Between Fixed and Flexible. Soft Planning and Informality in the Regeneration of Kalasatama, Helsinki
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7177828 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Tuomas Ilmavirta (0009-0002-4271-0177, Aalto University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 503-518 |
| Publication date | 2025-08-04 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Planning Theory & Practice (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1464-9357 • E-ISSN: 1470-000X |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/14649357.2025.2538456 |
| OpenAlex | W4412943766 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 48 |
This paper analyses the practices of soft planning in the regeneration of Kalasatama, Helsinki, by asking how and why informal planning approaches have been used in the planning and development of the area. Discursive planning, temporary uses of space, and cultural planning are recognised as practices of soft planning in Kalasatama. The findings suggest that soft planning primarily aims to create imagery and narratives of urbanity, decrease economic risk for investors, and increase the value of developments. However, the case also shows the potential of soft planning to facilitate urban activism, enrich urbanity, and re-politicise planning debates
Biology · Economics · Operations management · Regeneration (biology · Cultural Industries and Urban Development · Urban Planning and Governance · Urbanization and City Planning
Out of the Closet
Strategic (Spatial) Planning Reexamined
Policy and Practice Spatial imaginaries
Spatial Planning, Devolution, and New Planning Spaces
Culture, creativity and spatial planning
A Catalyst for Innovation? A Conceptual Framework for Analyzing the Potential of Urban Experiments to Transform Urban Planning Practices
Temporary urbanism as a new policy strategy
Contingency, decision, unfinished planning
The Post-Political and Its Discontents
From practice to policy
Temporary uses
Territorial Cohesion, Territorialism, Territoriality, and Soft Planning
Conflict, consent, dissensus
Struggles over property in the ‘post-political’ era
Planning as Persuasive Storytelling in a Global-Scale Web of Relationships
Beyond soft planning
Culture Stories
Is There Space for Better Planning in a Neoliberal World? Implications for Planning Practice and Theory
Rethinking urban transformation
Introduction
Reclaiming Urbanity
Temporary use of space
Urban Politics Reconsidered
Transformative city branding and the evolution of the entrepreneurial city
Post-politics, crisis, and Ireland's 'ghost estates
Soft Spaces, Fuzzy Boundaries, and Metagovernance
Spaces of Neoliberal Experimentation
Don't Plan! The Use of the Notion of 'Culture' in Transforming Obsolete Industrial Space
Informality as the Ur-Form of Urbanity
Five Misunderstandings About Case-Study Research
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |