Transforming anatomies of democratic planning – Combining planning-theoretical and legal perspectives on flexible regulation in Finnish land use law

Transforming anatomies of democratic planning (TRANAPLAN) is a research project funded by the Academy of Finland (2020–2024). It is a consortium project of Aalto University, School of Engineering, Department of Built Environment, and the University of Eastern Finland, Law School. The consortium is led by Hanna Mattila, who is also the principal investigator of the Aalto University sub-project. The University of Eastern Finland sub-project is led by professor Ismo Pölönen.

TRANAPLAN project brings together planning theory and jurisprudence to examine land use planning and its legal framework especially in the Finnish context. The point of departure is the recent planning-theoretical discourse where it has been typical to assume that democratisation of planning should be promoted via flexibility in regulation and increased space for shared use of power of planners, decision-makers and stakeholder groups. This assumption has been concretised in Finland, as in many other countries, as creation of such spaces for local discretion that can be opened to local publics. However, there are several problems with the assumed connection between democracy and flexible regulation. The project explores empirically this relation, creating also an innovative theoretical framework for assessing this relation in the context of planning law. Finally, the project provides suggestions as to how to enhance democracy in planning via flexible regulation. It produces input for the ongoing reform of Finnish Land Use and Building Act (132/1999), while contributing also to international planning-theoretical and legal-theoretical discourses.