Jenni Partanen on ehituse ja arhitektuuri instituudis tuleviku linna professor. Esimene tööpäev TalTechis: 1. veebruar 2020

Please introduce yourself.

I am a Finnish architect and I have my PhD in urban planning and design. I have previously worked at the University of Tampere and in Helsinki Institute of Urban and Regional Studies. My research interests lay in urban dynamics in cities, particularly in the ongoing transition to smart cities, and the question of how to steer urban processes in a way that benefits both urban actors and societies.

What kind of knowledge and experience you bring to TalTech from your previous jobs?

My experience range from teaching and research to planning and design praxis, particularly in the fields of strategic planning. My expertise covers theories of complex adaptive systems in cities, urban self-organizing economic, social and cultural processes, and developing planning methods for guiding such uncertain and unpredictable interlinked systems. My aim is to explore with my team how myriads of local actors’ decisions produce cumulative effects on a higher scale, and particularly how digital technologies create new dynamics in cities, but also provide methods to observe them.

What are your goals in your position at TalTech?

Being a team-player, my goals are in building new line of research concerning complex smart cities, and provide new scientific knowledge for smart city planning and design to make the quality of life good in them for all people.

One surprise that you have had within your time at TalTech?

After one week, I have been glad to notice how easy it has been to land to TalTech, and how all the practical issues are taken care swiftly, professionally and with helpful attitude.