Green space in Tulli, Tampere: Evaluation of current, planned, and maximalist green space scenarios

Abstract

In the future, cities will house more than 70% of people, and the required changes will contribute more to global warming. Rapid urbanization causes climate change events, like the urban heat island effect, and flooding to be exacerbated in cities. Hence, they must find ways to mitigate and adapt to these events. One approach uses nature-based solutions to create networks of green spaces in urban areas. Implementing these green spaces provides multiple benefits for the environment and urban dwellers.

This study aims to examine the Tulli area in Tampere as it will be redeveloped in the upcoming years and currently suffers from climate change issues. The city of Tampere proposes using nature-based solutions to aid with current flooding and stormwater management problems and the lack of green space. Green space in the study area is evaluated to answer the main question of how much green space can be created in the Tulli study area. Additionally, the research question of how can additional green space be created in an area limited in space is answered. The questions are evaluated by studying scenario 1: current green space, scenario 2: planned green space, and scenario 3: maximalist green space, where the study area is greened as much as possible.

For the study, open-source spatial and cartographical data was gathered from a Tampere city data portal. The data included information on the built environment, buildings, roads, and green spaces. Additional data was collected from land use plans and the city of Valladolid in Spain. Quantum Geographical Information System (QGIS) was used to import and visualize the data. The software was also used to perform GIS analysis to find land cover areas (m2) and percentages (%) of green spaces for all three scenarios.

The results present varying findings regarding how much green space can fit in the study area. Scenario 1 implies that 1 478 m2 can fit into the area, while scenario 2 argues that only 1 204 m2 is possible. Between the scenarios, green space would be reduced by 274 m2, raising questions about whether the potential for green space is lost. Scenario 3 presents opposing results that green space could equal 7 699 m2. It is found that additional green space can be created by utilizing space above the ground level and creating innovative mobile green spaces for areas that experience limitations.