Group N - Collaborative Climate Adaption Project

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Area Helsinki Metropolitan Area
Place Helsinki
Country Finland
Topic See level rise, GHGs Emissions
Author(s) Andreia Oshiro, Carolina Esteves, Diana Cota
Philipp korting helsinki.jpg


Rationale: Why have you selected this case study area?

  • Today, around 44% of world’s population lives within 150km of shoreline (UN Atlas of the Oceans). There are 3,351 cities in the low elevation coastal zones (UN-Habitat) and they will face strong impacts due to rise see level.
  • As Finland is the pioneer in the implementation of adaptation policy (since 2005), we believe that the study of Helsinki and metropolitan area can bring us a valuable examples of measures and strategies for adaptation to Climate Change in coastal areas.
  • Finland has already some adaptation actions happening on local level and that gives us a clear picture of how to implement such measures and get communities involved.

Authors' perspectives

  • Landscape architects should provide an interdisciplinary approach to protection, conservation and management of urban and rural landscapes, considering environmental, social and economic factors.
  • This approach contributes to elaboration of strategies to support sustainable communities and improve our adaptation capacity to Climate Change.
  • We believe that local actions in different sectors coordinated by an integrated plan are an important instrument to ensure effective results.

Landscape and/or urban context

  • Helsinki – the capital of Finland - is situated at the mouth of the river Vantaa, in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The city is spread across a number of bays and peninsulas and over about 315 islands.
  • The metropolitan area involves also the cities, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen, covering around 745 sq. km, with a total population of approximately one million. Only in Helsinki live 602,200 people, making it by far the most populous city in Finland. Therefore it has a density of 2,800 inhabitants per sq.km, which is relatively low in comparison with other European capitals (e.g. London: 5,206/sq.km; Stockholm: 4,600/sq.km; Brussels: 7,025/sq.km).
  • Approximately one of four Finns, live in the metropolitan area of Helsinki representing an important center of population, jobs, public and private investment, infrastructure construction, administration and research.
  • The public transport system is much spread and consists of trams, commuter rail, the subway, bus lines and two ferry lines. There were only 240,175 cars registered in Helsinki, which means about 403 cars per 1000 inhabitants.
  • The symbol animal of the city is the squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) and their symbol plant is the maple (Acer platanoides).

Cultural/social/political context

  • Brief explanation of culture, political economy, legal framework

Illustration: Bullet points, image, background notes


Local Climate

  • What are the climatic conditions at present? Have there been extreme weather events in the near past?
  • Which changes are expected? Is there any evidence?

Illustration: Table or time line


Analysis of vulnerability

  • If you consider these potential changes - which aspects/functions of your case study would be affected?

Illustration: Map/diagram/sketches/photos/background notes


Proposals for Climate Change Adaption

  • How could your case study area become more resilient to climate change?
  • Which measures would need to be taken to adapt to the new situation?
  • How could you assure sustainability of these measures?
  • Please describe 2-3 measures


Proposals for Climate Change Mitigation

  • Which measures would need to be taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other drivers of climate change within your case study area?
  • How could you assure sustainability of these measures?
  • Please describe 2-3 measures


Your scenario

  • How will this area look like in 2060?
  • Please forecast one potential future development taking climate change into account

Illustration: Map/diagram/sketches photos and background notes


What can be generalized from this case study?

  • Are there any important theoretical insights?
  • Which research questions does it generate?
  • Short statement plus background notes


Image Gallery


References

Please add literature, documentations and weblinks


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