Papers by Ilkka Törmä
This paper builds on the proposition by Penn and colleagues (2009) that cities provide a structur... more This paper builds on the proposition by Penn and colleagues (2009) that cities provide a structured set of social, cultural and economic relations which help to shape patterns of diversity in urban areas. Far from being a random mixing, it could be said that urban systems are akin to ecological systems where flora and fauna are closely interrelated and in which the richness and evenness of species in a community contributes to the overall resilience of the ecosystem. This study goes further in suggesting how a variety of building types, sizes and street morphologies are more likely to propagate patterns of co-presence over time - providing the minimal but essential everyday 'noise' without which generalised sustainability and liveability agendas are likely to flounder when faced with questions of implementation in particular places. This morphological diversity, it is argued, enables the development of niche markets in smaller centres which can support new forms of socio-eco...
URBAN DESIGN International, 2020
The paper portrays the Plazuela de la Campana, a historical small square in the Port of Veracruz,... more The paper portrays the Plazuela de la Campana, a historical small square in the Port of Veracruz, Mexico that fell into ill-use and was revived with a strategy of music and dance events. The case demonstrates how music and dance became a new tradition that nurtures a collective attachment to the Plazuela and contributes to it being regarded as heritage. The privately initiated revitalisation borrows potency from prior nostalgic memories and traditions to overpower the past notoriety of the square. Dance and music, besides creating pleasant associations, effectively build a network of friendships that engages people in the square and through which the history of the place becomes remembered. All these effects deepen the meaningfulness of the Plazuela, which fosters personal affection towards the square and ultimately, it is proposed, translates into a general appreciation—a lesson to be learned for emerging urban planning practices.
Bitácora arquitectura, 2017
Infra-ordinario es un estudio urbano de la plazuela de la Campana, un espacio público en el centr... more Infra-ordinario es un estudio urbano de la plazuela de la Campana, un espacio público en el centro histórico de Veracruz, México. El término "infra-ordinario" se refiere a acontecimientos diarios, acciones y hábitos que son anodinos y pasan casi inadvertidos, como caminar, descansar y recrearse en la plazuela. Este estudio muestra la manera en que la vida urbana de este espacio público emerge por medio de eventos ordinarios y cómo la morfología urbana y la historia conforman el espacio social.
Urban Morphology
Adaptability and resilience are recognized as essential elements of urban sustainability, yet the... more Adaptability and resilience are recognized as essential elements of urban sustainability, yet they remain elusive as propositions supported by empirical research. In the research presented here the affordance of change and continuity – here termed changeability – is investigated through a comparative historical study of two suburban centres in London - Surbiton and South Norwood - which have matured differently, despite many extrinsic similarities. Their development c.1880–2013 is examined through the analysis of digitized historical maps, building use and space syntax analysis of their street plans. Buildings on busy, but not necessarily the busiest, streets in small town centres are said to be the most changeable since they can accommodate a variety of non-domestic uses. Such streets tend to facilitate incremental building modifications and cyclical redevelopment on widefronted plots.
Finnish Architectural Review, 2021
Today, anything that is highly valued by a community can be cultural heritage. Hence, we should a... more Today, anything that is highly valued by a community can be cultural heritage. Hence, we should also rethink our methods for safeguarding built heritage.
People-Centred Methodologies for Heritage Conservation
URBAN DESIGN International , 2020
The paper portrays the Plazuela de la Campana, a historical small square in the Port of Veracruz,... more The paper portrays the Plazuela de la Campana, a historical small square in the Port of Veracruz, Mexico that fell into ill-use and was revived with a strategy of music and dance events. The case demonstrates how music and dance became a new tradition that nurtures a collective attachment to the Plazuela and contributes to it being regarded as heritage. The privately initiated revitalisation borrows potency from prior nostalgic memories and traditions to overpower the past notoriety of the square. Dance and music, besides creating pleasant associations, effectively build a network of friendships that engages people in the square and through which the history of the place becomes remembered. All these effects deepen the meaningfulness of the Plazuela, which fosters personal affection towards the square and ultimately, it is proposed, translates into a general appreciation-a lesson to be learned for emerging urban planning practices.
