The Infrastructural Side Effects of Geopolitics : Fortuitous Socio-Biological Modifications to Three European Borders

Peer reviewe

Central places versus networks: the future of collective farms built community infrastructure in Estonia

The aim of this paper will be to discuss possibilities to shift from a central-place theory towards to a network paradigm in local and regional planning practices. According to the first hypothesis, planning and development of social infrastructure (schools, sports halls, etc.) has remained rather central place oriented in Estonia. Even despite high and steadily increasing mobility (due to the rapidly spreading car ownership) and increasing share of city-population. The central-place approach would mean construction of overcapacity on the regional level. The social infrastructure built by the collective farms in rural areas has remained often unused already now, quite often because of the lack of collaboration between communes. The second hypothesis, therefore, argues, that application of the network paradigm and encouraging co-operation between local communes may considerably save public resources, create new jobs close to living estates, and reduce negative consequences of ongoing centre-periphery differentiation processes.

SustainBaltic. ICZM Plans for Sustaining Coastal and Marine Human-ecological Networks in the Baltic Region

The project involved partners: Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tallinn University, University of Turku, Finnish Environment Intitute, and Regional Council of SatakuntaSustainBaltic i.e. ICZM Plans for Sustaining Coastal and Marine Human-ecological Networks in the Baltic Region project is implemented for 27 months during 2016- 2018. SustainBaltic (CB354) is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Central Baltic Programme 2014-2020. SustainBaltic is a joint cooperation project of University of Turku, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Finnish Environment Institute, Regional Council of Satakunta and Tallinn University. The project targets to improve the share of the managed coastal networks in the Central Baltic area by the cross-border preparation of the ICZM plans for total four case areas with their public assessment in Estonia and Finland. This was planned to achieve by 1) Integrating multidisciplinary human-ecological data on the whole project area: in Finland the regions of Satakunta and Southwest Finland and in Estonia the areas of Lääne, Harju and Lääne-Viru with their land-sea interfaces; 2) Selecting the themes of ICZMs and case study areas which locate along the coast of Lääne and Lääne-Viru in Estonia and in the region of Satakunta in Finland; 3) Making four digital ICZM plans which were first tested with the current regional land use of the project area; 4) Public assessing of the plans using both e-platforms and arranging working groups with the stakeholders and end-users directed by the project members; and 5) As the final results of SustainBaltic the updated completed ICZM plans can be downloaded from the websites of the partner organisations and at the http://www.utu.fi/ SustainBaltic, also beyond the project life span. In addition, the interim results and the other activity phases of the preparation of the first ICZM drafts are found at the https://blogit.utu.fi/sustainbaltic. This ICZM plan (hereinafter: the management plan) covers the Lääne-Viru case area, which extends from Käsmu to Kunda (see Figure 1). The management plan has a 10-year perspective, with the aim of outlining the current trends and the necessary activities. The management plan is a knowledge-based guidance document that combines various development strategies and can be used in the development of several plans, development plans, and strategic projects (see Figure 2). The management plan consists of two parts: a description of the situation and context based on values and challenges; and an operational part of the management plan that includes integrated activities and a scheme. The management plan is based on the maritime vision of Lääne-Viru county, which focuses on three main areas: a) ensuring the development of diverse maritime transport, ports, and maritime tourism, b) strengthening the viability of historic coastal villages and communities, c) using the natural resources of the marine and coastal zones sustainably. In this management plan, the socio-ecological networks of the sea and the land are determined and the suggestive activities are based on aspects of sustainable and balanced development. Sustainability means diverse cultural and economic activities that are integrated with environmental values and do not harm nature and natural resources in the long term. The management plan is primarily focused on the greater integration of traditional fields of activity and the opportunities for diversification, especially considering the possibilities of using the coastal sea and the land together, as well as the seasonal nature of many activities (recreational economy, coastal fishing). It is also important to integrate the fields of activity (combining activities) – coastal fishing and tourism, ports and sports camps, nature conservation, and entrepreneurship – as well as develop cooperation both within the areas of activity (ports, bathing spots, etc.) and between them. In the context of spatial planning in the European Union, the ICZM is formally considered separate from Marine Spatial Planning – MSP. The preparation of MSP is obligatory for Member States. The realisation of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management, however, is up to the countries and local authorities themselves. Therefore, there is no explicitly accepted methodology for the management plan. Many people have contributed to the preparation of the management plan. A number of interviews and meetings with different stakeholders were conducted during the preparation of the plan and the steering group of the Lääne-Viru case area advised in drafting the plan. The people who prepared the management plan thank the steering group consisting of representatives of local authorities – Anneli Kivisaar (Haljala rural municipality), Ivar Lilleberg (formerly Vihula rural municipality), Mati Jõgi (formerly Lääne-Viru county government), and Marit Laast (Viru-Nigula rural municipality) –, Imbi Mets and Maret Vildak from the Environmental Board, and Jaan Kangur from the Ministry of Finance. Many thanks to Kristel Toom (Tallinn University) for the financial administration; to all Finnish colleagues, and project colleagues from Estonian University of Life Sciences working with Läänemaa ICZM case. We also thank all the interviewees, participants in public discussions, and respondents to the questionnaires.SustainBaltic is funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the Central Baltic Programme 2014–202

