Liveability under shrinkage: initiatives in the ‘capital of pessimism’ in Finland

Autor(en)

Ria-Maria Adams, Alla Bolotova, Ville Alasalmi

Abstrakt

This article focuses on local initiatives and the agency of residents in the shrinking town of Puolanka in northern Finland. Structural opportunities and constraints shape individual and collective agency in the community, as they steer how people create and develop initiatives. We discuss how local initiatives impact the sense of place among those who would like to stay in their rural hometown. A group of local activists facetiously market Puolanka as the ‘most pessimistic town’ in the world, turning shrinkange, decay, and pessimism into the town's brand. Beyond the pessimism brand several other initiatives, which are either created by engaged local residents or are municipality-led, are revitalizing and enhancing the liveability of Puolanka. By applying ethnographic research methods, we aim to show how initiatives improve the well-being and contribute to the place perception of residents. Such initiatives create jobs, albeit usually in small numbers, improve the physical space, stabilize the sense of community and can bring hope to a place characterized by increasing abandonment, decay, and the loss of local services.

Organisation(en)

Institut für Kultur- und Sozialanthropologie

Externe Organisation(en)

Aalto University

Journal

European Planning Studies

Band

31

Seiten

212-229

Anzahl der Seiten

18

ISSN

0965-4313

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2022.2126721

Publikationsdatum

10-2022

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ÖFOS 2012

504017 Kulturanthropologie

Schlagwörter

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Geography, Planning and Development

Link zum Portal

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/liveability-under-shrinkage-initiatives-in-the-capital-of-pessimism-in-finland(4c60c39d-f666-4509-865a-ca39f252a87c).html