Mari Poom

• Suburban life. Alternatives to urban sprawl and network-based public space
• Tutor: Kadri Klementi ja Katrin Koov

With my master’s thesis I study the processes and nature of a suburban life. My focus is on public space and mobility, functional and social cohesion. Supported by research, interviews and analysis, the master’s thesis offers possible solutions to the problems of urban sprawl. In addition, the aim of the work is to search for appropriate forms of public space in the suburbs and to highlight the existing ones. And to look for something that people have in common in the community. Maybe it’s a public space that the community creates or supports?

The project part of the master’s thesis proposes various short-term projects and long-term visions to create more attractive, diverse and sustainable suburban environments. The project is divided into three different scales. The first one lays the foundation for a strategy that limits Tallinn’s urban sprawl on a regional scale. The second one studies the Laagri area, a suburb on the southwestern edge of Tallinn, and presents solutions for improving mobility, street space and public spaces. The third, the smallest scale deals with the application of the principles of the previous scale by proposing projects intervening in public spaces.