The effects of circular urban development on the social sustainability of an area : case study on two urban development projects in Finland and the Netherlands
Iloniitty, Iida (2021)
2021
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202104235548
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202104235548
Tiivistelmä
This bachelor thesis, commissioned by the REDUCES project, studies the link between circular urban development and social sustainability. Circular urban development means improving a traditionally organized city/district by following the three principles of circular economy: design out waste and pollution, keep products and materials in use and regenerate natural systems. Social sustainability is one of the main three pillars of sustainable development, yet it does not have a clear definition, rather it changes according to the respective scope and context. Circular economy supports mainly the economical and environmental aspects of sustainable development, but does not explicitly include the social aspect, apart from potentially creating new job opportunities for people.
In this study, the focus is solely on industrial areas, such as workspaces and hubs where entrepreneurs operate their business. The two case projects were chosen for this study based on their many similarities and their circular approach in the forefront of urban development. The research methods used are qualitative and they include document analysis on the cases, two focused interviews with the management of the respective projects and six semi-structured interviews with people working in the districts. The interview questions for the entrepreneurs aimed at finding out what kind of impact the circular urban development had had on their work environment, community and well-being.
Both of the case projects incorporated multiple actions to support the social sustainability of the areas by creating sustainable, successful places that promote wellbeing, understanding what people need from the places they work and combining design of the physical realm with design of the social world. These actions had a positive effect on the atmosphere and social cohesion of the community, as well as on mental health and motivation of the members, but also provided the entrepreneurs new business opportunities and learning experiences. Combining the social aspect into circular urban development projects seems to be very beneficial for not only the community, but the over-all appeal of the area, yet it has to be studied more.
In this study, the focus is solely on industrial areas, such as workspaces and hubs where entrepreneurs operate their business. The two case projects were chosen for this study based on their many similarities and their circular approach in the forefront of urban development. The research methods used are qualitative and they include document analysis on the cases, two focused interviews with the management of the respective projects and six semi-structured interviews with people working in the districts. The interview questions for the entrepreneurs aimed at finding out what kind of impact the circular urban development had had on their work environment, community and well-being.
Both of the case projects incorporated multiple actions to support the social sustainability of the areas by creating sustainable, successful places that promote wellbeing, understanding what people need from the places they work and combining design of the physical realm with design of the social world. These actions had a positive effect on the atmosphere and social cohesion of the community, as well as on mental health and motivation of the members, but also provided the entrepreneurs new business opportunities and learning experiences. Combining the social aspect into circular urban development projects seems to be very beneficial for not only the community, but the over-all appeal of the area, yet it has to be studied more.