The tale of two regions: planning for resilience in Finnish regional planning, does planning culture matter?

Abstract

Cities and regions encounter growing complexities in their operational environment, requiring an ability to acknowledge the accelerating change dynamics and uncertainties in their planning processes. Being formed of different municipalities and cities, regions are complex territories for planning by nature. This research builds on case studies of two neighbouring Finnish regions: Helsinki Uusimaa and Southwest Finland. The research sets out to explore the role of planning culture in enabling a region that is sensitive to the increasing complexities and the consequent need for resilient knowledge practices in processes. The study combines semi structured interviews with officials in regional planning bodies with document analysis. The findings highlight major questions of procedural resilience on regional level by simultaneously showing how available resources can affect integrating resilience in regional planning.

Keywords: Finland, Regional Planning, Planning Culture, Resilience