SustainBaltic. Rannikuala integreeritud korralduskava toetamaks rannikualade ja mere sotsiaal-ökoloogilisi võrgustikke Läänemere regioonis

SustainBaltic projekt, st Rannikuala integreeritud korralduskavad toetamaks rannikualade ja mere sotsiaal-ökoloogilisi võrgustikke Läänemere regioonis, teostati 27 kuu jooksul 2016-2018. SustainBaltic (CB354) on rahastatud Euroopa Regionaalarengu Fondi (European Regional Development Fund – ERDF) Interregi Kesk-Läänemere Programmi 2014–2020 kaudu. SustainBaltic koostööprojektis osalesid Eesti Maaülikool, Tallinna Ülikool, Turu Ülikool, Soome Keskkonnainstituut ja Satakunta maakonnavalitsus. Projekti eesmärk on parandada rannikualade kavandamist Kesk-Läänemere piirkonnas rahvusvahelise koostöö käigus koostatud rannikualade integreeritud korralduskavade kaudu neljal testalal (kaks Soomes ja kaks Eestis). Seda teostati järgnevate tegevusetappide kaudu: 1) multidistiplinaarsete sotsiaal-ökoloogiliste andmete integreerimine projekti regionaalsete alade kohta (Eestis Läänemaa, Lääne-Viru ja Harjumaa); 2) rannikuala korralduskavade koostamiseks täpsemate testalade valimine; 3) korralduskavade koostamine ja esmane testimine; 4) korralduskavade avalik arutelu ja täiendamine kasutades mh e-platvormi; 5) SustainBaltic projektis valminud rannikualade korralduskavade muutmine alla laaditavateks projektiparterite Interneti-kodulehelt (http://pk.emu.ee/sustainbaltic) ja ka http://www.utu.fi/SustainBaltic peale projektiperioodi lõppu. Vahearuannete ja tegevusfaaside kohta leiab täiendavat infot https:// blogit.utu.fi/sustainbaltic. Käesolev korralduskava hõlmab Lääne- Viru testala, mis ulatub Käsmust Kundani (vt joonis 1). Korralduskava ajaline perspektiiv on kümme aastat, mille ulatuses püütakse käimasolevaid tendentse ja vajalikke tegevusi visandada. Korralduskava on teadmistepõhine ja soovituslik dokument, mis põimib erinevaid arengustrateegiad ning mida saab kasutada mitmete planeeringute, arengukavade ja strateegiliste projektide väljatöötamisel (vt joonis 2). Korralduskava koosneb kahest osast: a) väärtuste, kitsaskohtade ja võimaluste põhise konteksti kirjeldus ning b) korralduskava tegevuste osa, mis sisaldab integreeritud tegevusi ja skeemi. Korralduskava koostamisel on aluseks võetud Lääne-Viru maakonna mereala visioon, mis keskendub kolmele peamisele suunale: a) mitmekülgse meretranspordi, sadamate ja mereturismi arengu tagamine, b) ajalooliste rannakülade ja kogukondade elujõulisuse tugevdamine, c) mere- ja rannikuala loodusressurssi jätkusuutlik kasutamine. Korralduskava eesmärk on loodus- ja kultuuriväärtuste seostamine jätkusuutliku ja tasakaalustatud majandusliku arenguga rannikuvööndis, mis toob kokku rannikumere ja maismaaga seonduvad keskkonnad, protsessid ja praktikad. Korralduskava võimaldab mõtestada rannikuga seotud eluviiside ühisosa ökosüsteemide ja keskkonnamuutustega ning edendada osalusplaneerimise meetodeid. Korralduskavas põhineb mere ja maismaa vaheliste sotsiaal-ökoloogiliste võrgustike selgitamine ja soovituslike tegevuste formuleerimine jätkusuutliku ja tasakaalustatud arengu aspektidel. Kestlikkust käsitletakse kui mitmekesist kultuuri- ja majandustegevust, mis on integreeritud keskkonnaväärtustega ning ei kahjusta loodusressursse