Anu Soikkeli
Research  |  2021-22

Finland

Project Title: Empowering local communities by strengthening their place identity in planning

Host Department: UNM School of Architecture and Planning, Professor Theodore Jojola

Anu Soikkeli is an associate professor in Arctic Architecture and Environmental Adaption at Oulu School of Architecture, University of Oulu, Finland.  She holds a Ph.D. in both Architecture and History, and extensive and diverse experience in leading research teams, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary work, and academic teaching and supervision. Soikkeli’s research work has focused on the history of architecture, restoration of wooden buildings, post-war reconstructing, identities of historic towns and villages, and human-environmental relationships and energy efficiency, especially in suburban areas.

Soikkeli’s Fulbright Arctic Initiative 2021-22 project focuses on studying the identity of northern villages, the cultural landscape, and participatory methods.  The research strives to promote Indigenous and local knowledge in planning processes and examines how community-driven policies and practices in built environments can positively support human health and well-being. The work contributes to the scientific discussion by giving a new perspective on Arctic place identity. By studying the features in the built environment that strengthen the identity of the place and the people, the research clarifies the meaning of identity in the planning processes and defines its various components, which helps to determine how relevant the Indigenous and local perspectives is to the way we understand place and spaces. The outcome can be utilized in creating more balanced policies for the Arctic areas.