Abstract
In its present meaning, the Finnish word 'ymp?rist?', that denotes the
environment, already emerged in the 19th century. Yet
it is only now that its true meaning is understood more broadly than just
referring to matters and objects that surround a given place. The most essential
feature of the change that has occurred in its nuances of meaning is the fact
that the questions and problems related to environmental themes have emerged as
permanent targets of social planning within the scope of which they should also
be solved.
The 20th century, known as an era of progress
and development, was unable to settle these questions but rather went on to
generate environmentally bound social problems which have proved even more
difficult to grasp. The reasons for this are deeply embedded in reductionism and
its reality-braking approach. The present investigation employs a strongly
holistic viewpoint in underlining the above problem clusters against the
traditional nature of scientific development and the perspectives of individual
disciplines, particularly as the problems and questions connected with the whole
formed by the environment and society are not separate or definable by one
instance only.
Problem-solving in environmental planning, which overlaps with social and
community-based problems, is essentially determined by the organisation of the
various planning tasks into open problems. Being multi-dimensional,
controversial, difficult to shape and including a variety of alternative
solutions, situations of this kind require planning that outlines future
opportunities and takes into consideration the interactive nature of different
factors. Thus planning must no longer be used as a means of determining or
bordering the future in the sense characteristic of its traditional nature but
rather as a creative, visionary and strategic instrument of constantly looking
for the things of tomorrow. With regard to theoretical planning, the
environment-society relationship in fact requires more problem-based approaches,
local solution patterns and a more fundamental grip on things.
In the level of individual local government districts assessed in the
present paper, the scope and multi-dimensional nature of the environment, when
seen in the framework of planning a sustainable future in societies, has given
rise to definition problems as well as concrete implementation difficulties.
Despite these, there has already been some awakening to assume the direction
required by a holistic grip on the environment. Yet the majority of the local
government authorities in Finland still have a long way to go to realise the kind
of long-term fundamental perspectives and interaction between the various factors
that lie in their operating environments that are required for really employing a
strategy. It takes time of course to change traditional operating patterns and
cultures. The most important thing here is that the instances concerned should
recognise the direction of development as their own and correct so as to ensure
that the process of change will continue.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:oulo.fi/oai:oulu.fi:isbn951-42-6415-0 |
| Date | 10 June 2001 |
| Creators | Kinnunen, I. (Ismo) |
| Publisher | University of Oulu |
| Source Sets | University of Oulu |
| Language | Finnish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess, © University of Oulu, 2001 |
| Relation | info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pissn/0355-3191, info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/eissn/1796-220X |
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