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Tampere University Urban Lab

Category: Urban studies

Skateboarding in urban environments: the value of skateparks

Skateboarding is one of the most controversial topics in urban planning circles. This year’s Urban Studies Conference in Tampere was launched with a pre-excursion to the Hiedanranta neighbourhood with an emphasis on skatepark development. The Kenneli DIY skatepark is a magnet for young people searching for a community, and the initiators have hired unemployed youth that are interested in skateboarding, thus contributing to the social life of Hiedanranta. Nevertheless, both planners and city dwellers are discussing the benefits and harms of developing skateboarding in urban environments.

Islands, bubbles and ecosystems – Why the boundaries of urban studies should be porous?

Urban studies is a multidisciplinary field that combines concepts, theories and research methods from social sciences, geography, history, architecture, economics, and many other disciplines. Therefore, the Finnish Urban Studies Conference, held in Tampere on April 28-29, 2020, was a natural setting for holding a panel discussion on inter- and multidisciplinary. The theme of the conference was Sustainable cities, which pointed to a transformation that requires systems thinking, as well as combining the perspectives of multiple disciplines. As a first-year student of sustainable urban development, I got a lot of food for thought from the discussion.