Taking a broader view in decisions on land use

V I E W S O N E N V I RO N M E N TA L P O L I C Y I S Y K E P O LI C Y B R I E F I 8 .4 . 2 019

Carbon neutral Finland by 2040 Decisions on land use for the 2030s through the 2050s are being made now

In the future, society will have low carbon emissions and will operate under the principle of a circular economy. To reach this goal we need closer cooperation among the various planning levels and the different administrative sectors. Finland needs to create a good framework for cooperation now that the Land Use and Building Act is being amended.

A sustainable future requires that solutions of transport and land use must not be made only from the point of view of an individual municipality or city: the entire urban region must be taken into consideration. Decisions will be made for the long term and will be consistent all the way from the regional level through solutions for specific locations.

Land use planning information will be in a uniform and digital from the earliest stages of planning. Information is of high quality, up-to-date, and openly available.

Responsibilities for the production of information are straightforward.

Many types of values are taken into consideration in decisions on land use, such as values of nature and social sustainability.

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Making peri-urban environments a basic unit

A large proportion of greenhouse gas emissions originate in urban regions. Consequently, it is important to aim at low carbon levels in decisions on land use and transport in those areas. An urban region refers to densely built area that can extend to the territory of many cities and municipalities.

Currently decisions on transport and land use are often made exclusively with the needs of individual cities in mind, although work and shopping by residents extend to the areas of more than one municipality. In the largest urban regions the development of the urban structure will need to involve walking, cycling, and public transport1.

The Land Use and Building Act must include a requirement for planning at the urban region level. The law also needs to determine what entity coordinates the drafting of the plan.

Consistency in planning

Closer collaboration between municipalities and regions is a prerequisite for the achievement of low carbon goals.

Low carbon emissions should be taken as a goal of strategic planning at both the regional and municipal levels. Region level operators could have a strategic responsibility in promoting measures aimed at keeping climate change under control. This would effectively channel low carbon emissions into decisions on municipal land use.

Consistent planning work from the regional level all the way to solutions at individual locations creates the preconditions for the possibilities such as the development of resource-efficient transport systems in growth zones extending from Helsinki to Tampere, Turku, and Lahti.

Hyvinkää

Low carbon emissions and circular economy go hand-in-hand

Decisions concerning low carbon emissions and the circular economy should increasingly be examined as a whole. The circular economy means, for example, a sharing economy, recycling, and the utilisation of waste in excavation. The efficient distribution of regionally significant bioeconomy and circular economy areas requires decision-making that extends beyond municipal and regional boundaries.

In construction, the entire life cycle of building, from zoning solutions through the actual construction, the use of the buildings, and their eventual demolition need to be taken better into consideration.

Instead of building new areas, it is better to favour complementary construction and the utilisation of old buildings. For instance, municipalities in the Hinku project, which aim at carbon neutrality, are sharing good practices in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and electric transport.

From the circular economy point of view amending the Land Use and Building Act must promote cooperation and life cycle thinking that transcends municipal boundaries while recognising the changes that are needed in other legislation for expediting the circular economy.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT WILL GROW IN THE HELSINKI REGION

Järvenpää

Kerava

The 14 municipalities in the Helsinki region constitute a functional whole. In the future, a growing proportion of the region's population and jobs will be located in areas with highquality public transport and nearby services.

To promote low carbon emissions in the central areas of an urban region, crosstown connections need to be established to link subcentres and public transport cities with each other. The forecast is based on land use reported by the municipalities.

Sources: Tiitu et.al.5 and SYKE

Walking city Transit city

Helsinki

Linking transport and land use

Decisions on transport and land use must be interlinked better than is now the case. The aim is for residential areas, jobs, services, and green spaces to be connected by public transport or pedestrian and bicycle routes. This requires cooperation among the different administrative sectors.

The density of community structures of city centres, subcentres, and areas near them should be increased, as sustainable movement is easier in those areas.

It is especially important to ensure that the goals of transport planning at the regional level are passed on to the municipal level. For example, areas with a high workplace density should be linked to transport planning. New kinds of places of work should be set up at transport hubs, where it would be possible to work on a temporary basis, and where the self-employed, for instance, or employees of different companies can work together.

Subcentres Car city

In a walking city people can reach their destinations mainly by walking and cycling.

A transit city is dependent on buses and rail transport and a car city largely depends on the use of private cars. The subcentres have good services. In addition to public transport, walking or cycling are also possible.

Map sources: SYKE, National Land Survey of Finland and Esri Finland.

