Institute of Urban and Regional Studies

Etusivu
Suomi
Helsinki
Institute of Urban and Regional Studies

Soita Reittiohjeet Verkkosivusto Ota yhteyttä: yliopisto

First academic multi-disciplinary urban research unit in Finland.

Helsinki Institute of Urban and Regional Studies (Urbaria) is the first academic multi-disciplinary urban research unit in Finland. The institute tackles complex problems of urban and regional development by research and education. It combines the long-standing academic excellence of research in the University of Helsinki with emerging transdisciplinary collaborations with cities and other actors. The research focuses on three interlinking fields: places, people and politics in an international setting.

26/10/2026

Welcome to the Urbaria Academics seminar THE HISTORY OF SMALL TOWNS AND CITIES: FINLAND AND THE WORLD!

Date: 19 November 2026
Time: 15.00-17.00
Place: B214 (Hall 4), Metsätalo (Unioninkatu 40, Helsinki)

Programme:

Opening Remarks
Laura Kolbe, Emerita Professor of European History, University of Helsinki

Nuclei for an Urban Nation - Small towns in Finland from 1810s to the present
Matti O. Hannikainen, Docent, University of Helsinki

Abstract:
The last two centuries witnessed the gradual transition of Finland from an agrarian to an urban society. The advent of new industries coupled with new modes of transportation provided the momentum for economic growth for numerous smaller towns after the 1850s. The urbanization thus continued the tradition of a top-down urban policy and process to boost commerce, while new urbanizing communities grew up as local hubs for trade, industries, and transportation with local impetus from below. Yet most of the 37 Finnish towns in 1900 were small. Thew new century witnessed a profound societal change due to continuous population growth, however. While Finnish society urbanized, national policies did not support the process wholeheartedly. Until the 1960s, the aim of Finnish policies was to control urbanization, which partially explains the small size of many Finnish towns and townships. With accelerated urban growth after the Second World War, the creation of new towns after 1960 was seen as a way of regaining political control over the urbanization process and invigorating trade and industrial development across the country with limited success in longer perspective. Hence, at the advent of the 21st century, Finnish small towns remain a heterogenous group and their position is under pressure again.

Why Study Small Towns? Their Importance in Global Perspective
Peter Clark, Emeritus Professor of European Urban History, University of Helsinki

Abstract: Too often neglected in the urban literature and public debate, small towns (from the Middle Ages to now) have housed a significant part of the urban population and played a key role in urban development, at the regional, national and global level. The recently published book by Emeritus Professor Peter Clark, Small Towns and Cities in World History (2026), sheds new and important light on their trajectory and multi-functionality up to the present day.

23/10/2026

Welcome to an Urbaria Guest Lecture with Emeritus Professor James Weirick!

Date: 6 November, 2026
Time: 12.15-13.15
Place: Seminar Room 106, Language Center (Fabianinkatu 26, Helsinki)

Title: Walter Burley Griffin, the Canberra Plan and the Uses of History

Abstract:
A presentation in honor of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Walter Burley Griffin (1876-1937), Architect, Landscape Architect & City Planner.

This lecture will briefly survey Walter Burley Griffin’s career in America, Australia, and India, then focus on his major work, undertaken in association with his wife Marion Mahony Griffin (1871-1961): the design of Canberra, the Australian Federal Capital, winner of the international competition conducted by the Australian Government in 1911-1912. The interpretation, and misinterpretation of the ‘Griffin Legacy’ in the planning of Canberra will be critically examined as a case study in ’the uses of history’: the manner in which architectural history is deployed in the service of power and ideology.

Bio:
James Weirick is Emeritus Professor in the School of Built Environment, Faculty of Arts, Design & Architecture, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. He served as Professor of Landscape Architecture in the Faculty of Built Environment, UNSW for thirty years, 1991-2020, including five years as Head of the School of Landscape Architecture, 1991-1995, and fourteen years as Director of the Graduate Program in Urban Development & Design, 2007-2020.

A graduate in Landscape Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Professor Weirick taught at the Boston Architectural Center, University of Massachusetts/Boston, Canberra College of Advanced Education and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, prior to his appointment to UNSW in 1991. His research interests include the history of architecture, landscape architecture, city planning, urban design and heritage conservation, with an emphasis on the ‘politics of design’, particularly the work of Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin, the history of Canberra, and the urban landscape of Sydney. He is actively engaged in issues of contemporary urbanism throughout Australia as an educator, critic, design juror and commentator.

