Land use

 

Study: The pace of the green transition and the quality of environmental procedures : how to combine streamlining, acceptability and environmental protection?

Reducing environmental regulation does not automatically streamline permitting processes, but can have the opposite effect. This is the conclusion of a legal study published by Akordi. Several legislative reforms based on the government's programme aim to speed up the passage of the Green Transition…
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Review: Offsetting the environmental and social impacts of energy projects

The question of how to manage and compensate for the adverse impacts of projects is crucial to the acceptability of the energy transition. The review published by Akordi presents the means identified in the literature to identify and compensate for the adverse effects of projects on nature and social…
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Learn to lead cooperation – training for the Regional Council of Kymenlaakso

Akordi trained the personnel of the Regional Council of Kymenlaakso with the 'Learn to lead cooperation' training in April 2024. The training consisted of two days, during which the participants gained skills in cooperation between many actors and in planning and carrying out processes aimed at harmonizing…
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Balancing Growth, Biodiversity, and Climate Goals in Tampere: A Comprehensive Assessment

Various international climate and nature strategies set targets for urban land use. However, attempting to harmonize the goals of growth, biodiversity conservation, and climate change mitigation presents challenges due to potential conflicting interests. The City of Tampere commissioned Akordi to conduct…
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Preparing the Jyväskylä Urban Region for the MAL Agreement

In the summer and fall of 2020, the Jyväskylä urban region geared up for the land use, housing and transport (Maankäytön, asumisen ja liikenteen suunnittelukierros MAL) agreement negotiations. Prior to these discussions, municipalities within the urban region, led by the city of Jyväskylä, worked…
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The Dicstrict Vision for Herttoniemi

In the spring and summer of 2018, the Herttoniemi district (comprising Western Herttoniemi, Herttoniemenranta, and Roihuvuori) developed its own vision, describing the shared aspirations of various stakeholders in the district for its future and generating ideas on how to achieve this envisioned future. Throughout the process, directions for development of the area were jointly identified, and concrete opportunities for constructive collaboration were explored. The vision process enabled citizens to participate in the long-term planning of their surrounding environment and work together with planning professionals, as well as introducing a new collaborative approach to urban development.
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Planning Principles for Good Air Quality in Helsinki’s Urban Boulevards

The City of Helsinki initiated a consultancy project in early 2017 to establish target-based planning principles for air quality in urban boulevards. Trafix Oy, the Finnish Meteorological Institute, and Serum Architects conducted the work, and a wide range of stakeholders participated in the planning, with Akordi assisting in facilitating discussions during stakeholder workshops.
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Assessing Conflicts and Exploring Solutions for Conservation of the Gulf of Bothnia

Akordi has initiated an in-depth examination of the conflicts and potential solutions connected to the conservation of the Gulf of Bothnia. The primary objective is to enhance the understanding of the acceptability of environmental management and its various functions within the Swedish-speaking Ostrobothnia…
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Where will the conflicts generated by the Green Transition be resolved?

The green transition is a significant societal transformation, involving struggles between various interest groups. Which conflicts can be anticipated and avoided, and which battles are unavoidable? The aim of the green transition is the creation of a sustainable economy that does not rely on energy…
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MAL 2023 agreement for Helsinki region

The planning for the new agreement on land use, housing and transport (Maankäytön, asumisen ja liikenteen suunnittelukierros MAL) for Helsinki region has commenced. The aims featured in the previous MAL 2019 agreement will be revised based on the changed operating environment. Once the agreement is…
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Sustainable recovery in Helsinki-Uusimaa region

In autumn of 2020 the regional council of Helsinki-Uusimaa focused its strategic development on improving the framework of its stakeholder interactions. The aim was to synergize the different aims and measures drafted earlier in the regional plan, climate road map, traffic and transportation plan, and…
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Helsinki region MAL 2019 agreement

An agreement on land use, housing and transport (MAL) is a strategic plan that outlines how land use, housing and transportation is to be developed during the upcoming decades. Helsinki MAL 2019 combines the visions of the 14 municipalities in the Helsinki region, and outlines how the Helsinki region…
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Vital Vantaa program

