Re-centring peripheries along ring roads under a smart growth agenda: case studies of Espoo Innovation Garden and Vantaa Aviapolis in Finland

ABSTRACT

The study expands on the recent cluster-oriented smart growth vision in Greater Helsinki, Finland, and examines with two case studies the pertinent locational factor and locality-specific issues. The contemporary regional development tendencies of smart clustering have reframed place-making schemes with an aim of placing large concentrations of business activities on the periphery. The case studies of Espoo Innovation Garden and Vantaa Aviapolis draw on descriptive before-and-after analysis over a defined timeframe. The study addresses the formation and transformation of the spatial structure and its relative and relational qualities on an aggregated scale. It demonstrates the potential, challenges, tools, and strategies of the operating smart growth agenda generating spatial-economic competitiveness and attractiveness factors in these particular projects. The findings explain how the locational factor along ring roads parallel with the land-use management and former model of spatial and economic concentration and centralization are hampering the restructuring of new urban centralities.

KEYWORDS:

• Re-centring periphery
• locational factor
• cluster development
• ring roads

Acknowledgements

In addition to the anonymous referees, many thanks are owed to the interviewees for their participation in and contribution to this discussion: Harri Paananen, Head of Economic Development for the City of Espoo, Kari Mikkela, Executive Producer and Architect at Espoo Innovation Garden, and Kimmo Valijamaa, Business Development Manger at the City of Vantaa.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

ORCID

Alia’a Amr http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4006-2516

Notes

1 The interviews were conducted between February 2018 and August 2019, recorded, and fully transcribed.