New Department of Surveying and Planning: an internationally unique entity
18.01.2012
The Department of Surveying and the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies (YTK) of Aalto University merged on 1.1.2012 to form the new Department of Surveying and Planning. The Department is a part of the School of Engineering. A particular strength of the Department of Surveying and Planning is its internationally unique character incorporating surveying (geomatics and real estate economics), as well as land use planning.
- We do ground breaking land use research, which has an impact on society, comments Professor Kauko Viitanen, the new Head of the Department of Surveying and Planning. The Department brings together skills in technological-economic-legal methodologies, as well as planning and social science, producing new breakthroughs in the future, Professor Viitanen argues.
There will be three research groups in the Department: real estate economics, geomatics and land use planning & urban studies (YTK). The common focus areas of the research groups include Smart and Liveable Cities, as well as Modelling and Managing Climate Change Impacts. The merging of the departments was anticipated in the establishment of the international Master’s programme Managing Spatial Change. The programme also involves the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and will educate experts with integrative skills in urban planning, engineering and economics.
- We will continue to educate creative and technologically skilled individuals who will be able to make decisions regarding our communities and strategically manage land use issues. In the field of urban planning the opportunities for cooperation with the Department of Architecture are significant, states Raine Mäntysalo, Vice Head of the Department.
- The department reform is historically important and it was expected, notes Petri Varsta, Dean of the School of Engineering. The Department will strengthen research in its field, as well as university level education in the area of urban and land use planning.
There are eight professors in the Department of Surveying and Planning. The staff totals about 130 people. New website of the Department will be published during the spring of 2012. Until then the existing websites http://maa.aalto.fi and http://ytk.tkk.fi. will still be accessible.
Further information:
Professor Kauko Viitanen, kauko.viitanen [at] aalto [dot] fi
Head of the Department of Surveying and Planning
Tel. +358 50 560 3873
Professor Raine Mäntysalo, raine.mantysalo [at] aalto [dot] fi
Vice Head of the Department of Surveying and Planning
Tel. +358 50 512 4525