pikemas ajaperspektiivis. Jätkusuutlikkusel on laiemalt neli põimunud haru: keskkond, sotsiaalne õiglus (sh võrdsed võimalused kaasa rääkida), majandus, ja kultuur. Need aspektid mõjutavad piirkondade ja kogukondade võimet tulla toime (keskkonna) muudatustega ja leida kestvaid lahendusi. Ühiskondliku ja kultuurilise dimensiooni tugev põimimine kestliku tuleviku perspektiiviga võimaldab arvestada kohapealset konteksti, teadmisi ja praktikaid. Korralduskava on keskendunud eelkõige traditsiooniliste tegevusvaldkondade senisest suuremale integreerimise ja mitmekesistamise võimalustele, eriti arvestades rannikumerd ja maismaad ühendavaid kasutusviise ning sesoonsust (nt puhkemajanduses, rannakalanduses). Oluline on valdkondade integreerimine, st läbi koostöö ja planeerimise tegevuste seostamine (nt rannakalandus ja turism, sadamad ja spordilaagrid, looduskaitse ja ettevõtlus) nii valdkonnasiseselt kui ka valdkonnaüleselt. Euroopa Liidu ruumilise planeerimise kontekstis käsitletakse formaalselt rannikuala integreeritud korralduskava (Integrated Coastal Zone Management – ICZM, edasises korralduskava) eraldiseisvana merealade (Marine Spatial Planning – MSP) planeerimisest. MSP koostamine on seatud liikmesriikidele kohustuseks, samas rannikuala integreeritud korralduskava realiseerimise üle otsustavad riigid ja kohalikud omavalitused ise. Seetõttu puudub korralduskava jaoks üheselt aktsepteeritud metoodika. Korralduskava koostamisse on andnud oma panuse paljud inimesed. Kava koostamisel viidi läbi mitmeid intervjuusid, kokkusaamisi erinevate huvigruppidega ning korralduskava koostamist nõustas Lääne-Viru testala juhtrühm. Korralduskava koostajad tänavad juhtrühma koosseisus: omavalitsuste esindajad – Anneli Kivisaar (Haljala vald), Ivar Lilleberg (endine Vihula vald), Mati Jõgi (endine Lääne-Viru maavalitsus) ja Marit Laast (Viru-Nigula vald); Keskkonnaametist Imbi Mets ja Maret Vildak ning Rahandusministeeriumist Jaan Kangur. Samuti täname kõiki intervjueeritavaid, kes olid nõus meile oma aega pühendama: Tiiu Pedaja (Eisma sadam), Andrus Aasmäe (Võsu sadam), Kersti Varik (Vergi sadam), Arvid Kilm ja Oleg Bikejev (Kunda Vabatahtlik Merepääste), Haivo Laulik (Käsmu Vabatahtlik Merepääste), Lya Mägi Maaeluministeeriumi kalamajandusosakonnast. Eriline tänu kuulub Marko Travele, kes oli nõus rääkima RMK uuematest arengutest ning edastama andmeid kõrgendatud avaliku huviga riigimetsade kohta ning Reili Soppele, kes korraldas mitmeid kokkusaamisi rannakaluritega, mis andis olulise sisendi korralduskavasse. Reimo Rivis nõustas testala rannatüüpide ja olemasoleva olukorra kirjeldamisel. Korralduskava avalikustamise eest oleme tänulikud Meeli Eelmaale Viru-Nigula Vallavalitsusest ja Ene Loole Karepalt. Aitäh Kristel Toomile (Tallinna Ülikool) finantsasjade administreerimise eest, ja projektiga seotud Soome parteritele ning ka Eesti Maaülikooli kolleegidele, kes tegelesid Läänemaa rannikualaga. Lisaks täname kõiki osalejaid avalikes aruteludes ja küsitlusele vastajaid.Projekti viivad läbi Eesti Maaülikool, Tallinna Ülikool, Turu Ülikool, Soome Keskkonnainstituut ja Satakunta maakonnavalitsusSustainBaltic on rahastatud Euroopa Regionaalarengu Fondi Interregi Kesk-Läänemere Programmi 2014–2020 kaud