Urban Morphology, 2017
Adaptability and resilience are recognized as essential elements of urban sustainability, yet the... more Adaptability and resilience are recognized as essential elements of urban sustainability, yet they remain elusive as propositions supported by empirical research. In the research presented here the affordance of change and continuity – here termed changeability – is investigated through a comparative historical study of two suburban centres in London ‒ Surbiton and South Norwood ‒ which have matured differently, despite many extrinsic similarities. Their development c.1880–2013 is examined through the analysis of digitized historical maps, building use and space syntax analysis of their street plans. Buildings on busy, but not necessarily the busiest, streets in small town centres are said to be the most changeable since they can accommodate a variety of non-domestic uses. Such streets tend to facilitate incremental building modifications and cyclical redevelopment on wide-fronted plots.
Bitácora Arquitectura, Jun 1, 2017
Infra-ordinario es un estudio urbano de la plazuela de la Campana, un espacio público en el centr... more Infra-ordinario es un estudio urbano de la plazuela de la Campana, un espacio público en el centro histórico de Veracruz, México. El término " infra-ordinario " se refiere a acontecimientos diarios, acciones y hábitos que son anodinos y pasan casi inadvertidos, como caminar, descansar y recrearse en la plazuela. Este estudio muestra la manera en que la vida urbana de este espacio público emerge por medio de eventos ordinarios y cómo la morfología urbana y la historia conforman el espacio social. El artículo presenta la plazuela de la Campana como un ejemplo en el que la dimensión temporal –los cíclicos ritmos semanales de uso y las memorias e historias de las personas– conforma un proceso de regeneración urbana del espacio público. Este proceso incluye el análisis y la creación de escenarios urbanos con base en el entendimiento del pasado y el presente, a fin de formar las bases de posibles transformaciones de la plazuela.
Infra-ordinario is an urban study of the small plaza [plazuela] de la Campana, a public space in the historic center of Veracruz, Mexico. The term " infra-ordinary " (infra-ordinario) refers to everyday events, actions, and habits so ordinary – such as walking, resting and entertaining in the plazuela – that they are nearly unnoticeable. The study shows how the urban life of this public space emerges by means of everyday events and how the urban morphology and history shape the social space. This essay shows the plazuela de la Campana as an example where the temporal dimension –the recurring weekly rhythm of use and people's memories and histories– gives shape to a process of the urban regeneration of public space. The process includes the analysis and creation of urban scenarios on the basis of understanding the past and the present and with the eventual goal of giving form to the potential transformations of the plazuela.
Architecture in the Fourth Dimension Methods and Practices for a Sustainable Building Stock, Proceedings of the Joint Conference of CIB W104 and W110 November 15 – 17, 2011 – Boston, Massachusetts, USA, Nov 15, 2011
The paper re-examines the uncomplicated initial postulates of flexibility. Extending them diversi... more The paper re-examines the uncomplicated initial postulates of flexibility. Extending them diversifies the field of the application of flexibility. Fundamentally one can change one’s environment not only through modification but also by changing one’s location. Therefore, flexible environment is both adaptable as well as diverse, accessible and networked. This notion couples flexibility with ensembles larger than a flat or a building. Considering movement a source of flexibility opens new development possibilities especially in the scale of a city block. It can e.g. provide one solution to the contradictory aims of housing design to build economically efficient housing on one hand and roomy multipurpose flats on the other hand. This kind of flexibility could be particularly applicable in e.g. cooperative building and co-housing. Moreover, movement-related flexibility may be useful in the design of densely built mixed-use blocks and contemporary public facilities the use of which modern information and communication technologies have changed.
Proceedings of the SAUD 2009 conference, held Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, Al-Fateh University, Libya, 3-5, November, 2009, Nov 3, 2009
Sustainable development presumes systemic changes. Their their elaboration and adoption requires ... more Sustainable development presumes systemic changes. Their their elaboration and adoption requires wide public participation. This paper discusses how to disseminate sustainable practices flexibly and context-dependently and what kind of system would support the emergence of sustainable modes of operation.