LOCATION OF RESIDENTIAL AREAS 0,9

Million

A key item of legislation that guides land use planning, the Land Use and Building Act, is to be extensively amended.

The changes are scheduled for completion by the end of 2021. The purpose of the legislative change is to create a framework for land use in the 2030s through the 2050s. The legislation needs to be amended to make it work as a more effective tool of sustainable development. For example, low carbon emissions and a circular economy require closer cooperative practices among the various levels of land use planning and the various administrative sectors.

0,8 0,6 0,4 0,2 0

2020

2030

2040

2050

LOCATION OF EMPLOYMENT / JOBS Million

A new direction is needed for land-use

0,3 0,2 0,1 0

2020

2030

2040

2050

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Toward open digital information

Compatible data systems are needed for easing cooperation in statutory land-use planning among regions, urban regions, and municipalities. Information connected with statutory land use planning data and other types of planning of land use should be in a uniform digital form from the very start of planning.

The information must be of high quality, up-to-date, and openly available through interface services. Combining information and the overall evaluation of various planning alternatives requires tools that are easy to use.

The requirement that information should be digital and open must be included in the Land Use and Building Act. The legislation will also have to define the responsibilities of the production and distribution of data.

POPULATION CHANGE IN FINLAND'S URBAN REGIONS IN 2015–2040 +5 000 Relative change +10 000 16... 27 % +50 000 6... 15 % +100 000 –4... 5 % – 5 000 –15... –5 % Map sources: YKR/SYKE, Statistics Finland, National Land Survey of Finland and Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency/Digiroad.

Giving the people a voice

Not at the expense of nature

POPULATION DEVELOPMENT IN FINLAND 5

Million

Openness of data and decision-making makes it possible for citizens to influence decision-making concerning the environment in which they live2.

For the sake of fairness, it is important to indicate how information gathered from different entities has affected decision-making. The influence of the views of the citizens must be increased by ensuring participation already at the early stages of the planning process. Planners need support in arranging high-quality participation.

The Land Use and Building Act must make it possible to consider values that are especially important in promoting sustainable development, such as values of nature and social sustainability in decision-making.

3

Although achieving low carbon emissions often means complementary construction in cities, it must not take place at the expense of nature. Access of residents to nature and the water's edge needs to be secured. This helps maintain physical and mental health. For example, day care centres and schools should be located near green spaces3.

In increasingly dense cities, green spaces also help in adapting to climate change by reducing the impact of extreme weather events, such as heat waves and floods.

Networks of green spaces and water areas must be systematically included in zoning solutions. The system for planning the use of areas should prevent the splintering of green spaces, secure the preservation of areas that are central to values of nature and the benefits brought on by nature, and identify places where a natural state could potentially be restored4.

The whole country

75 %

4

Urban regions

2 1

25 %

Areas outside urban regions

1990

2015

2040

Expected population development in 2015-2040 in Finland's urban regions. Outside the urban regions, population numbers are mostly on the decline. The calculation is based on a population forecast published by Statistics Finland in 2015. Since the forecast was drafted, population growth has increasingly concentrated on the largest urban regions Because of the divergent population development, different kinds of tools for planning land use are needed in different parts of the country. This should be considered when amending the Land Use and Building Act. In urban regions that are growing fast, tools are needed for the development of public transport, and in Northern Finland, for guiding the construction and use of wind power, for example. Source: Rehunen et.al.6

AN EXAMPLE OF THE LAND USE DECISIONS BY A CITY LOCATED ALONG THE MAIN RAIL LINE

Low carbon emissions require consistent and persevering decisions of the planning of land use and transport. The goal of the city is to have a new station on the main rail line in 15 to 25 years. Building the station requires that the national government would implement extra tracks and the city would need to allow dense construction in the station area.

GOALS OF THE CITY: Managed growth of the city • A new railway station in use • Linking the new station area as part of the existing city structure • Reducing the need for car transport • Promoting sustainable transport The national government decides on the implementation of additional tracks of the main line, which is a prerequisite for building a new station

Deciding on the direction of a new station as an expansion area of the city

©SYKE

Acquiring land near the new station

Investing in a network for pedestrian and bicycle transport for the city Adding the station to the master plan

Process duration, 15 to 25 years

Deciding on the land use options for the expansion area if the station is not built Deciding on the transport system of the expansion area if the station is not built

Deciding on the new station

Deciding on feeder transport of the station area

Planning a dense use of land for the station area

The station will be built

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Raising the bar

The law is being amended

To restrain climate change, emissions of greenhouse gases need to be reduced faster than has been estimated so far. This requires changes to the planning of land use and the practices of decision-making Decisions involving transport, land use, and construction should be planned so that as emissions are educed, a society can be established that is more sustainable in other ways as well. The consequence is a living environment that is of better quality, healthier, and socially more sustainable, as well as nature that is more diverse.

