Lähellä kaupungissa is an user-friendly exercise package for learning and studying urban environments.

1. Near In the City (NIC) –
an exercise package for
GIS studies on urban
environment
PhD Virpi Hirvensalo,
Department of Geography and
Geology,
University of Turku

2. Project in a nutshell
NIC in a nutshell

3. Near In the City (NIC)
• A website, which focuses on urban
environment.
• Familiarizes users with various kinds of places in
a city and methods to become acquainted with
them.
• Contains current and interdisciplinary themes:
– personal and place identity
– active citizenship
– safety in public spaces
– urban sustainability
– local effects of climate change, etc.

4. Near In the City (NIC)
• Flexible toolkit for courses of geography,
sustainable development and environmental
education in Finnish.
• Intended for students from the level of
secondary school to institutes of higher
education, including also subject teacher
education.
• Encourages to make field trips.

5. Near In the City (NIC)
• User-friendly and inspiring contents.
• Linked with PaikkaOppi, which is a web-
based learning environment for GIS
studies in Finnish upper secondary
schools.

6. Spaces and places as
premises for an active
citizenship

7. City and its various places are in the focus of learning
The aim is that a student discerns more clearly places in a
city, and considers his/her personal relationship to them.
That strengthens:
– students place identity.
– skills to participate in public discussion of urban
development and planning. This improves premises for an
active citizenship.

8. Spaces create premises for learning
Spaces can be seen as ”intellectual prostheses”, which help
learners to achieve information and to develop something
new: reports, maps, videos, memos, models...
Cf. Paavolainen & Hakkarainen (2007): Triangular learning: dialogue
between participant actors, cultural resources and shared objects of
activity.
Spaces activate senses and provide
possibilities to study and act
creatively. They also enable
interaction between actors.
(Smeds, Krokfors, Ruokamo &
Staffans 2010)

9. Environmental competence
The skill to take advantage of spatially diverse
environments and ability to find scopes for
action from them.
A task of school institution in the future is to
strenghten that.
Smeds, Krokfors, Ruokamo & Staffans 2010

10. How does NIC look like?

12. Descriptions of places
STREET – NEIGHBOURHOOD – BROWN FIELD – PARK – CITY CENTER
STREET
•What is a street?
•Living street
•Street as a public space
•Frightening street
•Street as a space of presentation
Texts, photos, video & audio clips,
links to other web pages,
hints of additional literature,
excercises, etc.

14. METHODS for studying places
Orientation to Web page / Word
Concept map news paper association
a subject matter analysis -game
Research Photo-
Observation
documen- Interview
Mental
Sensory walk
mapping
in a field tation
Presentation Interactive Video / audio Personalizing
Photo-gallery
map presentation a picture
of results
Participative
planning tool

16. Three toolkits with varying extents
½ -1 hours. Learn concepts related to urban surroundings
by reading texts, listening audios and watching videos.
Do a short excercise in a classroom.
Small toolkit:
”Learn the
terms”
4 hours. Study materials in NIC, choose the suitable
method(s) for your excercise
and realize it in a classroom or outdoors.
Medium toolkit:
”Familiarize yourself
with places”
20 hours. With your small group, carry out a
mini research project basing on
a model of a progressive inquiry.
Large toolkit:
”Grab the study”

17. An example how to use NIC: grab the study

18. A case study: living in Rantakylä neighbourhood in Joensuu,
Finland
Practicing field research by sensing, observing,
interviewing…

19. Results of small groups as a map presentation of PaikkaOppi

22. Thank you!
Contacts:
Virpi Hirvensalo
Department of Geography and Geology,
University of Turku, Finland
vijoke@utu.fi
Some more information about the project:
http://users.utu.fi/vijoke/blogi