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

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

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

Serio Agriesti, Claudio Roncoli, Bat Hen Nahmias-Biran 2025 IEEE Open Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems

Serio Agriesti, Claudio Roncoli, Bat hen Nahmias-Biran 2025 TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH PART A: POLICY AND PRACTICE

Mikko Airikkala, Antti Seppälä, Saija Toivonen, Hanna Mattila 2025 Nordic Journal of Urban Studies

Oleksandr Anisimov, Yegor Vlasenko, Dominic Stead, Maria Smirnova 2025 European Journal of Spatial Development

Oleksandr Anisimov, Dominic Stead 2025 Transactions of the Association of European Schools of Planning

Oleksandr Anisimov, Dominic Stead 2025 Transactions of the Association of European Schools of Planning

Klavdiya Bochenina, Serio Agriesti, Claudio Roncoli, Laura Ruotsalainen 2025 IET Intelligent Transport 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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