From green fingers and green ring to green mitten: Helsinki’s polycentric urbanization and its impact on green structure

Urbanization changes the landscape and fragments spatial structures including greenspaces across much of the world and Europe. The resultant impacts and morphological characteristics are understudied within peri-urban regions of cities. This study analyzed the spatial qualities and relationship among peri-urban greenspaces, green structure, and polycentric urban form within the Greater Helsinki Region of Finland. Results illustrate the existing ‘Green Fingers’ have impacted urban development patterns. Though the Region includes many fragmented greenspaces, an overall interconnected and coherent intermixed green structure remains. Greenstructures and polycentric regions face continued threats; managing the growth of peri-urban regions is critical to maintaining a greenstructure’s multiple benefits to humans and nature across the globe.