Based on network governance and participatory production ideologies and system design concepts, the paper outlines a platform serving an urban district where the municipality, businesses and dwellers can come together. Information flows are looped in the district system to adjust it constantly towards more sustainable performance. The system can also produce financial loops that encourage economical behaviour and keep increases in value local, contributing thus to the economic sustainability of the community.
The systemic view on private-public-people partnership expands it from a mere project implementation towards continuous and comprehensive process framework of infrastructural delivery that can respond to the contingent future. Bringing the stakeholders of urban development closer together and co- producing development shifts its aims from quantitative to qualitative. It and can lead to resource-optimization, long-term satisfaction and thus contribute to the environmental as well as social sustainability of communities. The paper argues that services need to be emphasized instead of seeking sustainability primarily in technical solutions. Thinking dwelling as a service rather than as a product would result in flexible satisfaction of specific needs and more economical and efficient use of infrastructural resources.
Conference Presentations by Ilkka Törmä
The paper portrays La Plazuela de la Campana, a historical square that fell into ill-use and was ... more The paper portrays La Plazuela de la Campana, a historical square that fell into ill-use and was revived with a strategy of music and dance. The case demonstrates how they became a new tradition that nurtures collective attachment to the place and contributes to it being regarded as heritage. The privately initiated revitalization borrows potency from prior nostalgic memories and traditions to overpower the past notoriety of the square. Dance and music, besides creating pleasant associations, effectively build a network of friendships that engages people in the square, and through which the history of the place becomes remembered. All these effects deepen the meaningfulness of the place, which fosters personal affection to it and ultimately, it is proposed, translate into a general appreciation – a lesson to be learned for emerging planning practices.
Books by Ilkka Törmä
People-Centred Methodologies for Heritage Conservation: Exploring Emotional Attachments to Historic Urban Places, 2021
[Chapter's abstract]
Observational methods have the potential to illustrate the ways that people... more [Chapter's abstract]
Observational methods have the potential to illustrate the ways that people occupy and appropriate historic urban places. These observations can be recorded and mapped to reveal the everyday rhythms of these places. They can document patterns of urban life that are seldom considered in the conservation of historic public spaces and cultural heritage. Observations can provide an image of ethnographic surveys, thus producing a new layer of information on the relations of people in space at different times. In this chapter, we discuss how examining such micro-geographies helps to understand the embodied experience and the rise of everyday urban social networks. The chapter portrays the Plazuela de la Campana in Veracruz, a historic square that fell into disuse and was revitalised by deliberate policies and local initiatives which brought traditional music and dance into the square. The case demonstrates the importance of observation methods as part of a mixed research methodology for historic public spaces. It reveals how folkloric events became part of everyday life in the square, nurtured collective place attachment and contributed to it being regarded as local and everyday urban heritage.
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Papers by Ilkka Törmä
Infra-ordinario is an urban study of the small plaza [plazuela] de la Campana, a public space in the historic center of Veracruz, Mexico. The term " infra-ordinary " (infra-ordinario) refers to everyday events, actions, and habits so ordinary – such as walking, resting and entertaining in the plazuela – that they are nearly unnoticeable. The study shows how the urban life of this public space emerges by means of everyday events and how the urban morphology and history shape the social space. This essay shows the plazuela de la Campana as an example where the temporal dimension –the recurring weekly rhythm of use and people's memories and histories– gives shape to a process of the urban regeneration of public space. The process includes the analysis and creation of urban scenarios on the basis of understanding the past and the present and with the eventual goal of giving form to the potential transformations of the plazuela.
Based on network governance and participatory production ideologies and system design concepts, the paper outlines a platform serving an urban district where the municipality, businesses and dwellers can come together. Information flows are looped in the district system to adjust it constantly towards more sustainable performance. The system can also produce financial loops that encourage economical behaviour and keep increases in value local, contributing thus to the economic sustainability of the community.
