Paikallinen tilaus kirkonkylien eheyttävän suunnittelun edellytyksenä

Abstract

Densification and anti-sprawl policy has traditionally been a tool for urban planning. There is little evidence
of its application in the context of Finnish rural communities and its meaning is unclear. However, climate
change policy has turned sustainable community planning targets, also anti-sprawl policy, to one of the issues
for developing Finnish rural villages in 2000s. The challenge is to direct community activities and building of
new houses inside the village borders in a way which advances the formation of more compact communities
with better services, less mobility and more attractive living environments. In this article, we examine the
current conditions of Finnish rural villages and the opportunities for anti-sprawl policy and planning from the
perspectives of local needs and active community engagement. Problems of rural communities with positive
migration are different than in declining areas. We examine four different villages from various parts of Finland:
Liperi, Mäntyharju, Pohja and Fiskars. The research methodology is qualitative and research data are based
on local people’s workshops and topic interviews. The results argue that the social acceptance of anti-sprawl
(densified) land use planning in rural villages requires collaborative discussions with local communities and
other relevant stakeholders. These discussions may concern access to local public and private services, mobility
needs, employment possibilities, historical or other kind of important places, recreation possibilities and hobbies.