Data integration and participatory process in developing integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) in the northern Baltic Sea

The Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) Directive was ratifed (2014/89/EU) along the Strategy of the European Union (EU) on the Blue Economy to contribute to the efective management of maritime activities and resources and incorporate the principal elements of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) (2002/413/EC) into planning at the land-sea interface. There is a need to develop the ICZM approach throughout Europe to realise the potential for both socio-economic and environmental targets set by the EU and national legislations. In this study, we co-developed diferent approaches for land-sea interactions in four case areas in Estonia and Finland based on the defned characteristics and key interests derived from local or regional challenges by integrating spatial data on human activities and ecology. Furthermore, four ICZM drafts were co-evaluated by stakeholders and the public using online map-based assessment tools (public participatory GIS). The ICZM approaches of the Estonian cases ranged from the diversifcation of land use to the enhancement of community-based entrepreneurship. The Finnish cases aimed to defne the trends for sustainable marine and coastal tourism and introduce the ecosystem service concept in land use planning. During the project activities, we found that increased communication and exchange of local and regional views and values on the prevailing land-sea interactions were important for the entire process. Thereafter, the ICZM plans were applied to the MSP processes nationally, and they support the sustainable development of coastal areas in Estonia and Finland.</p

Data integration and participatory process in developing integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) in the northern Baltic Sea

The Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) Directive was ratified (2014/89/EU) along the Strategy of the European Union (EU) on the Blue Economy to contribute to the effective management of maritime activities and resources and incorporate the principal elements of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) (2002/413/EC) into planning at the land-sea interface. There is a need to develop the ICZM approach throughout Europe to realise the potential for both socio-economic and environmental targets set by the EU and national legislations. In this study, we co-developed different approaches for land-sea interactions in four case areas in Estonia and Finland based on the defined characteristics and key interests derived from local or regional challenges by integrating spatial data on human activities and ecology. Furthermore, four ICZM drafts were co-evaluated by stakeholders and the public using online map-based assessment tools (public participatory GIS). The ICZM approaches of the Estonian cases ranged from the diversification of land use to the enhancement of community-based entrepreneurship. The Finnish cases aimed to define the trends for sustainable marine and coastal tourism and introduce the ecosystem service concept in land use planning. During the project activities, we found that increased communication and exchange of local and regional views and values on the prevailing land-sea interactions were important for the entire process. Thereafter, the ICZM plans were applied to the MSP processes nationally, and they support the sustainable development of coastal areas in Estonia and Finland

