Projects and programmes of urban planning

Programmes and projects guiding the development of urban structure

There are several programmes and projects of different types underlying the development of urban structure. The OUR Urban Environment policy creates the architecture, green environment and participation policy of its own in the City of Jyväskylä for the purpose of planning and building the urban environment. This policy provides aims for developing the built environment in Jyväskylä and guides the planning practices regarding these aims.

The Planning Programme enables a consistent and predictable land building and planning policy. The Planning Programme is also a review of current municipal plan affairs, required by the Land Use and Building Act. It is based on strategies and guidelines of the Urban Planning and City Structure Division along with the Kymppi-R Implementation Programme for Land Use and the Residency Vision. The review period of the annual Planning Programme is three years of which the focus is on the first year. The most significant objects of the local master plans and local detailed plans shall be introduced in the Planning Review.

Different types of implementation programmes contribute to refining the plan regarding aims and implementation. Kymppi-R is a programme that is updated once a year, specifying the dates of implementation of residential areas and lining strategically important aims in residential building, planning and assignments of a plot. This programme shows in which areas in Jyväskylä there will be building activities in the next ten years and how population and housing production have developed. 

Land policy is a main way, alongside planning, through which a municipality guides towards and creates the conditions for the development of the targeted community building. Land policy refers to land acquisition, assigning and pricing carried out by the city as well as the development of ownership and possession relations.  The aim is to ensure that land is constantly available at affordable prices for various purposes. The city purchases land in order to be able to offer building plots, to ensure outdoor and recreational areas and, if necessary, to protect valuable natural and cultural sites. Through land acquisition, the city is also able to treat landowners equally and prevent land speculation.

Maintaining a good urban centre requires continuous development work. The centre of Jyväskylä is the heart of the city and the meeting place, an area for business and workplace growth as well as a concretion of innovations and changes. The four main themes of the centre vision include
  – doubling the number of residents
  – a superior centre for leisure and specialised stores
  – the centre as a basis for cultural development
  – smooth accessibility for every mode of transport

Projects for developing the urban environment

Projects for developing the urban environment include the Green Loop, the Bluish-Green Infrastructure, the Flying Squirrel LIFE Project and the Programme for Nature-Based Outdoor Exercises. These projects contribute to enhancing the well-being of both residents and nature.

Regional development

The city is being developed also regionally through various projects. For example, the centre, Kortepohja and Laajavuori have development projects of their own. These projects specify the development and planning process in line with the characteristics of the areas in question.

Enhancing participation

Participation is an important part of urban planning. It has been enhanced, among other things, in the Participation in the Multicultural Urban Environment Project in the Pupuhuhta district, this project being a part of the Sustainable City Programme by the Ministry of the Environment.

The Participation in the Multicultural Urban Environment Project, which started early 2020, was completed at the end of September 2020. Its aim was to increase the opportunities for residents with foreign languages and diverse cultural backgrounds to participate in developing their own surroundings in connection with the planning process. Furthermore, the aim was to increase knowledge about the urban environment planning as well as about residents’ own opportunities to influence. The project was also utilised for developing the resident-oriented measures and channels for the purpose of gathering residents’ experiences, views and ideas regarding development of the area at the stage when the local detailed plan is being prepared.