Infill Development on Collectively Owned Residential Properties: Understanding the Decision-making Process – Case Studies in Helsinki

Abstract

Housing intensification contributes to the strategic aims of many urban areas worldwide, and can also enable financing of major repairs in collectively owned residential buildings. The aim of this article is to develop understanding of the decision-making process concerning the infill development on a collectively owned plot of a housing company in Finland. As data we use theme interviews of people managing five case housing companies in Helsinki. The results of the cross-case analysis indicate that the decision-making process is unestablished. Key issues and stages of the process are identified and analysed further. Challenges exist on three levels: (1) legal and land use planning, (2) collective action and management, (3) required professionals. The results can be used for developing better practices for the process. Moreover, they contribute to the literature on the governance of multi-owned housing, its challenges and its potential in the redevelopment of urban areas with ageing building stock.