Public defence in Spatial Planning and Transportation Engineering, M.Sc. (Tech), B.Arch. Oya Duman

Bringing land use planning and transport planning together: But how? 

In recent decades, urban areas have been challenged by several crises, such as the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. These crises, caused by a mix of natural and human-made factors spanning environmental, social, financial, and bureaucratic borders, have emphasised the need for comprehensive urban policies. A key problem identified in addressing these challenges is the fragmented nature of urban policies developed by separate organisations or departments operating at separate governance levels, leading to inconsistent and ineffective urban policies. 

Within this discussion, separate practices of land use planning and transport planning have been identified as a barrier in achieving sustainable urban development goals which require a holistic approach. Accordingly, an integrated land use and transport planning approach bringing together diverse forms of sectoral expertise, different planning levels and separate administrative units has been proposed. However, despite the wide recognition of the need for land use and transport integration, effective processes of such integration have proven difficult. 

The objective of this doctoral research is to provide one possible answer to the challenges of establishing integrated land use and transport planning processes, by examining how specific planning contexts influence these processes. By doing so, the study offers in-depth process knowledge into the integration of land use and transport planning. This doctoral research focuses on the MAL 2019 planning process which is a strategic land use, housing and transport planning process in Helsinki Metropolitan Region in Finland. 

The results emphasise the importance of understanding integrated planning processes within their specific contexts, by acknowledging the social and historical backgrounds of these processes. The findings highlight the need to understand what works and what doesn’t within each planning context. The research provides targeted and context-specific recommendations to improve integrated land use and transport planning process, and thus, enables planning organisations in Finland and abroad to enhance their capacity to respond to the global crises. This research not only contributes to the academic understanding of integrated planning processes but also equips practitioners with practical insights for improving urban sustainability in the face of ongoing challenges.

Opponent: Professor Karolina Isaksson, VTI Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden

Custos: Associate Professor Milos Mladenovic, Aalto University School of Engineering, Department of Built Environment

Contact information of the doctoral student: Oya Duman,[email protected]

The public defence will be organised on campus (Otakaari 4, lecture hall 216).

The thesis is publicly displayed 10 days before the defence in the publication archive Aaltodoc of Aalto University. 

Electronic thesis