Between Enthusiam and Establishment – An Analysis of the Boundary Conditions of a Multidisciplinary Program in Urban Studies and Planning

In 2015, a joint multidisciplinary urban planning initiative was undertaken in Finland, eventually leading to the establishment of the first multidisciplinary master’s programme in Urban Studies and Planning (USP). The initiation process of a unique multidisciplinary collaboration between the University of Helsinki and Aalto University is documented here, shedding light on the motivations and expectations of those involved in establishing the new master’s programme. Finally, conclusions are drawn on the difficulties in the implementation of such a complex programme and in fitting it into siloed university structures.

The need to gain multidisciplinary knowledge for planning processes and practices and to advance and comprehend urban development is al- ready well documented. Furthermore, the quality of the built environment has been seen to lack sustainable grounds and has been criticised as a con- crete example of the problem of present-day planning practices. The need for reform to meet the challenges in practice-based studies similar to urban planning is recognised in several domains. A considerable body of university pedagogical studies has challenged disciplinary-based knowledge creation while problem-based learning has generated its own recognised challenges. These challenges form the background of the urban planning initiative leading to the establishment of the first multidisciplinary master’s programme in Urban Studies and Planning (USP) in Finland.