In greensight: healthier futures for urban cores in transition

ABSTRACT

This paper develops new perspectives of cross-disciplinary methods combining futures studies and urban planning to help imagine healthier futures for compact urban cores. Our empirical basis lies in research-based collaboration between 2016 and 2019 with the City of Turku, the former capital of Finland. The goal was the creation of an ambitious but realistic vision and strategic plan focused on liveability and wellbeing and addressing challenges posed by spatial fragmentation and lack of cohesion. Through the process, it was concluded that to create a positive transition, planning requires the adoption of a ‘greensight’ perspective as a point of departure. The basic argument was that in order to reach a new level of human-centredness and interconnectedness, urban cores need to act as the strong support system for the healthier urban societies of the future. In this paper, we explain the lessons learned and provide an analysis of green areas in the context of Turku. We share wisdom on two key aspects: 1) the growing importance of human health for a more future-oriented approach to the planning of green areas and 2) the rising levels of urban complexity that make adequate distribution of green areas hard to achieve.

KEYWORDS:

• Futures
• urban greening
• wellbeing
• social transformation
• human health

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ana Maria Jones

Ana Maria Jones is an urban researcher at the Finland Futures Research Centre (FFRC) in the University of Turku-Finland where she works on interdisciplinary research combining future studies, urban planning and sustainability. For the past 16 years, Ana has been researching on the sustainable development of urban cores and wellbeing. She provides advice on strategic planning and has collaborated with the strategy unit of the City of Turku on the future of greening historic cores for livability exploring new potential beyond standard planning practices. Her most recent work includes the Urban Futures Podcast, a learning and knowledge exchange platform Ana initiated.

Markku Wilenius

Markku Wileniusis professor of futures studies in Turku School of Economics at the University of Turku. He is also UNESCO Chair in Learning Society and Futures of Education.  As of mid-February 2020, he started to work in Dubai as Dean of Dubai Future Academy, a unit of  Dubai Future Foundation He has worked and published over 25 years on futures studies. Wilenius has worked many areas related to learning, innovation and sustainability. During last last years, his research and consultancy has dealt increasingly on greener urban futures. He is member of Club of Rome.