色色啦

Department of Architecture

SPHERE

SPHERE is a research group dedicated to exploring how built environments shape, and are shaped by, social, economic, and political forces, with a focus on promoting equitable, sustainable, and inclusive development. SPHERE operates at the intersection of theory and practice, bridging academic research with practical solutions or ideas to cultivate in improved policy and create societal impact.
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Key Research Areas:

Housing Systems and Affordability:
This area focuses on housing affordability, tenure models, and the policies that shape housing accessibility across various regions. We examine the spatial dynamics of housing provision, as well as how planning practices influence residential development, and gentrification and segregation. Critical areas of interest include the financialization of housing, the rise of rentierization, and the impact of commodified housing on communities.

Urban and Regional Planning:
We analyze planning policies, and land-use strategies at both urban and regional levels. Our work examines how spatial planning interventions and infrastructural projects intersect with the often financialized production and reconfiguration of spaces. This area of study aims to better understand how urban and regional plannning shape the built environment and impact social equity.

The Reciprocal Relationship between Space and Spatial Practices:
SPHERE delves into how space and everyday spatial practices are influenced by various social values, norms, and interests. We explore how individuals connect to places, the role of place-making, and how residents and local entrepreneurs engage with planning processes in different localities, from inner cities to suburban and rural areas.
 

News

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Boendets pris - ett finskt perspektiv

G盲stf枚rel盲sning f枚r jagvillhabostad.nu i samarbete med institutionen f枚r urbana studier, Malm枚 universitet

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Erasmus week in architecture at Sapienza, Universita di Roma

Erasmus week in architecture at Sapienza, Universita di Roma

News
The CityLife skyscrapers in Milan depicted in a colorful sunset.

Urban Politics in Spatial Development: Insights from Brussels and Milan

Veronica Conte presents her research on urban politics and spatial development via two significant cases in Brussels and Milan.

Events
Aerial map of Helsinki.
Events

Ongoing projects

ConWa: Contested Waterfront Transformation

This project investigates the outcomes of prevailing policy ideals of social inclusion in spatial development as they face variations of increasingly financialized urban growth machines.

A photo of the Portland Towers In Nordhavn District In Copenhagen. Photographed by Oliver F枚rstner.

Access to affordable and quality housing for all people - HOUSE4ALL

The project aims to provide a comprehensive and comparative overview of how housing policies are delivered across the ESPON territory, and develop a comprehensive definition of housing affordability at the EU level taking into account a broad range of indicators and the diversity of European territories and their specificities.

Cranes building houses on the waterfront

Past projects

MAKU-hanke

Immigrant entrepreneurs in suburban regeneration

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Enhancing liveability in small shrinking and peripheral towns - the examples of Puolanka (Finland) & Lauscha (Germany)

This project has been examining local initiatives and practices of placemaking in the towns of Puolanka (Finland) and Lauscha (Germany) for the duration of two years.

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City of Turku research program

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Latest publications

Grete Gansauer, Johanna Lilius, Ria鈥怣aria Adams 2025 Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space

Johanna Lilius 2025 International Planning Studies

Leona Sandmann, Maria Gunko, Irina Shirobokova, Ria鈥怣aria Adams, Johanna Lilius, Katrin Grossmann 2025 International Journal of Urban and Regional Research

Rikke Skovgaard Nielsen, J Lilius 2025 Housing Quality Magazine

Katrin Gro脽mann, Ria Maria Adams, Alla Bolotova, Maria Gunko, Johanna Lilius, Sven Messerschmidt, Leona Sandmann 2024 Cities

Johanna Lilius, Rikke Skovgaard Nielsen 2024 Nordic Journal of Housing Research

Johanna Lilius 2024 Kleio

Johanna Lilius 2024 顿茅谤颈惫别

Johanna Lilius 2024 Real estate and sustainable crisis management in urban environments : Challenges and solutions for resilient cities

Johanna Lilius 2024 Rakennettu Ymp盲rist枚
More information on our research in the Aalto research portal.

Veronica Conte

Postdoctoral researcher
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