16/10/2026

Unelmien katu -kirjan artikkeliesittelysarjassamme siirrytään jo kirjan viimeiseen lukuun Kaupunkiluonto ja katu. Tämä luvun esittelyt aloitamme Leena Järven artikkelilla Kadut paikallisen pienilmaston mahdollistajina.

Kadut ja erityisesti syvät katukuilut muokkaavaat paikallista ilmastoa merkittävästi. Kaduilla syntyy päästöjä, ja niiden pinnoilta tapahtuu vähemmän haihtumista ja lämmön varastoitumista maahan kuin vaikkapa puistoissa. Artikkelissa tarkastellaan niin ilmanlaadun, lämpötilan kuin viihtyvyyden kannalta kestävien katujen suunnittelua, sekä katupuiden roolia paikallisilmaston säätelyssä.

Lataa kirja täältä: https://doi.org/10.31885/9789515183514

14/10/2026

Welcome to Urbaria Guest Lecture with Professor of History Mats Hallenberg (University of Stockholm).

Date: 20 October, 2026
Time: 14.15-15.15
Place: Seminar room 203, Language Center (Fabianinkatu 26, Helsinki)

Title: The Nordic Welfare City: Past, present and future?

Abstract
The expansion of public services was one of the significant markers of modernity. In the nineteenth century, politicians started to invest in systems for sewage, energy and transport, moving on to housing, healthcare and education. The rise of the public was mainly an urban phenomenon, planned and executed by municipal bodies. This also meant a change in the nature of politics: politicians became providers of public goods rather than mere administrators of financial burdens.

How was this historical shift made possible? In our research network we analyse the development of the Nordic Welfare City as a distinct historical phenomenon, preceding the welfare state. I argue that this was due to a new configuration of publicness; a political discourse incorporating conservative, liberal and socialist notions of what the urban community should be.

Today we see a public sector in crisis, with crumbling infrastructure systems and under-financed or over-prized services. I hold that the history of the welfare city may provide examples of ‘usable pasts’, that should inform today’s discussions on the solutions for tomorrow: Resurrecting the idea of the welfare city; for the many, not the few.

Bio
Mats Hallenberg is a professor of history in Stockholm University. He is interested in Nordic political history, from the early modern period to the 1900s. He currently works on two research projects. Research project Shifting Regimes: Representation, administrative reform and institutional change in early modern Sweden addresses regime shifts in early modern Sweden and their impact on state administration and political representation, respectively. Research project Alternative Paths to the Welfare City: Public Services, Inclusion and the Common Good in Nordic Capital Cities 1870–1920 compares political discourses and analyses the incentives for investing in municipal public services.

14/10/2026

CANCELLED:
Dear all,
Unfortunately, due to illness, we have to cancel the Urbaria Guest Lecture with Sonja Lakić, scheduled for 29 October 2026. Apologies for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.

This post has been edited on 23.10.

13/10/2026

Helsingin yliopiston Kaupunkitutkimusinstituutti Urbarian ja Kuntarahoituksen yhteinen tapahtuma Kuka pelkää ARA-asuntoja? kokosi maanantaiaamuna 12.10. yhteen jopa 249 kuulijaa paikan päällä Tiedekulmassa ja verkossa! Tilaisuudessa käsiteltiin asuntopolitiikan murrosta ja tulevaisuutta erityisesti tuetun asumisen rakentamiseen liittyen.

Lämmin kiitos kaikille puhujille ja panelisteille: Mari Vaattovaara (University of Helsinki), Esa Kallio (Kuntarahoitus), Ojankoski Teija (Y-Säätiö ), Aija Tasa (Rakli), Teppo Forss (TVT Kotimme) Aleksi Karhula (University of Helsinki), Eveliina Heinäluoma (Sosialidemokraatit SDP), Mai Kivelä (Vasemmistoliitto), Henrik Vuornos (Kokoomus), Hanna Kosonen (Keskusta) ja Mari Holopainen (Vihreät - De Gröna).

Jos et päässyt mukaan, tilaisuuden tallenteen voi nyt katsoa Urbarian youtube-sivuilta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Imb-bnTtAI

09/10/2026

"The challenge of our times is bridging the divide."

Professor emerita Janice Perlman opened her UniverCities 2026 keynote with these words. Her decades of research in Rio's favelas showed that the strongest predictor of upward mobility was friendship across class lines.

That idea of bridging gaps ran through our two days in Helsinki: between researchers and decision-makers, universities and cities, people who live close but remain socially far apart.

