About me
I work at Tampere University Faculty of Built Environment / School of Architecture as professor of urban planning and design. I am a sub-project leader in two multidisciplinary research projects funded by Research Council of Finland / Strategic Research Council: BIWE (Biodiversity interventions for well-being, www.biwe.fi), which restores microbiological diversity to urban areas and investigates the effects of the changes made on ecological and human well-being, and MUST (Enabling multispecies transitions of cities and regions, www.must-project.fi), which scrutinizes new strategies for changing nature-based solutions to support biodiversity in cities and regions. I have also focused on city growth in general and Finland's zoning system especially, as well as utopian thinking in urban planning. In addition, I participate in the activities of the interdisciplinary communities Tampere Urban Research Network for Sustainability (TURNS) and Association for Literary Urban Studies (ALUS). In my planning career, I have drawn up more than 70 urban plans and more than 50 building plans.
Responsibilities
I am Professor of Urban Planning and Design at the School of Architecture / Faculty of Built Environment.
Fields of expertise
Urban planning and design, city planning, architecture.
Top achievements
Siikaluoto, Pietarsaari: Transforming Industrial Area to a Living Part of the City Centre, common architectural idea competition, purchase (together with architects Tapio Kangasaho and Jon Thureson) 2015 (31 entries)
Sibbesborg: International Competition for Sustainable Community Development, 3rd prize (together with architect Jouko Kunnas) 2012 (30 entries)
Henna Masterplan, Orimattila, 2011, an ecological city for 14 000 inhabitants (together with architect Jouko Kunnas)
The Innovative Town Concept for the Future, international idea competition, shared 1st prize (together with architect Jouko Kunnas) 2010 (72 entries)
Main positions of trust
Tampere Urban Research Network for Sustainability (TURNS), Founder member 2019-, Steering group member 2024-
Association for Literary Urban Studies (ALUS), Board member 2015-2019, Board Vice Member 2020-2022
Research topics
Finnish planning system, multispecies and biodiversity approaches in urban planning, healthy city, city growth and decline, urban utopias.
Research unit
Funding
Selected publications
Rajaniemi J. (2023). Interdisciplinary urban planning courses: Learning about contexts and wicked problems. Chudoba C. & Griffiths G. (eds.) Curious pedagogy. Reflections on urban planning education. DATUTOP 41, Tampere University, 21-40.
Rajaniemi J. & Koponen O-P. (2023). Prince Charles' A Vision of Britain as Populist Retropia. Kelly M.G. & Paz M. (eds.) Utopia, Equity and Ideology in Urban Texts. Fair and Unfair Cities. Palgrave Macmillan, 113-132.
Ameel L., Bar-Itzhak C., Finch J., García P., Laine S., Lanigan L., Lappela A., Rajaniemi J. & Salmela M. (2023). Teaching Literary Urban Studies. Ameel, L (ed.). The Routledge Companion to Literary Urban Studies. Routledge, 11–25.
Nurminen N., Cerrone D., Lehtonen J., Parajuli A., Roslund M., Lönnrot M., Ilonen J., Toppari J., Veijola R., Knip M., Rajaniemi J., Laitinen O., Sinkkonen A. & Hyöty H. (2021) Land Cover of Early Life Environment Modulates the Risk of Type 1 Diabetes. Diabetes Care.
Taylor J., Jokela S., Laine M., Rajaniemi J., Jokinen P., Häikiö L., Lönnqvist A. (2021) Learning and Teaching Interdisciplinary Skills in Sustainable Urban Development—The Case of Tampere University, Finland. Sustainability. 2021; 13(3):1180.
Roslund M., Puhakka R., Grönroos M., Nurminen N., Oikarinen S., Siter N., Vari H., Laitinen O., Rajaniemi J., Hyöty H., Sinkkonen A. (2020). Biodiversity intervention improves immune regulation and commensal microbiota among daycare children. Science Advances.
Corredor-Ochoa, Á., Antuña-Rozado, C., Fariña-Tojo, J. & Rajaniemi, J. (2020). Challenges in assessing urban sustainability. Verma P, Singh P, Singh R & Singh Raghubanshi A (eds.). Urban Ecology: Emerging Patterns and Social-Ecological Systems. Elsevier, 355-374.
Parajuli, A., Hui, N., Puhakka, R., Oikarinen, S., Grönroos, M., Selonen, VAO, Siter, N., … Rajaniemi, J., Hyöty, H. & Sinkkonen, A. (2020). Yard vegetation is associated with gut microbiota composition. Science of the Total Environment, Volume 713, 136707.
Rantanen, A., & Rajaniemi, J. (2019). Urban Planning in the Post-Zoning Era: From Hierarchy to Self-Organization in the Reform of the Finnish Land Use and Building Act. Environment & Planning B: Planning and Design. https://doi.org/10.1177/2399808319893686
Puhakka, R., Rantala, O., Roslund, M. I., Rajaniemi, J., Laitinen, O., Sinkkonen, A., & ADELE Research Group (2019). Greening of Daycare Yards with Biodiverse Materials Affords Well-Being, Play and Environmental Relationships. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(16), [2948]. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16162948
Rajaniemi, J., & Chudoba, M. (eds.) (2018). Re-City. (Im)possible cities. (DATUTOP). Tampere University of Technology, School of Architecture.
