Non-institutional Urban Planning Method
Basic information
Project Title
Category
Project Description
You Tell Me Collective wants to propose a non-institutional urban planning approach, which tries to communicate, share knowledge and develop shared ecological and equality enhancing local visions. The aim is to create a method which would help to protect the biodiversity of nature in cities as well as protect the communities (human and non-human) living in there.
Geographical Scope
Project Region
Urban or rural issues
Physical or other transformations
Which funds
Year
Description of the project
Summary
You Tell Me Collective wants to propose a non-institutional urban planning approach, which tries to communicate, share knowledge and develop shared ecological and equality enhancing local visions. The project is about testing a participation method of planning which would help to protect the biodiversity of nature in cities as well as protect the communities (human and non-human) living in there. The idea considers inability of public institutions to further ecological and social equality objectives as oppression towards generations of young and also marginalized people, since failing to create systemic change means losing a safe future for young generations and marginalized groups.
The aim of the project is to share knowledge about environmentally and socially sustainable built environment and development and create shared visions in workshops of expert-citizen participation. The end product of the project will be an alternative plan or ideas for the neighborhood that can be published. The plan/ideas will be based on the local knowledge and research revealing the contradictions with Helsinki’s growth trajectories in certain suburban areas. The vision for the area will be published on the project’s website and shared through different communication channels. The project is part of to developing a replicable planning approach that can be utilized in other contexts as well.
Sharing the project and creating public discussion is important since the parallel vision is used to pressure the urban planning institutions to face their discriminating processes towards people and nature and change them.
Key objectives for sustainability
We will select an area with important natural and cultural aspects and a threat of possibly unnecessary infill planning which would destroy them. We will help locals to bring their own ideas and values to the surface and support them in creating a parallel plan for the area and also share knowledge about environmentally aware planning concepts and references. One aim of the project and the activism approach is to create pressure for current urban planning institutions to change their methods of planning towards ecological and social sustainability.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
The growth trajectories emphasize new building over repairing old and developing existing structures thus creating a situation where the public budget is used in a way that mostly benefits private investors behind large building projects instead of local residents. Co-evolutionary planning approaches and participatory processes have been seen to create a possible counterforce against powerful market actors in the research literature of urban planning. Thus the project could have an impact on the maintenance and caring of the environment and repairing the attachment between local people and their environment by empowering local activity. If succeeded, this would create huge aesthetical benefits.
The project aims to go beyond the prejudice of white middle class hegemony of planners which is also visible in the aesthetics of the built environment of Finland and rather strengthen the possibility to create local unique aesthetics by empowering local communities and sharing tools and knowledge in citizen-expert communication.
Key objectives for inclusion
The project aims at increasing social equality and democracy in the urban planning system of Finland. The method will be developed and tested during the process and it can be replicated to other places. The method itself is created from the idea of parallel institutions that have been used as complementary to human rights activism of queer people. The method emphasizes peer learning and the right to be able to affect one's living environment.
Physical or other transformations
Innovative character
The co-evolutionary planning approach and expert-citizen communication are seen as an important way of sharing knowledge and skills to change the culture depending on fossil fuels and high consumption. Since the western culture has the historical weight of gaining growth through colonialistic and oppressive procedures, we have the responsibility to change our own culture. This can only be done through communication, cooperation and sharing knowledge and skills.
