregated or integrated across three life domains – 1) home 2) school and 3) leisure activities, and what kind of negotiation and social distinctions are related to these domains among pupils. Our findings are based on an ethnographic study (48 days), including interviews with pupils (n=22) with different social and ethnic backgrounds in one urban lower secondary school. The results demonstrate that differences between the pupils’ life domains are interconnected in many ways and create social distinctions, hierarchies and divisions between pupils, thus forming breeding ground for detachment and segregation. The findings emphasize the need for urban and educational policies that are sensitive to complexities of local context in social mixing measures.

Successful integration of immigrants has been identified as the key for future social and economic well-being in EU. Nature can be used to support integration. Based on survey data collected from students in 7–9th grades in the city of Lahti (n=1,121), we explore immigrants’ and native Finns’ participation in outdoor recreation and their well-being experiences of and relationships with nature. The study applies the framework of integration to discuss how nature supports the integration of immigrant youth in Finland. The results show that nature is an important part of immigrant adolescents’ everyday lives and can support their structural, cultural, interactive and identificational integration. However, there are also some differences between the immigrant and native adolescents. The study results highlight the better inclusion of the youth and multi-cultural nature-relationships in the governance of natural areas and development of nature-based solutions for integration.

Dredging has a significant effect on sediment transportation, water quality and flow conditions in a river channel. However, often the effects of dredging are not studied carefully in advance. One reason for this is the lack of suitable study approach. Studies on river dynamics require high quality geometric models of riverbed, banks and floodplain. Accurate terrain and bathymetric data are also crucial components of reliable hydraulic modelling. In this study, we created an approach to model the presumable impacts of dredging. We modelled high discharges and annual flooding magnitudes in Eurajoki River, SW Finland in its current form and after dredging. As the low-sloped channel is heavily vegetated, the aim of the dredging is to improve flow conditions by removing sediment and vegetation within a reach of 8 km. First, we created a geometric model of the riverine environment by combining riverbank topography from national Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) data by the Finnish National Land Survey and bathymetry, gathered with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP). The ADCP was attached to a kayak to enable access to shallow areas as well. This way, we were able to model the geometry of the fluvial forms within a few centimetres’ accuracy. Next, we modified the model of the river geometry using GIS software according to the dredging plan. Finally, we used a 2D Computational Fluid Dynamics to model the current and after dredging flow conditions during various flow events. We analysed the effects on dredging on the flood magnitudes and flow conditions based on the models and compared these to the present situation. These models offer improvements on river management and observing the effects on dredging.

The aim of this article is to make a general overview to regional economic resilience in the sub-regions of Finland after the 2009 recession. Resilience is studied from perspectives of resistance, recovery, renewal and reorientation of employment and gross domestic product. In addition, the relationship of different kinds of structural background factors to regional resilience is outlined. The regional output is measured in relation to region’s own pre-recession output. The key findings suggest that (1) productivity has recovered better in more peripheral regions of Finland but employment recovery has been better in growth regions. (2) The regional characteristics connected to resilience of employment and GDP seem to be quite opposite. (3) Resilience is not a one feature, instead it takes many different forms. Therefore, in regional development policies it is important to specify which types of resilience, e.g. employment or production resilience, are being pursued. publishedVersion

publishedVersion Non

ei abstraktia

Movement in Parkinson’s disease (PD) is fragmented, and the patients depend on visual information in their behavior. This suggests that the patients may have deficits in internally monitoring their own movements. Internal monitoring of movements is assumed to rely on corollary discharge signals that enable the brain to predict the sensory consequences of actions. We studied early-stage PD patients (N = 14), and age-matched healthy control participants (N = 14) to examine whether PD patients reveal deficits in updating their sensory representations after eye movements. The participants performed a double-saccade task where, in order to accurately fixate a second target, the participant must correct for the displacement caused by the first saccade. In line with previous reports, the patients had difficulties in fixating the second target when the eye movement was performed without visual guidance. Furthermore, the patients had difficulties in taking into account the error in the first saccade when making a saccade toward the second target, especially when eye movements were made toward the side with dominant motor symptoms. Across PD patients, the impairments in saccadic eye movements correlated with the integrity of the dopaminergic system as measured with [123I]FP-CIT SPECT: Patients with lower striatal (caudate, anterior putamen, and posterior putamen) dopamine transporter binding made larger errors in saccades. This effect was strongest when patients made memory-guided saccades toward the second target. Our results provide tentative evidence that the motor deficits in PD may be partly due to deficits in internal monitoring of movements.

Moose (Alces alces) cause considerable damage to traffic, agriculture and forestry in Finland. This has resulted in pressure to reduce the moose stock. The proposal that moose damage might be reduced by providing alternative sites was investigated. In spring 1987, six feeding sites and six 1-ha control areas were selected in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) plantations in the Ruokolahti-Imatra area, Finland. Mineral licks and aspen (Populus tremula) and Scots pine tops were provided on the feeding sites. These sites were also treated with nitrogen fertilizer. Before 1987, moose had destroyed four plantations in the immediate surroundings of the experimental areas. During the period 1987-89 only one plantation was destroyed. This was attributed to the setting up of the feeding sites. It was also noted that the reduction in damage was partly due to a probable decrease in the moose population. The number of damaged plants near one of the feeding sites was significantly greater than the damage near its corresponding control area, because there was not enough food for the moose population at this feeding site. It is concluded that the establishment of winter feeding sites may be a practical method for reducing moose damage and keeping the moose stock at its present size. The main problem was the increased risk of damage near feeding sites if the food is not replaced quickly enough.

Data are presented from 1312 km of inventory transect, 6030 relascope sample plots and 21 700 ditches. Of the Finnish peatlands studied, more than 60% were pine mires, almost 20% were spruce mires and less than 10% each were treeless mires and paludified upland forest sites. The survey included the condition of the drainage networks, and the post-drainage development of the tree stands, their structure and silvicultural condition.

Juhlajulkaisu koostuu kolmesta osajulkaisusta. An anniversary publication comprising 3 invited articles: The Society of Forestry in Finland during the period of active science and forest policy; International connections of Finnish forestry research; and World forestry: some trends and prospects.

For 1912-84, some 131 theses were published in forestry sciences, mainly in Finnish (75%), and averaged 151 pages in length. Of graduating foresters, 2-6% (av. of recent years 5.5%) presented doctoral dissertations at an av. age of 36.6 yr, mostly (37%) as part of their employment.

Tutkimus kuuluu osana Harvennuspuun korjuun koneellistamistoimikunnan selvityksiin.