Abstract

Mainstream urban planning relies on economic growth to produce social and environmental benefits, but in low-growth areas that relationship is not functional. We argue that urban planning in low-growth areas could reveal new ways to produce welfare by taking action without pre-defining the outcomes. We define such planning as co-evolutionary, and study how urban planners in the City of Turku, Finland, applied it in three low-growth contexts. We conclude that the approach was recognized, but taking action under conditions of uncertainty was challenging. Further, we identify three activities and challenges related to co-evolutionary urban planning in low-growth areas.