Key legislation which guides the use of the areas, the Land Use and Building Act, is currently being thoroughly amended.

The purpose of the legislative change is to create a framework for land use in the 2030s through the 2050s. It will establish living and operating environments for future generations. The bar needs to be kept high.

The planning of the use of the areas refers to planning of land use, or the master plans and zoning, which is the responsibility of the municipalities, and the regional planning and maritime spatial planning, which is the responsibility of the regional councils. The planning of land use is also guided by national land use goals and Finland's international commitments.

Key legislation which guides the use of the areas is currently being amended. The new legislation is to be completed at the end of 2021. The Land Use and Building Act defines the goals of land use, the planning system, and the relationships between the different levels in the planning.

The legislation regulates matters including the roles of different players, jurisdiction, and practices for shared use.

THE COMMUNITY STRUCTURE SHOULD PROMOTE LOW-CARBON EMISSIONS

Proportion of household dwelling units (%)

60

Car-free

50

40

One car

30

20

Two or more cars

10 Number of residents and jobs per hectare 0

20

40

60

80

100

Sources: 1 Söderström, P.; Schulman, H.; Ristimäki, R. (2015). Urban Form in the Helsinki and Stockholm City Regions. Development of Pedestrian, Public Transport and Car Zones. Reports of the Finnish Environment Institute 16/2015.

2 Paloniemi, R.; Niemelä, J.; Soininen, N.; Laatikainen, T.; Vierikko, K.; Rekola, A.; Viinikka, A.; Yli-Pelkonen, V.; Assmuth, T.; Kopperoinen, L.; Peltonen, L.; Kuokkanen, T.; Kyttä, M. (2018). Environmental justice for the governance of aquatic environments. Local Environment 23(3): 366–377.

3 Paloniemi, R.; Tiitu, M.; Viinikka, A.; Vikström, S.; Furman, E. (2017). Promoting health through interaction with nature in urban areas.

SYKE Policy Brief 24.8.2017.

4 Kopperoinen, L; Stange, E.; Rusch, G.; Baró, F.; Garcia Blanca, G.; Mederly, P. (2015). Integrating nature-based Solutions in Urban Planning. OpenNESS brief no. 3, November 2015.

5 Tiitu M., Helminen V., Nurmio K. & Ristimäki M. (2018). Helsingin seudun kaupunkikudokset 2016, 2030 ja 2050 (in Finnish). MAL 2019 -julkaisu.

6 Rehunen, A.; Ristimäki, M.; Strandell, A.; Tiitu, M.; Helminen, V. (2018). Katsaus yhdyskuntarakenteen kehitykseen Suomessa 1990-2016. (in Finnish) Suomen ympäristökeskuksen raportteja 13/2018.

7 Helminen, V. (2018). Kynnysarvot auttavat ymmärtämään kaupunkikudoksia – Autonomistuksen ja tiheyden välillä selkeä yhteys. (in Finnish) Bemine-blogi. https://bemine.fi/kynnysarvot-auttavat-ymmartamaan-kaupunkikudoksia-autonomistuksen-ja-tiheyden-valilla-selkea-yhteys/ Further information: Tiitu, M. (2018).Expansion of the built-up areas in Finnish city regions – The approach of travel-related urban zones.

Applied Geography Vol. 101, p. 1-13.

Terämä, E.; Peltomaa, J.; Lyytimäki, J. (2017). Sustainable mobility solutions are created locally. SYKE Policy Brief 9.5.2017.

Writers: Kari Oinonen, Ville Helminen, Ari Nissinen, Riikka Paloniemi, Aino Rekola, Antti Rehunen, Sanna-Riikka Saarela, Jani Salminen and Maija Tiitu | Commuications specialist: Leena Rantajärvi | Layout: Ahoy | ISBN 978-952-11-5012-8 (pbk.) | ISBN 978-952-11-5013-5 (PDF)

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Car ownership by household-dwelling units in relation to population and job density in the Helsinki region (14 municipalities) in 2015. The greater the density of construction, the fewer households in the area have cars. In the future a goal of community structure should be to enable a car-free lifestyle, or one in which only one car is needed. Source: Helminen et.al.7