Master’s thesis: Strengthening vitality through strategic land-use planning

A Master’s thesis commissioned for the land use responsibility area of Janakkala municipal technical services has been completed. The work was prepared by Elina Talikka, a human geography student at the University of Eastern Finland.

Janakkala is preparing to update the 2030+ land use structural model. The Master’s thesis examines the municipality’s strategic land use planning in a situation where the population is forecast to decline. The aim of the study was to find perspectives on how the municipality can be developed in a sustainable and people-centered way in a changing operating environment. The work also formed a scenario for updating the land use structural model by utilizing residents’ views.

According to the study, Janakkala’s current land use structural model is largely based on previous growth expectations, but the operating environment has changed significantly in recent years. Population development is forecast to be moderately declining in the future, and the population’s age structure to become older than before. This emphasizes the need to direct development toward qualitative renewal instead of quantitative growth, with a focus on the needs of the current population and improving their wellbeing.

In the municipal strategy survey targeted at residents, particular emphasis was placed on the tranquility, safety and pleasantness of residential and living environments, proximity to nature, rural character, as well as functioning services and transport connections. The study shows that resident participation plays an important role in strengthening municipal vitality and planning for the future.

The study offers Janakkala municipality perspectives for preparing the update of the land use structural model and, more broadly, on how municipalities that may experience population decline can realistically develop their operations by relying on their own strengths. In addition, the study highlights the importance of change-resilient planning and resident participation as part of sustainable regional development.

Full study (in Finnish) in the eRepo service.