2023: The City of Being(s)
The 27th edition of the IFHP Urban Planning and Design Summer School, held from August 14-25, 2023, brought together 25 students and young professionals with varied backgrounds from across the globe. For the first time the intense summer course unfolded in Pori, a coastal city in southwestern Finland, eager to gain fresh insights into its urban development.
Themed The City of Being(s), the program aimed to transcend conventional boundaries in urban planning and design and challenge participants to go beyond the traditional human-centric design practices; to envision Pori as a dynamic environment for all kinds of beings. Guided by academics and urban planning professionals, the participants embarked on a 10-day intensive workshop, producing a spectrum of spatial plans ranging from practical short-term solutions to ambitious, long-term utopian visions.
Two seemingly diverse neighbourhoods, Väinölänaho and Karjaranta, became the canvas for the participants to explore the future of housing, reimagining living spaces, river proximity, and an industrial heritage. In Karjaranta, the focus was on the role of the Karjaranta Centre in the proximity of the city centre and its potential integration into a multi-nodal urban structure. Väinölänaho prompted considerations of the possibilities a Finnish suburban housing estate offers for a fulfilling life, emphasizing connections to the city center through green and blue routes.
The showcased eight projects not only represent the tangible outcomes of the summer school’s intensive efforts but also signify a shift toward a more holistic approach in urban planning. From addressing the challenges of revitalizing active industrial areas to contemplating the coexistence of diverse beings within the urban fabric, these projects provide a glimpse into a transformed Pori—one that embraces a sustainable, diverse, and participatory vision for the future – The City of Being(s).
The city of BEEing(s)
Isabella Kanka, Helin Kuldkepp, Nehmat Singh
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Our proposal, “The City of BEEings”, considered the area’s history, geographical position, aspects of spatial interaction and existing land use. The values that are needed in Väinölä are easy accessibility, more community-driven activities, and interactive elements that would connect all beings. The vision is based on the architect and theorist Pier Vittorio Aureli’s viewpoint: “Less is enough”. With this crucial aspect, the proposal builds on the existing structures and community to reimagine Väinölä, making small changes that have a significant impact, introducing new people to the area and making it a multifunctional, liveable space where privacy and community are valued. The project further suggests interventions under the strategy of ‘connect-diversify-emphasise’, for example, by making the river Kokemäenjoki more accessible to people, connecting the Pori city centre with our design area through an efficient transportation system, community wild gardens including winter gardens, pop-up shop culture for a socio-cultural market area to create positive synergies, and occasional industrial exhibitions to keep the heritage alive.
Text provided by the authors.
Polycentric Pori 2050
Maria Guia, Vanya Kahmann, Bettina Keck
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Polycentric Pori 2050 envisions a transformative urban landscape, redefining suburbia and decentralizing human activities to decrease spatial hierarchies. The vision recognizes the importance of non-human inhabitants, advocating for an inclusive strategy that transcends anthropocentrism. Beyond the traditional ‘ecosystem services,’ the vision integrates nature and culture as a norm.
Emphasizing connectivity, the vision prioritizes strengthening social ties and introducing innovative transit solutions in key redevelopment areas like Väinölänaho. A revamped transit system and a new light rail line address connectivity issues, fostering accessibility. ‘Dynamic Units,’ pre-designed plots of land, connect the humans, non-humans, nature and culture to physical space. Polycentric Pori 2050 strives for a connected and inclusive urban environment, where humans and non-humans coexist harmoniously. This marks a paradigm shift in urban planning and design, aspiring to create equality between suburban and urban areas by 2050.
Urban Corridors, Connections, Rewilding and Play
Kasia Jakubiszyn, Nafiseh Rashidianfar, Marika Searle-Krokidas
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The vision for the Väinölä neighborhood emphasizes the neigbbourhood’s existing cultural and historical heritage while reconnects it with Itä-Pori district and the city’s green/blue spaces. The design aims for an evolving process that reshapes spaces and perspectives beyond human entities. Integrating natural elements through tree planting, wild gardens and educational biodiversity gardens enhances adaptability and resilience for future changes, while historical and cultural elements drive the design.
The proposal introduces community hubs, improved connectivity, and a harmonious blend of human and non-human experiences. Tactical urbanism and pilot projects provide short time actions for long term change, and give people an opportunity to experience, give feedback and feel true engagement in the change. This holistic approach integrates ecological and societal perspectives, emphasizing a flexible, long-term vision. The design provides Väinolä an opportunity to flourish, encouraging a shared environment that aligns with the city’s cultural identity and heritage. The proposal seeks to transform Väinölä into a vibrant and adaptive space, creating a harmonious connection between its historical roots and a forward-looking, resilient future.
