Smart shrinkage and multi-locality – The appeal of hope, illustrated through Puolanka, a rural municipality in Finland

dc.contributorAalto-yliopistofi
dc.contributorAalto Universityen
dc.contributor.authorSchmidt-Thomé, Kaisaen_US
dc.contributor.authorLilius, Johannaen_US
dc.contributor.departmentDepartment of Architectureen
dc.contributor.organizationDemos Helsinki Oyen_US
dc.date.accessioned2023-02-28T15:35:49Z
dc.date.available2023-02-28T15:35:49Z
dc.date.issued2023en_US
dc.description.abstractOur contribution discusses two phenomena – shrinkage and multi-locality – in relation to the big picture of urbanisation and to the prevailing regional policy discourse that is very growth oriented in nature. Empirical material from Puolanka is used to illustrate the key tensions of this constellation. We ask: Does the concept of ‘smart shrinkage’ resonate in the context of a shrinking municipality? Is it possible to operationalise shrinkage at the local level? A group of artists has been experimenting with a very peculiar approach by branding their local pessimism (!) and thereby sympathetically ridiculing the growth orientation of a locality that shrinks fast by numbers. What about ‘multilocality’? Is it a true opportunity to increase the quality of life in depopulating regions? Like many rural municipalities, Puolanka hopes that the holiday homes and e-work will contribute to local vitality. We propose that other somewhat surprising forms of multilocality may be even more significant. Those include the global multilocalities of the entrepreneurs with immigration background that keep the last restaurant business up and running, as well as the seasonal workers in agriculture and tourism. Also, the pessimistic artists can be seen as multilocals. The peculiar connectedness that these young people have with Puolanka is of high symbolic value.en
dc.description.versionPeer revieweden
dc.format.extent17
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen_US
dc.identifier.citationSchmidt-Thomé, K & Lilius, J 2023, ' Smart shrinkage and multi-locality – The appeal of hope, illustrated through Puolanka, a rural municipality in Finland ', Urban, Planning and Transport Research, vol. 11, no. 1, 2165140 . https://doi.org/10.1080/21650020.2023.2165140en
dc.identifier.doi10.1080/21650020.2023.2165140en_US
dc.identifier.issn2165-0020
dc.identifier.otherPURE UUID: 4dd38d1f-af7b-40c3-8e48-12caab89bf28en_US
dc.identifier.otherPURE ITEMURL: https://research.aalto.fi/en/publications/4dd38d1f-af7b-40c3-8e48-12caab89bf28en_US
dc.identifier.otherPURE FILEURL: https://research.aalto.fi/files/101429109/Smart_shrinkage_and_multi_locality_The_appeal_of_hope_illustrated_through_Puolanka_a_rural_municipality_in_Finland_pdfa2b.pdfen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/119879
dc.identifier.urnURN:NBN:fi:aalto-202302282217
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherTAYLOR & FRANCIS
dc.relation.ispartofseriesUrban, Planning and Transport Researchen
dc.relation.ispartofseriesVolume 11, issue 1en
dc.rightsopenAccessen
dc.titleSmart shrinkage and multi-locality – The appeal of hope, illustrated through Puolanka, a rural municipality in Finlanden
dc.typeA1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessäfi
dc.type.versionpublishedVersion
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