👉 Read the recap of the conference on our website: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/helsinki-institute-urban-and-regional-studies/news/bridging-divide-univercities-2026-connected-research-and-city-life

Over 100 participants from 20 countries, 47 presentations, 3 keynotes and 2 panels. Thank you to everyone who joined us, to the insightful presenters, and to our keynote speakers Dr. Janice Perlman, Ron Boschma and Ben Derudder.

See you next time! 💗

hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag

02/10/2026

What an inspiring two days at UniverCities 2026! 🏛️
Thank you to all the speakers, participants, chairs, panelists, volunteers and everyone who contributed to making the conference such a great experience.

UniverCities brought this year together
👉 over 100 participants
👉 from 20 countries,
👉 with 47 presentations, 3 keynotes and 2 panel discussions.

For us, the best part of the conference was the opportunity to meet, discuss, build new connections, and share experiences and good practices on impactful collaboration between universities and cities ✨

One of the clear themes that emerged was the challenge of bringing together the different time horizons of universities and cities. Academic freedom and the pursuit of fundamental research have to be balanced with the need for practical knowledge that can support decision-making and respond to pressing societal and environmental challenges.

We need structures for university-city collaboration that make cooperation long-term and sustainable, while at the same time allowing us to respond quickly to a changing world.

There is still much to explore and research in this field. We hope that UniverCities will return again in the future💙

Special thanks for collaboration: University of Helsinki, City of Helsinki, and LUSI - KU Leuven Urban Studies Institute

25/09/2026

Only a few days to go until the seminar Religions and beliefs in the city: "Possibilities, practices, and problems" on Thursday, 1 October 2026, at 9:00–11:00 in Think Corner, Think Lounge 201 (Yliopistonkatu 4, 2nd floor).

If you haven't signed up yet, there's still time: we have extended the registration deadline to Wednesday 30 September. We are also happy to announce a third commentator, Jenni Tahvanainen, Programme Director for Integration at the City of Vantaa, who joins Professors Henrietta Grönlund and Xenia Zeiler in responding to the keynote.

The diversity of religions and beliefs shapes urban space and the everyday life of cities in schools, workplaces, public spaces, and public discourse. How can we act equitably in a religious reality that keeps changing? How should we respond to challenges related to the diversity of beliefs? And what opportunities do religions and beliefs open up for cities?

Our keynote speaker, Professor Christopher Baker (Goldsmiths, University of London), is a leading researcher on the newly visible role of religion and belief in public life. He focuses on the relationship between religion, belief, and urbanisation, and on the role of religion and belief in public policy and civil society. His interdisciplinary work, both theoretical and empirical, covers spatial and built environments, local government policy, and community development. Prof. Baker is visiting the University of Helsinki as HSSH Visiting Professor from late September to early October 2026, hosted by Professors Henrietta Grönlund and Mari Vaattovaara.

When?
Thursday 1 October 2026, 9.00–11.00

Where?
Tiedekulma, 2nd floor, Think Lounge, 201. Yliopistonkatu 4, Helsinki

Register by 30 September at the latest: https://www.lyyti.fi/reg/ReligionsAndBeliefs

Programme:
9.00 Opening
Christopher Baker, Professor of Religion and Public Life, Goldsmiths, University of London: Whose City - whose voice? Identity, participation, subjectivities, religion

Commentaries from:
Henrietta Grönlund, Professor of Urban Theology, University of Helsinki Xenia Zeiler, Professor of South Asian Studies, University of Helsinki
Jenni Tahvanainen, Programme Director for Integration, City of Vantaa

Time for questions and comments from the audience

11.00 End of the event

See you on Thursday!

18/09/2026

Unelmien katu -kirjan artikkeliesittelyissämme nostamme seuraavaksi esiin Anssi Joutsiniemen artikkelin Katu-unelmien anatomia: nopeuden, tilan ja hallinnan paradoksi.

Vaikka liikenne on mullistunut viime vuosisatana, kaupunkitilan mitoitus on säilynyt samana. Artikkeli pohtii tien ja kadun eroa ja sitä, miten tekniset välttämättömyydet kumpuavat historiallisista ja institutionaalisista valinnoista.

Lataa kirja täältä: https://doi.org/10.31885/9789515183514

Osoite

YliopistonKatu 3
Helsinki
00100

Puhelin

+358294150056

Verkkosivusto

http://www.helsinki.fi/urbaria

Ilmoitukset

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