Väinölä – Testing Field for Suburbia of Being(s)
Ada Wu, Ewa Kuhnert, Katharina Fromm
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The vision for Pori 2050 is based on a Patchwork Strategy, that fosters sustainability through the integration of diverse actors and viewpoints in urban planning. Implemented in phases, intensities, and spaces, this strategy ensures that the planning aligns with the city’s existing identity. Three development cycles underpin this vision: adaptive reuse shifts from demolition to wooden revitalization, biodiversity restoration embraces co-living with nature, and collection mindset transforms individualistic ethos to collective living. The overarching aim is to cultivate ecological, social, and economic resilience in Pori.
The neighbourhood of Väinölä is envisioned as a potential model for sustainable suburban living while preserving the local identity. The vision is presented through Väinö, a suburban dweller living a future marked by nature exploration, community creation, and social interaction. The vision reimagines suburban life, emphasizing coexistence and neighbourhood’s interconnectedness with the city center, the short-wave radio station, surrounding neighbourhoods, and nature, enhancing residents’ sense of belonging.
KARJARANTA. transforming. connected. identities.
Caroline Grenda, Andrea Midlochová, Pelin Halisipek
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Our vision is about transforming and connected identities of Karjaranta and the whole City of Pori.
According to the analysis (included a lot of interviews with local people), there is a strong identity linked to the river and industry. There are also a lot of barriers (lack of blue and green or pedestrian connections, mental distance between the inhabitants and also the whole neighbourhood of Karjaranta and the rest of the city. That’s why in our vision we put participation as the starting principle and tool to achieve connections between three main components: (i) blue and green, (ii) community, (iii) work and life. We proposed a community plan that should be used for every neighborhood in future Pori. In the Karajaranta area, we propose to build a new local center where these principles of community life would be applied for the first time. The design area comprises a mosaic of spaces with diverse functions, designed to encourage shared ownership, create livable public spaces for human and non-human beings, and provide spaces for engagement and intergenerational connections.
Text provided by the authors.
Community of Innovation
Elena Lea, Mabel Vo, Rūdolfs Golubovs
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The vision for Pori centers on revitalizing transitional urban spaces to celebrate the coexistence of community, industry, creativity, and nature. While existing industrial and creative infrastructure in Pori is robust, it lacks integration into the everyday built environment. The aim is to transform transitional areas into communal hubs and integrate innovative industries into everyday spaces. The Kokemäenjoki River Path, the key initiative, enhances city connectivity by allowing locals and tourists to rent kayaks for both commuting and leisure, reinforcing the natural link between people, nature, and place. Another innovative proposal involves creating a local currency in collaboration with the Pori tourist board, featuring key landmarks to promote citywide identity. The design envisions workshops that engage locals and tourists in the currency production process, connecting them with Pori’s industrial heritage in a safe, public space. These initiatives collectively aim to redefine Pori’s urban landscape, making innovation and creativity integral parts of everyday life, accessible to all.
Back to the [P]Origin
Elias Pfeiffer, Uri Yokomori, Corin Afzal
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The vision builds on Karjaranta’s industrial heritage and strong identity while aiming to reconnect the residents with the land. The existing industrial buildings are restored – some are adapted to new uses while some are enhanced with new and innovative technology. To improve the overall urban environment, several key initiatives are proposed to make the area greener and resilient for the future challenges. Interconnected green spaces promote biodiversity and a healthier urban ecosystem. Addressing the harsh winter conditions, intentional design measures are suggested to protect pedestrians from strong winds. Environmental considerations extend to Kokemäenjoki, with a focus on nourishing the fish population and maintaining water quality. A commitment to public well-being involves offering various types of green spaces for the community to enjoy, fostering a sense of connection with nature and enhancing the overall quality of life.
Root Yourself in Pori
Bryn Turner, Konstantina Cheiladaki, Roberta Inglês
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The Pori Vision 2050 envisions a transformation away from a city struggling with a declining population, economic stagnation and youth retention, to a rejuvenated city home to an industrial circular economy with world-leading green technology research, development and education inspired by the Pori’s existing globally important copper industry. Fitting for a such a focal point of sustainable technology, the Pori vision 2050 also envisages the city’s transformation into Finland’s physically greenest city, covered by parkland, green streets and trees. Furthermore, enhancing its attractiveness to young, skilled workers, the planning vision will help Pori augment its current reputation in the arts and cultural sector by improving event sites and providing spaces for public art, urban gardens, and tactical urban experiments. This will help Pori to become a desirable and magnetic location attracting skilled people from all over the world to work and live in a city recognised for its sustainability, conviviality and opportunity.
Text provided by the authors.