Liisa Horelli

Creating Child-Friendly Environments Case Studies on Children's Participation in Three European Countries

The aim of the article is to discuss the literature on childrens participation and to analyse what planning theorists, educators and child researchers can learn from the comparison of case studies on childrens involvement in neighbourhood improvement in Finland, Switzerland and France. The case studies indicate that the creation of child-friendly environments with young people means a shift towards more ecological and socially supportive settings with opportunities for the involvement of different groups. There is, however, a huge gap between the know-how of children and the organizational and political capacity of local authorities to respond in terms of appropriate environmental arrangements.

In Search of Supportive Structures for Everyday Life

During the past decade, Scandinavian women have been active participants in a movement and have been action researchers in the issues of building and housing on women’s conditions. This chapter describes (1) the history of the movement and its vision of supportive structures for a “New Everyday Life”; (2) the theoretical perspective and practical examples of the Scandinavian women’s action research project; and (3) two case studies illustrating the application of the New Everyday Life concept in the Finnish context. The chapter also discusses critical issues in this kind of action research and the implications for future research.

An Internet-Based Design Game as a Mediator of Children’s Environmental Visions

This exploratory study examines howan Internet-assisted design game succeeds in bringing forth children’s own visions for the environment where they live and their definitions of a good environment. Two connected concepts in environmental psychology, the theory of person-environment fit and the concept of affordances, are applied in the analysis of the results of the design process. The participants were 16 8-year-old children living in a suburb of Helsinki, Finland. The results indicate that children’s design solutions are sensitive to the geographical context. The children generally enjoyed the Internet-based design game. The girls designed more affordances for simply being in peace, whereas the boys emphasized affordances for playing games. The study indicates that affordances can be applied as icons in design games. They also function as a viable concept in the operationalization of the personenvironment fit; however, the theory of environmental fit and its operationalization need further development and empirical testing with larger samples.

A methodological approach to children's participation in urban planning

Experiments with childrens planning in the European context indicate that, if the participation process is well‐structured, children and young people show striking competence in the analysis of environmental problems as well as in the formulation of new ideas. Many studies of childrens participation are confined to a descriptive level. It is argued in the paper that the enhancement of childrens participation in urban improvement, as that of adults, calls for a combination of normative and explanatory theories. Participatory projects also profit from an action‐research oriented design of implementation, based on a cogenerative learning model. This requires, in addition to traditional methods of data gathering and analysis, enabling techniques which assist in managing change and diversity of interests in terms of age, gender, class and ethnicity.

Network Evaluation from the Everyday Life Perspective A Tool for Capacity-Building and Voice

Despite the rich literature on networks, publications on the evaluation of networks are scarce. The aim of the article is to present the core concepts of network evaluation in the context of local and regional development, and a case study in Finnish North-Karelia. It is argued that network evaluation from the everyday life perspective (NEELP) is a special case. It requires an integrative design and the building of a collective monitoring and self-evaluation system with a variety of enabling and traditional assessment tools. It contributes to the empowerment and capacity-building of individuals and groups of people who are involved in the co-creation of their contexts, while it also strives to recognize the complex systemic aspects of the environment.

The methodology of user-sensitive service design within urban planning

The increasingly complex living environment poses challenges in everyday life that traditional urban planning cannot meet. We argue that the methodology called the user-sensitive service design within urban planning is viable for many stakeholders in a situation where the infrastructure of everyday life is shattering and the uncertainty and ambiguity of the planning process and outcomes are prevailing. Our aim is to present the methodology and its application in the planning and development of digitised services in a neighbourhood of Helsinki. The methodology turns out to be a hybridiser and a bridge builder that embeds urban planning in the local context. In addition, it is a vehicle for transferring planning content to the phases of implementation and use, resulting in the emergence of glocal digital spaces.

A learning-based network approach to urban planning with young people

Introduction: the context of planning with young people Citizens of the Western industrialized world are increasingly living in informational network societies. Castells (1996) states that the latter are characterized by the spaces of global flows of information, finances, and technology which subjugate localities and places. This means that new challenges are posed to urban and rural policies, including planning and development. Local areas are increasingly seen as part of regions which are forced to compete with one another to become attractive spaces for desired activities. The winners of this competition are those who have the know-how to take advantage of the opportunities of globalization. One of the strategies that has been applied in the competition for economic survival is the building of regional development networks (Kostiainen, 2002). Such networks might ultimately turn into lucrative regional innovation systems that will bring forth new economic activities and consequent material gains. The actors in these networks of competitiveness are usually ‘big players’, such as enterprises, public institutions, financial agents, and universities (Cook et al. , 2000). The losers in the globalization game are those who are unable to cope with the negative impact of globalization, and who lack the control over and voice in local matters. The negative effects of globalization can be felt not only in developing countries, but also in many Western nations, and especially in the everyday lives of children, young, and elderly people, and many women.

When Self-Organization Intersects with Urban Planning: Two Cases from Helsinki

Participation as self-organization has emerged as a new form of citizen activism, often supported by digital technology. A comparative qualitative analysis of two case studies in Helsinki indicates that the self-organization of citizens expands the practice of urban planning. Together, they enable the mobilization of different groups around issues related to urban space. The consequences have become visible in temporary uses of places, event making and community development through bottom-up cultures. However, the lacking links to decision-making constrains new solutions and creative actions.

The role of shared space for the building and maintenance of community from the gender perspective - a longitudinal case study in a neighbourhood of Helsinki

Cohousing is here referred to as a form of housing with communal spaces, shared facilities and activities. Irrespective of the long history of cohousing, it constitutes only a small part of the total housing stock even in countries that regard cohousing as an alternative dwelling choice. Surprisingly, the importance of shared spaces has often been underestimated, although their role in the coproduction of community is significant, which in turn is one of the key driving forces for expanding cohousing into new markets. The aim of the article is to examine and discuss the role of shared space for the building and maintenance of community and its consequences for everyday life from the gender perspective. I argue that shared spaces are important for the building and maintenance of community, but they have a triple role, which together has an impact. Nevertheless, the Community House is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for the communal culture and its positive or negative consequences for the gender roles and the residents involved with care.

Engendering urban planning in different contexts – successes, constraints and consequences

ABSTRACT Cities are rapidly transforming into complex places which traditional approaches to urban planning have difficulties to deal with. The new EU- and UN-urban agendas still lack gender-awareness concerning the supportive infrastructure of everyday life that enhances the opportunities for both women and men with different backgrounds and orientations to muddle through in the complex daily contexts. I argue that, in addition to mainstreaming gender equality as a top-down endeavour, there is a need for an expansion of engendering urban planning, which requires different ways of dealing with varying types of planning from the gender perspective. The aim of the article is to present and discuss the results of an explorative study with qualitative methods which has tested with examples a framework for engendering urban planning in different contexts. These are (1) Gender mainstreaming comprehensive urban planning (Vienna); (2) Gender-sensitive advocacy planning (Barcelona); (3) Gender+ self-organizing around urban planning & development (Helsinki); (4) Gender-aware co-governance with public, private, people-partnerships (Athens). The results corroborate the argument but lead to a new one concerning the engendering of new approaches, such as Expanded urban planning that might alleviate dealing with complexities.