A window of opportunity for rural residential area - what, where and how much of it remains in Finland? (MAAIKKUNA)

The aim of the project is to examine the current state, potential, and challenges of rural residential area in Finland.

Rural residential areas refer to rural regions where, due to structural changes, the share of primary production in the economy has decreased. More broadly defined, it is a living environment that enables access to services and jobs.

The four work packages examine the current situation of rural residential areas, their potential in rural development, the impacts of rural residential area potential on rural development, and the structural factors of rural residential areas. The research methods include spatial data analytics, statistical analyses, and case studies.

The project aims to determine what kind of rural residential areas remain as a result of centralized regional development, how significant the development potential related to rural residential areas is, and what effects the development of rural residential areas has on the vitality of rural regions.

The goal is to produce information on the ability of rural areas to meet different residents’ housing preferences, create a map portal to describe the potential of rural residential areas as spatial data, analyze how significant the development potential of rural residential areas is, and investigate and analyze the impacts of the weakening of rural residential areas on rural development and the economy.

The results will provide an assessment of the development and potential of rural residential areas in the near future, an analysis of how significant the development opportunities related to rural residential areas are, formulations and proposals for developing rural housing across Finland, as well as policy recommendations for rural housing development and supporting measures.

Comprehensive research on rural residential areas has not previously been conducted in Finland. The results will help to understand the state, development, and significance of rural residential areas. This is important for rural policy and development so that societal reforms can be better targeted.