Enam kui kahanevad postindustriaalsed linnad: Detroiti ja Narva linnaruumilised kestvused / More than Shrinking Postindustral Cities: Durations of Urban Spaces in Detroit and Narva

Artikkel mõtestab kogemuspõhiste lugude kaudu kahaneva linna olemust, mida sageli määratletakse eelkõige majanduspoliitiliste katkestuste ja kahaneva rahvaarvu kaudu. Kahte autobiograafilist jutustust kõrvutav temaatiline sisuanalüüs toob esile Detroiti ja Narvaga seonduvad linnalisuse-kogemused, mis ilmestavad postindustriaalseid muutusi. Struktuurse kriisi kontekstualiseerimine linnade kahanemises näitab omakorda mitmeid linnaruumilisi kestvusi ja alternatiive otsivad kultuuripraktikaid. Linnalisuse ümbermõtestamine avaldub siin ruraalsete omaduste ja piiride esitamisega linnamaastikes. Ilukirjanduslike jutustuste ja nende kaudu esitatud lugude põimimine kahanevate linnade uurimusse võimaldab märgata kriisi mõjude ambivalentsust ning seejuures uurida kompleksset mitmesuunalist linnastumist. &nbsp; The article analyses the characteristics and appearances of shrinking cities, which are too often framed in terms of structural economic ruptures and population decline. The notion of “structural crisis” needs to be contextualised in opening up diverse experiences of transformation in postindustrial urbanity. The study includes the literary stories represented in two books about the cities of Narva and Detroit:&nbsp; Katri Raik’s Minu Narva (2013) and Francesca Berardi’s Detour in Detroit (2015). These autobiographical narratives were brought together along with qualitative content analysis, which focused on the emergent qualities of postindustrial cities: rurality, social change, political boundaries and trajectories of the future.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The books analysed represent the shrinking of cities as part of their story of evolution, although the focus is on contemporary situations.&nbsp; This way of seeing adds the time dimension to changes of urban landscapes, working to observe possible trajectories of the future in on-going events. These autobiographical narratives about the cities’ sudden transformations articulate diverse experiences and practices connected to living together, with shrinking infrastructures and economic turbulence.&nbsp; The shrinking city appears as an ambivalent assemblage, because wasteland and unlit silence generate affective fears for one person, but somebody else will associate these conditions with freedom of practice and of interpretation. The decline of industry as a marker of structural crisis flickers in the narrated landscapes. Beside this, lively initiatives are represented, which associate industrial decline with the potential for emergent new beginnings. Some possible solutions to the postindustrial crisis become entangled with changes in everyday streetscapes. The narratives indicate that there is no reason to view the cities’ shrinkage as a total crisis extending into all spheres of urban life.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Comparing these narratives about Detroit and Narva revealed similarities in the changes and in the experiences of the landscapes of the shrinking cities. The large-scale end of industrial production, the rapid decline of inhabitants and ethnic segregation – these are shared aspects of the shrinkage and in Narva, post-socialist transformation is a further factor. Therefore, the context and crisis of post-industrial urbanity evolve through diverse glocal interactions. The narratives show that global change and crisis inhabits particular places, and the search for solutions can lead to shifting urban characteristics. Reductions in municipal infrastructure made the cities more rural, so that such characteristics of dispersed settlements as silence, less lighting and growth of edible plants became widespread in them. Therefore, the framings of ‘nature’ and ‘rural’ in processes of post-industrial urbanity require more attention in future research. The (temporary) shrinkage renders visible coexistences between urbanity and nature-based practices, which problematize both the city as a form and the assumption that trends of global urbanisation are linear. The boundaries and borders that appear in different scales can be approached as spatial spheres of coexistence, which transform in the crisis and simultaneously try to reproduce social integrity. Geopolitical territories appear side by side with the shifting of meaningful boundaries in the streetscapes. In Narva, the nearness of the frontier came, through events, into the everyday lives of people, affecting situations and indicating possible alternatives. Border-making entanglements with geopolitical neighbours were not so important in Detroit’s narrative, but changes in the city were presented as a sensitive barometer offering understanding of wider post-industrial transformations. The experience-based and comparative approach to tendencies in the shrinking city indicated a slowness and temporal shift which exist in the middle of turbulence. This spatiotemporal shift exists with fragmentary infrastructures, which accumulate certain cultural practices and simultaneously push to find alternatives for the future.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; These texts, with their diverse narratives, enrich the spectre of experience in approaching the tendencies displayed by shrinking cities. The situations and emotional affects represented in the stories can give important hints towards new methods for analysing and rethinking the tendencies summed up as the “shrinking city”. A contextual approach is needed to explain settings experiencing structural crisis, which often becomes to frame the shrinking cities. In the narratives analysed, the flickering post-industrial crisis appears alongside a combination of shifting cultural and economic tendencies, which as well as disturbances also generate spatial conditions and publics for re-inscription of political alternatives. Declining industrial production in cities is combined with diverse processes of shrinkage, change-seeking initiatives and durations of urban spaces, helping people cope with sudden turbulences and create meaningful places.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp

