Soft spaces, soft planning, soft law: Examining the institutionalisation of city-regional planning in Finland

Abstract

This article discusses the concepts of soft spaces and soft planning in the context of city-regional planning, complementing the discussion with an excursion to “soft law”. The point of departure is the current debate on the legitimacy deficits of the often power-laden processes where “soft” planning spaces are enacted or “performed”, and decisions made concerning planning of these spaces. Through legal theory and the concept of soft law, the article provides first, a new perspective on the performative nature of soft planning, and second, new conceptual tools for addressing legitimacy and effectiveness of soft planning. The article also uses the concepts of soft spaces, soft planning, and soft law for scrutinising the ongoing renewal of the Finnish planning system, where some, but not all aspects of currently largely informal city-regional planning are purported to be formalised or hardened.