The systemic view on private-public-people partnership expands it from a mere project implementation towards continuous and comprehensive process framework of infrastructural delivery that can respond to the contingent future. Bringing the stakeholders of urban development closer together and co- producing development shifts its aims from quantitative to qualitative. It and can lead to resource-optimization, long-term satisfaction and thus contribute to the environmental as well as social sustainability of communities. The paper argues that services need to be emphasized instead of seeking sustainability primarily in technical solutions. Thinking dwelling as a service rather than as a product would result in flexible satisfaction of specific needs and more economical and efficient use of infrastructural resources.
Conference Presentations by Ilkka Törmä
Books by Ilkka Törmä
Observational methods have the potential to illustrate the ways that people occupy and appropriate historic urban places. These observations can be recorded and mapped to reveal the everyday rhythms of these places. They can document patterns of urban life that are seldom considered in the conservation of historic public spaces and cultural heritage. Observations can provide an image of ethnographic surveys, thus producing a new layer of information on the relations of people in space at different times. In this chapter, we discuss how examining such micro-geographies helps to understand the embodied experience and the rise of everyday urban social networks. The chapter portrays the Plazuela de la Campana in Veracruz, a historic square that fell into disuse and was revitalised by deliberate policies and local initiatives which brought traditional music and dance into the square. The case demonstrates the importance of observation methods as part of a mixed research methodology for historic public spaces. It reveals how folkloric events became part of everyday life in the square, nurtured collective place attachment and contributed to it being regarded as local and everyday urban heritage.
Infra-ordinario is an urban study of the small plaza [plazuela] de la Campana, a public space in the historic center of Veracruz, Mexico. The term " infra-ordinary " (infra-ordinario) refers to everyday events, actions, and habits so ordinary – such as walking, resting and entertaining in the plazuela – that they are nearly unnoticeable. The study shows how the urban life of this public space emerges by means of everyday events and how the urban morphology and history shape the social space. This essay shows the plazuela de la Campana as an example where the temporal dimension –the recurring weekly rhythm of use and people's memories and histories– gives shape to a process of the urban regeneration of public space. The process includes the analysis and creation of urban scenarios on the basis of understanding the past and the present and with the eventual goal of giving form to the potential transformations of the plazuela.
Based on network governance and participatory production ideologies and system design concepts, the paper outlines a platform serving an urban district where the municipality, businesses and dwellers can come together. Information flows are looped in the district system to adjust it constantly towards more sustainable performance. The system can also produce financial loops that encourage economical behaviour and keep increases in value local, contributing thus to the economic sustainability of the community.
The systemic view on private-public-people partnership expands it from a mere project implementation towards continuous and comprehensive process framework of infrastructural delivery that can respond to the contingent future. Bringing the stakeholders of urban development closer together and co- producing development shifts its aims from quantitative to qualitative. It and can lead to resource-optimization, long-term satisfaction and thus contribute to the environmental as well as social sustainability of communities. The paper argues that services need to be emphasized instead of seeking sustainability primarily in technical solutions. Thinking dwelling as a service rather than as a product would result in flexible satisfaction of specific needs and more economical and efficient use of infrastructural resources.
Observational methods have the potential to illustrate the ways that people occupy and appropriate historic urban places. These observations can be recorded and mapped to reveal the everyday rhythms of these places. They can document patterns of urban life that are seldom considered in the conservation of historic public spaces and cultural heritage. Observations can provide an image of ethnographic surveys, thus producing a new layer of information on the relations of people in space at different times. In this chapter, we discuss how examining such micro-geographies helps to understand the embodied experience and the rise of everyday urban social networks. The chapter portrays the Plazuela de la Campana in Veracruz, a historic square that fell into disuse and was revitalised by deliberate policies and local initiatives which brought traditional music and dance into the square. The case demonstrates the importance of observation methods as part of a mixed research methodology for historic public spaces. It reveals how folkloric events became part of everyday life in the square, nurtured collective place attachment and contributed to it being regarded as local and everyday urban heritage.