The Future of Living and Housing

Country:
Finland

Sub-programme of a wider initiative or programme:

Official identification number or abbreviation:

ASU-LIVE

Duration:

September 2011 - August 2015

Funding budget:

10 M€ for four years

Homepage:
www.aka.fi/LIVE

Funding body / financing organisation:

Academy of Finland

Challenges and objectives:

The framework and themes for the research programme have been selected with a view to covering a wide range of recent housing trends and particularly various social, economic, technological and environmental issues related to housing. Projects funded under the programme are expected to espouse a genuine multidisciplinary approach and to produce research results that have wide-ranging applicability. The scientific goals of the programme are to: • examine future living and housing as a whole, from the resident’s perspective, including a range of related topics from environmental and consumer issues to cultural factors and factors influencing residents’ health • emphasize the connections of basic research with housing practices (building construction, urban planning, housing policy, regional and community planning, etc.) • produce internationally significant research evidence on living and housing • strengthen multidisciplinary competencies and research environments in areas that will promote the development of housing research in Finland The programme’s research policy objectives are to: • create new national and international research networks; • increase the mobility of doctoral students and researchers; • promote coordination and cooperation with other national (e.g. sectoral research institutes, Metropol research, a Strategic Centre programme on building construction) and international partners • raise public debate on the future of housing and facilitate informed decision-making

Thematic areas / main focuses:

The programme is structured around three closely related themes: lifespans, spaces and society. These themes and their interconnections locate the key subject areas in which the programme is expected to produce significant research results. The concept of housing as applied in the programme ties together questions of housing through to urban and regional planning, political decision-making and its impacts. However the main focus throughout is on the individual resident. It follows that the programme excludes such research questions that are concerned purely with construction techniques, material properties or, say, indoor air quality. It is expected that the research in the programme is multidisciplinary and people-oriented.

Related to Working Group(s):
Health & Performance, Social Systems & Welfare, Housing, Urban-Rural Development & Mobility

Foreseen results and outcomes:

The programme will be launched in September 2011.

Setting and methods:

Too early to say, except that it is basic research with possibilities for applications in housing policy, social policy, urban planning etc.

Disciplines and institutions addressed:

All institutes of higher learning in Finland

Funding scheme and procedure:

10 M€ for four years (2011-2015)

Key topics for inclusion of foreign partners:

Housing, lifespan, urban planning, regional planning, resident, ecology

Remarks:

Organisation:
Academy of Finland

Department:

First Name:
Petteri

Surname:
Pietikäinen

Title:
Programme manager

Function:
Director of the programme

Address:
Academy of Finland

Phone:
+ 358 400 362 808

Fax:

E-Mail:
petteri.pietikainen@aka.fi

Web:
www.aka.fi/LIVE