%0 Articles
%T Wooden multistory construction  as perceived by Finland’s municipal  civil servants overseeing land use planning
%A Franzini, Florencia
%D 2022
%J Dissertationes Forestales
%V 2022
%N 325
%R doi:10.14214/df.325
%U http://dissertationesforestales.fi/article/10717
%X <p>For the past 25 years, the Finnish state has supported the diffusion of wooden multistory construction into the construction sector. Given the socio-cultural and economic value of Finland’s forest sector, there is precedent to do so. Nonetheless, wooden multistory construction remains a niche construction practice in its formative phase. This dissertation researches the diffusion of wooden multistory construction by analyzing perceptions from municipal civil servants tasked with overseeing land use planning in Finland. Despite being gatekeepers of local construction activities, their perceptions towards wooden multistory construction are understudied. To access these perceptions, this research applies the theory of planned behavior. At the root of this theory lies the notion that beliefs underpin human action. Specifically, this dissertation research identifies (Article I) and operationalizes (Article II-III) the attitudes and beliefs that municipal civil servants hold towards wooden multistory construction. The results are distilled into three empirical accounts. Why not wood? (Article I) reframes elicited beliefs as barriers and benefits to wooden multistory construction. Benefits include a variety of holistic topics ranging from improving the lifestyles of citizens and supporting local wood-based businesses, to facilitating aspects of building construction. On the other hand, multiple barriers coalesce to form a risky and costly environment that results in project aversion. Wood versus concrete (Article II) analyzes how outcomes of implementing wooden multistory buildings are relativized against concrete multistory buildings. In large part, wooden multistory buildings are believed to possess several superior qualities (e.g., environmental performance, economic development outcomes). Nevertheless, apprehensions persist (e.g., they are more expensive to build and maintain, they are more susceptible to fire). Background experiences, especially occupational profession, play a key role in shaping several beliefs. Planning for wood (Article III) studies the relationship between how beliefs (i.e., environmental performance, economic development, cost-related attributes, technical qualities) form attitudes towards wooden multistory buildings. The prioritizations of beliefs vary according to occupational profession. Planning practitioners form attitudes holistically, based on the building’s environmental performance, technical qualities, and economic development outcomes. Other administrators form attitudes primarily based on the project’s economic development outcomes and technical qualities. Ultimately, municipal civil servants appear receptive towards implementing wooden multistory buildings in their municipalities, but this receptiveness hinges on project outcomes and the “societal goods” prioritized by the individual respondent. Even if wooden multistory buildings are perceived to possess superior qualities (e.g., environmental performance), these qualities may not strongly impact an individual’s attitude towards favoring the project. Different prioritizations among municipal civil servants might lead to planning tensions within the municipal administration, but it remains to be seen how these tensions enable (or hinder) wooden multistory construction diffusion.</p>