Rajaniemi, J., Häkli, J., Rauhala, K., & Sumkin, H. (2018). Urbanisoituva yliopistokampus informaalin oppimisen mahdollistajana. Aikuiskasvatus, 2018(1), 18-29.
Jama, T., Lehtovuori, P., Rajaniemi, J., Siikonen, M., Mäntynen, J., Rantanen, A., ... Saarniaho, K. (2018). Ideoita kaavoituksen sisällön uudistamiseen: Kaavojen merkintöjen ja määräysten kehittäminen (KAMMI-hanke). Helsinki: Ympäristöministeriö.
Rajaniemi, J. (2018). Epätoivon kaupungit ja perirealistinen dystopia. Futura, 36(4), 19-27.
Rajaniemi, J. (ed.) (2016). Re-city. Future city - combining disciplines. (DATUTOP; Vol. 34). Tampere: Tampere University of Technology, School of Architecture.
Rajaniemi, J. (2006). Kasvun kaavoitus. Tapaus Raahe 1961-1996. Kankaanpää: Messon Oy.
Latest publications
Ekologinen kytkeytyvyys ja luonnon monimuotoisuus alueidenkäytön suunnittelussa
Hautamäki, R., Heinilä, A., Moilanen, A. & Rajaniemi, J., 26 Mar 2024, Helsinki: Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia. 70 p.Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report
Sustainable built environments: Supporting Co-benefits for health and wellbeing
Taylor, J., Liyanage, R., Vinha, J., Viitanen, A.-K., Rajaniemi, J., Espinosa Mireles de Villafranca, A., Corredor Ochoa, A. & Laine, M., 19 Sept 2024, In: Alusta!.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › General public
Using patterns of shared taxa to infer bacterial dispersal in human living environment in urban and rural areas
Grönroos, M., Jumpponen, A., Roslund, M. I., Nurminen, N., Oikarinen, S., Parajuli, A., Laitinen, O., Cinek, O., Kramná, L., Rajaniemi, J., Hyöty, H., Puhakka, R. & Sinkkonen, A., 23 Oct 2024, In: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 90, 10, 23 p., e00903-24.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Interdisciplinary urban planning courses: Learning about contexts and wicked problems
Rajaniemi, J., 14 Dec 2023, Curious pedagogy: Reflections on urban planning education. Chudoba, M. & Griffiths, G. (eds.). Tampere: Tampere University, p. 21-39 19 p. (Datutop; vol. 41).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › Scientific › peer-review
Prince Charles' A Vision of Britain as a Populist Retrotopia
Rajaniemi, J. & Koponen, O.-P., 28 Jul 2023, Utopia, Equity and Ideology in Urban Texts: Fair and Unfair Cities. Kelly, M. G. & Paz, M. (eds.). Palgrave Macmillan, p. 113-132 20 p. (Literary Urban Studies).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › Scientific › peer-review
Urban Reconstruction Patterns
Rajaniemi, J. (Editor), Serhiiuk, I. (Editor) & Anttila, I. (Editor), 21 Aug 2023, Tampere University. 102 p.Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report
Teaching Literary Urban Studies
Ameel, L., Bar-Itzhak, C., Garcia, P., Finch, J., Laine, S., Lanigan, L., Lappela, A., Rajaniemi, J. & Salmela, M., 2022, Routledge Companion to Literary Urban Studies. Ameel, L. (ed.). London: Routledge, p. 11-25 (Routledge Literature Companions).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › Scientific › peer-review
Associations between land cover categories, gaseous PAH levels in ambient air and endocrine signaling predicted from gut bacterial metagenome of the elderly
Vari, H. K., Roslund, M. I., Oikarinen, S., Nurminen, N., Puhakka, R., Parajuli, A., Grönroos, M., Siter, N., Laitinen, O. H., Hyöty, H., Rajaniemi, J., Rantalainen, A. L., Sinkkonen, A. & the ADELE research group, 2021, In: Chemosphere. 265, 128965.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Do rural second homes shape commensal microbiota of urban dwellers? A pilot study among urban elderly in Finland
Saarenpää, M., Roslund, M. I., Puhakka, R., Grönroos, M., Parajuli, A., Hui, N., Nurminen, N., Laitinen, O. H., Hyöty, H., Cinek, O., Sinkkonen, A., the ADELE research group, Cerrone, D., Mäkelä, I., Oikarinen, S., Rajaniemi, J., Soininen, L., Sun, Y., Valve, R. & Vari, H. K., Apr 2021, In: International journal of environmental research and public health. 18, 7, 19 p., 3742.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Land Cover of Early Life Environment Modulates the Risk of Type 1 Diabetes
Nurminen, N., Cerrone, D., Lehtonen, J., Parajuli, A., Roslund, M. I., Lönnrot, M., Ilonen, J., Toppari, J., Veijola, R., Knip, M., Rajaniemi, J., Laitinen, O., Sinkkonen, A. & Hyöty, H., 2021, In: Diabetes Care.. 44, 7, p. 1506-1514 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review