Julkaisu - Hel2

Summary: Preliminary survey on the
development of urban structures
HARRY SCHULMAN, HELSINKI UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
In the development of major cities, changes occur
that can be seen in many ways in the physical environment
of the cities, in their functional structure and
their social interaction. In discussions, changes are
often linked to globalisation and the tightening international
business competition, and to abilities to control
urban sprawl and social differentiation.
In Finland, too, factors triggering change in regional
structures and urban development are seen to
have changed. The regional structure of the country
has been characterised by an accumulation of population
and functions in a few big urban regions. In
these growth centres, development expresses itself
as a concentration of habitation and functions in the
city centres and as population growth in the zones
around the urban core. Automobilisation, especially,
has changed the structure of cities.
Urban structures that have differing physical and
functional properties can be identified and modelled
as comprehensive systems and corresponding zones.
In the development of post-industrial, “modern” cities,
two very different main trends have been visible.
Historical city centres and suburbs with good public
transport have had an important position in most European
big cities. Cities in North America and Australia
have seen the birth of an automobile-adapted
urban structure, where public transport plays a modest
role. In all cities, you can find structures and milieus
of a pedestrian city as well as a public transport
and a car-borne city, but it seems that the structural
features of a car-borne city and car dependence
among households are getting stronger in Europe and
Finland as well.
To study these issues, a large consortium by the
name of KARA has been formed with representatives
of the Finnish Environment Institute SYKE, the cities
of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa from the Helsinki
Metropolitan Area, the core cities of the Turku, Tampere,
Oulu and Kuopio regions, and several provincial
authorities and regional environment centres.
The objectives of the KARA Survey are (1) to
clarify and unify the concepts and terminology relating
to structural development in city regions, (2)
produce measured and analysed research findings
about the structural development of big city regions,
(3) stimulate discussion and interaction between researchers,
planners and administration and (4) back
up the work being done on structural models and
development pictures in big city regions. At a concrete
level, the KARA Survey includes seminars and
researcher meetings, case studies and relating exchange
of findings, comparisons of city regions, and
analyses of developments in Finland based on international
research.
Quantitative research on urban structures – development
of indicators of structural properties and
calibration and functionality-checking of gauges for
these – provide a good opportunity to develop the
YKR data system for the monitoring of community
structures run by the Finnish Environment Institute
SYKE.
In a European comparison of major cities (EEA
2006) the Helsinki Region is mentioned as a warning
example of urban sprawl. Decades ago, the structure
of the Helsinki Region became scattered. Recent developments,
however, have been towards a more compact
urban structure, as figures on population density,
for example, show. And yet, sprawl in the region’s
periphery is undoubtedly a problem. More detailed
research into these phenomena is needed.
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