Centre for Urban and Regional Studies (YTK)

YTK is a department within the Aalto University School of Engineering. YTK was founded in 1968 as a national multidisciplinary centre for further education in urban and regional planning and urban studies. Besides further education, YTK's national services include information and library services in its field. Over the years, YTK has developed an interdisciplinary research profile and functions related to post-graduate education. YTK has also been an active coordinator in doctoral programmes financed by Academy of Finland. In a country where most planners are educated in architecture and land survey departments, YTK stands out as the only interdisciplinary hub focusing on planning education and research.

As a national unit YTK co-operates closely with Finnish university departments and research institutions active in the fields of urban and regional planning and urban studies. YTK co-operates actively with departments of its own Faculty, too, through the shared three professorships, mutual research projects, masters and post-graduate education and seminar activities. YTK has also gained a status as an internationally well-known research institution and preferred research partner. In 2010, the Centre organized the annual conference of the Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP) which is the main event of the year for the European planning researchers.

The Head of the Centre is professor Raine Mäntysalo.