Kaupunkiluonto käsin tehtynä

Pispalan ryytimaa ja tiheän paikan synty

Abstract

Open spaces have become critical in planning of
compact cities. In this article, we analyse the social
and ecological significance of the Pispala allotment
area close to the city centre of Tampere. Local residents
use these nearly 300 plots for urban farming,
but the city is planning to take the area for building
purposes. We use data from field observation,
planning documents, biological field surveys, and
questionnaires sent to the farmers and other local
residents. Based on a mixed-method explorative
analysis, the findings suggest that the reiterative
cycles of farming practices have far-reaching
consequences: they 1) make the place visible and
meaningful to a variety of people, 2) extend the place
over the surrounding neighborhoods by animating
social interaction and restoring historical meanings
and shared identity, and 3) link the site ecologically
to a regional species pool with rare plant species dependent
upon historical layers of human settlement.
We conclude that these features of urban diversity
are frequently disregarded by local administrative
bodies, as they lie beyond the formal categories of
evidence used in planning. However, they are crucial
for understanding the social and cultural dynamics
of urban ecosystem services.