Maija Tiitu

Research on sustainable development in urban regions, focusing on aspects such as land-use changes, mobility, and green infrastructure, as well as development of GIS-based indicators and tools.

D.Sc. (Tech.) (landscape architecture), ongoing, Aalto University

M.Sc. (geography), University of Helsinki

Research Topics

• Research on the built environment: sustainable urban form and land use, mobility and walkability, green infrastructure
• Integrative planning: interactions between green infrastructure and urban development, as well as between land use and mobility, nature-based solutions
• Sustainability of urban regions and impact assessments
• Development of GIS methods to support urban planning
• Development of indicators for monitoring the built environment

Selected Publications

• Di Marino, M., Tiitu, M., Rehunen, A., Chavoshi, S. H., & Lapintie, K. (2025). Multi-locality in the regions of Oslo and Helsinki: a regional planning perspective after the COVID-19 pandemic. Regional Studies, 59(1), 2355290. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2024.2355290
• Tiitu, M., Heikinheimo, V. Karjalainen, L. E., Helminen, V., Lyytimäki, J., Lehtimäki, J. & Riikka Paloniemi (2024). A spatially explicit comparison of walkability within city-centre and suburban contexts in Helsinki, Finland, Landscape and Urban Planning 252, 105196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2024.105196
• Tiitu, M., Nyberg, E., Halonen, J. I., Pasanen, T., Viinikka, A., Lehtimäki, J., Lanki, T. & Vierikko, K. (2024). Comparing city practitioners’ and residents’ perceptions of a liveable neighbourhood in Finland. European Planning Studies, 32(5), 1118–1145. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2023.2263053
• Di Marino, M., Tiitu, M., Saglie, I.-L., & Lapintie, K. (2024). Conceptualizing ‘green’ in urban and regional planning – the cases of Oslo and Helsinki. European Planning Studies 32(6), 1187–1209. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2023.2285811
• Viinikka, A., Tiitu, M., Heikinheimo V., Halonen, J. I., Nyberg, E. & Vierikko, K. (2023). Associations of neighborhood-level socioeconomic status, accessibility, and quality of green spaces in Finnish urban regions. Applied Geography 157, 102973. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2023.102973
• Karjalainen, L. E., Tiitu, M., Lyytimäki, J., Helminen, V., Tapio, P., Tuominen, A., Vasankari, T., Lehtimäki, J. & Paloniemi, R. (2023). Going carless in different urban fabrics: socio-demographics of household car ownership. Transportation 50:107–142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-021-10239-8
• Di Marino, M., Rehunen, A., Tiitu, M. & Lapintie, K. (2023). New working spaces in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area: understanding location factors and implications for planning. European Planning Studies 31, 3: 508–527. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2021.1945541
• Tiitu, M., Viinikka, A., Ojanen, M. & Saarikoski, H. (2021). Transcending sectoral boundaries? Discovering built-environment indicators through knowledge co-production for enhanced planning for well-being in Finnish cities. Environmental Science & Policy 126, 177–188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2021.09.028
• Tiitu, M., Naess, P. & Ristimäki, M. (2021). The urban density in two Nordic capitals – comparing the development of Oslo and Helsinki metropolitan regions, European Planning Studies 29:6, 1092–1112, https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2020.1817865
• Helminen, V., Tiitu, M., Kosonen, L. & Ristimäki, M. (2020). Identifying the areas of walking, transit and automobile urban fabrics in Finnish intermediate cities. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives 8, 100257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2020.100257
• Di Marino, M., Tiitu, M., Lapintie, K., Viinikka, A. & Kopperoinen, L. (2019). Integrating green infrastructure and ecosystem services in land use planning. Results from two Finnish case studies. Land Use Policy 82: 643–656 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.01.007
• Tiitu, M., Viinikka, A., Kopperoinen, L. & Geneletti, D. (2018). Balancing Urban Green Space and Residential Infill Development: A Spatial Multi-Criteria Approach Based on Practitioner Engagement. Journal of Environmental Policy and Management 20: 3, 1840004. https://doi.org/10.1142/S1464333218400045
• Tiitu, M. 2018. Expansion of the built-up areas in Finnish city regions – The approach of travel-related urban zones. Applied Geography 101: 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2018.10.001