Department of Built Environment

Spatial Planning and Transportation Engineering

Urban realities are becoming increasingly dynamic, complex and fragmented while demands for their liveability, sustainability, competitiveness, and attractiveness increase. Our research connects spatial planning and transportation engineering for developing new scientific knowledge needed in systemic understanding, problem-solving, and integrative planning and policy-making beyond sectoral boundaries, aimed at achieving equitable, sustainable and attractive environments.
Traffic in Mannerheimintie, pho University/Annamari Tolonen

The sustainability of our modern living environments is challenged by rapid processes of urbanisation and climate change. In addition to contributing to the advances in digitalisation and automation through various smart city initiatives, shaping our futures requires deeper understanding of human behavior and values, urban systems dynamics, citizen participation practices, and inter-sectoral institutional collaboration.

Research overview

Deeply rooted in understanding the complexities of important societal challenges reflected in our everyday environments, this research group has both a practice-focused and science-based approach to engineering as collaborative development. Addressing a range of wicked challenges, this group has developed a wide spectrum of critical research topics in the area of sustainable built environment and systems design.

Our research themes

Latest publications

Thomas Banafa, Susa Eräranta, Johanna Yletyinen, Mia Pihlajamäki, Marko Keskinen 2026 Journal of Hydrology

Susa Eräranta, Adrianna Czarnecka, Monika Piotrkowska, Jonne Hytönen 2026 Environmental Science and Policy

Felix Hallikainen, Nora Fagerholm, Samira Ramezani, Tiina Rinne, Marketta Kyttä 2026 Transportation research interdisciplinary perspectives

Jingfeng Ma, Yuanxiang Yang, Gang Ren, Shunchao Wang 2026 TRAFFIC INJURY PREVENTION

Kofoworola Modupe Osunkoya, Tuomas Väisänen, Jenni Partanen, Olle Järv 2026 Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science

Charalampos (Haris) Sipetas, Nejc Geržinič, Zhiren Huang, Oded Cats, Miloš Mladenović 2026 TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH PART A: POLICY AND PRACTICE

Jente Versigghel, Hannah Hook, Jonas De Vos, Frank Witlox 2026 Social Inclusion

Francesco Vitale, Ramin Niroumand, Claudio Roncoli 2026 IEEE Open Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems

Jin Xue, Susa Eräranta 2026 Planning Theory

Serio Agriesti, Claudio Roncoli, Bat Hen Nahmias-Biran 2025 IEEE Open Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems
More information on our research in the Aalto research portal.

Research group members

Marketta Kyttä

Marketta Kyttä

Professori
T213 Built Environment
Eva Purkarthofer

Eva Purkarthofer

Academy Postdoctoral Researcher
T213 Built Environment
Pilvi Nummi

Pilvi Nummi

Postdoctoral Researcher

Thu Pham

Doctoral Researcher

Heqi Wang

Doctoral Researcher

Elina Hasanen

Postdoctoral Researcher

Our location

Otakaari 4

Otakaari 4

Mechanical engineering 1, K1

Locations
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