In 2018 the city of Vantaa established a working group to prepare a program and measures for increasing the city’s appeal and vitality. This included drafting new policies regarding business and employment, methods for increasing the city’s appeal, and aims for culture, sports and events. The program was collaboratively drafted by the involved stakeholders in workshops, which Akordi planned and facilitated.
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DAC – Dwellers in Agile Cities

Akordi was involved in DAC - Dwellers in Agile Cities research project to help support the project’s societal impact. DAC was funded by the Academy of Finland between 2016-2019, and it focused on the regular urban citizen as a driver of urban development and change. Akordi supported the researchers and stakeholders involved with the project to identify potential mechanisms for change linked to the project aims. Thanks to Akordi’s facilitation, research assignments and stakeholder interactions supported each other.
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No Net Loss City

Ecological compensations refer to measures that compensate the lost biodiversity in one location with at least equivalent biodiversity gains in another. The No Net Loss City project introduces the first model for ecological compensations for land use planning in municipalities. The model is tested and…
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Supporting infrastructure planning in ‘Highway 180 KURKELA-KUUSISTO’ project

Early 2021, ‘Highway 180 KURKELA-KUUSISTO’ project was launched with the aim to improve the highway’s connectivity and safety, and to aid the development of Kaarina’s urban structure and land use planning.
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Building a Collaborative Platform for Reindeer Husbandry and Wind Power

The need for a more open dialogue and better mutual understanding had been recognized both in the wind power sector and in reindeer husbandry, and it was considered that this would improve collaboration. The work of constructing a collaborative platform began in 2020 in discussions hosted by Akordi…
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Developing land use planning in the city of Lohja

During 2022, Akordi partnered with the City of Lohja to improve the city’s land use planning practices. In order to improve the city’s land use planning practices and intervention was carried out based on Developmental Work Research. The aim of the development process is to improve the planning…
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Preliminary assessment regarding the updating of Finnish national land use guidelines

Akordi was a partner in a preliminary assessment regarding the updating of Finnish national land use guidelines. The assessment was performed in collaboration with the University of Eastern Finland Law School. The national land use guidelines are a planning instrument and system required by…
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Societal acceptance of wind power in Central Finland regional land use plan 2040

Towards the end of 2022, Akordi will carry out an assessment that will support the regional land use planning process of Central Finland. The aim is to find acceptable solutions regarding wind power proposed in the draft plant, and to increase the overall acceptance of the regional land use plan. Regional…
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Helsinki City Strategy (2021-2025): Methods and solutions for aligning differing strategy priorities

Akordi assisted the city of Helsinki in aligning conflicting interests in the city strategy. The interests in question were city growth, biodiversity, and local recreational areas. Helsinki’s new city strategy (2021-2025), titled ‘A Place of Growth’, places city growth as one of the main goals,…
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Natural resources plan for the Sámi homeland

The drafting of an updated plan guiding the activities of Metsähallitus in the Sámi homeland began in October 2020. The updated plan will be for years 2022-2027, and it will align the aims of the state owned Metsähallitus (the Finnish forest administration) with those of the local populations. A working group consisting of key actors in the region was an important tool for the collaborative planning.
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Public Participation for Nurmijärvi Ilvesvuori local detailed plan

In spring 2021 the municipality of Nurmijärvi began drafting a local detailed plan for the northern Ilvesvuori area. The updated plan would allow for a large Kesko Corporation logistics centre. This has caused concerns in the neighborhood regarding, for instance, negative impacts during construction. Nurmijärvi…
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Conflict assessment: Sámi herding cooperatives and Metsähallitus

In 2020 the lingering tensions between Sámi reindeer herders and Metsähallitus forestry called for framing the conflict. In a novel approach, a neutral party intervenes in a lingering conflict to get a clearer picture of the situation. Conflict analysis is sometimes a part of environmental conflict mediation. It isn’t research, since it has a more practical goal; to lay the foundation for resolving the conflict.
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Citizen Jury to deliberate the use of marshlands for peat production

The regional council of South Ostrobothnia and The Finnish Environment Institute, together with Akordi, assembled a citizen jury to discuss the use of South Ostrobothnian marshlands. This was a part of drafting the regional plan of South Ostrobothnia. The goal was to plan how to integrate the differing…
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