Does co-development facilitate achieving useful planning tools? A socio-technical approach to the development of information model-based land use planning in Finland

Abstract

The digitalization of urban planning entails a shift to information model-based planning, where plans are produced in a machine-readable and interoperable format. In Finland, a nationally interoperable information model for land use plans has been applied for the first time to digital planning tools in the recently completed project KAATIO. In this article, we apply socio-technical approach to assess how co-development in this project was perceived by municipal planners and software developers, and how did the tools developed meet the needs of planners and planning practice. The results show that a technology-driven culture dominates the national development and hampers the socio-technical approach. Despite the challenges, co-development is beneficial for both software developers and municipal actors. In conclusion, we argue that, in this context, empowering users, facilitating the discussion on information model-based planning, future-oriented understanding of planning tasks, and accepting the diversity of practices while harmonizing the plan data are essential for promoting human factors in the development.