Emergent rural–urban relations in Covid‐19 disturbances: Multi‐locality affecting sustainability of rural change

The recent Covid-19 pandemic highlighted rural–urban interactions, in particular the fact that cities are dependent on the accessibility of non-metropolitan and rural spaces and vice versa. This article seeks to understand how these interactions contributed to emergent relational spaces of rurality during the Covid-19 crisis. The article analyses politicised mobilities between localities and rural–urban linkages that are tied to the sustainability of rural change. The study focuses on two countries: Estonia and Finland, exploring thematic narratives on second-home practices and related politics during the outbreak of the Covid-19 crisis. The explored regions were the South Savo region in Finland and the island of Saaremaa and northern coastal villages in Estonia. The analysis indicates ways in which the mobility restrictions and disturbances triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic attributed certain demands and hopes to rural areas and led the shift in rural–urban interactions. The article contributes to the understanding of co-existences between im/mobilities and multi-local living and sustainability in rural change

Multispecies blue justice and energy transition conflict : examining challenges and possibilities for synergy between low-carbon energy and justice for humans and nonhuman nature

This paper explores deep insights into sustainability transition tensions and pathways in terms of place-based conflict and potential for synergies between offshore wind energy (OWE) development and justice for humans and nonhuman nature. Specifically, we build a capability and recognition-based multispecies blue justice framework that at once centers ecological reflexivity (i.e., environmental awareness-raising, proxy representation of nature, and institutional recognition and protection of rights of nature and human-nature relationality), decenters anthropocentric frames of justice, and sheds light on injustices, human and nonhuman that climate and energy transitions may create or reinforce. This framework then informs analysis of a sustainability transition conflict, specifically a longstanding OWE conflict on Hiiumaa island, Estonia. This analysis unravels justice concerns, human and nonhuman, raised by proxy representatives of nature (i.e., grassroots actors and environmental stewards), the knowledge contestations involved, and the resolution measures undertaken thus far. Next, we discuss the possible transformative role of the OWE conflict, including how a Supreme Court ruling invalidating the OWE plan has fostered reflexive planning and may have set a legal precedent that may have human and nonhuman justice implications for the handling of future planning cases. We then highlight remaining challenges for socially and ecologically responsive OWE deployment. These include the judicial non-recognition of nature’s right as well as environmental values and sociocultural ties to nature as rights worth protecting, and the likely effects that formalization of European Union ambitions to speed-up and ramp-up renewable energy could have locally. These include prospects for environmental stewards and ocean defenders to steer nature-positive, people-centered energy transitions. Last, we propose conditions for enhanced multispecies justice, including how formal interventions (e.g., law) and informal practices (e.g., negotiation, awareness-raising) can be harnessed to unlock productive conflict and align energy transitions with the norms of justice, human and nonhuman