Short biography
Anna Kajosaari is an urban geographer working in the field of urban health. She studied geography at the University of Helsinki, Finland, and received her doctorate (DSc) in 2021 from Aalto University, Finland, working in the Spatial Planning and Transportation Engineering Research Group.
In her research, she uses digital participatory mapping methods to understand how urban environments support population health and well-being and how these effects may differ based on who you are and where you live. Her most recent research has focused on the perceived quality of urban green and blue environments and the environmental correlates of active transportation and recreation.
Her PhD research (2017-2021) was a part of an Academy of Finland project PLAN-H – Health Promotive Urban Environments. In 2021-2022, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Nordregio project NORDGREEN – Smart Planning for Healthy and Green Nordic Cities, developing the use of place-based citizen knowledge in green space planning and management in the project’s partner municipalities.
Anna Kajosaari joined the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Fall 2022 as a postdoctoral researcher in the FWF-funded project CURB – The COVID-19-pandemic as disruptive force for urbanization. In Fall semester 2023, she is a visiting professor at the Department of Geography and Regional Research in University of Vienna teaching a master’s level course on participatory mapping methods in spatial planning and research.
Research areas
- Environmental Health promotion
- Urban green space
- Active transportation
- Public participation GIS (PPGIS)
- Participatory planning
- Health geography
Memberships
- Member of the Participatory Mapping Institute (PMAP)
- Member of the International Society for Participatory Mapping
Recent Publications
Kajosaari, A., Hasanzadeh, K., Fagerholm, N., Nummi, P., Kuusisto-Hjort, P., & Kyttä, M. (2024). Predicting context-sensitive urban green space quality to support urban green infrastructure planning. Landscape and Urban Planning, 242, 104952. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2023.104952
Huang, D., Kyttä, M., Kajosaari, A., Xie, X. & Zhang, J. (2023). One approach does not fit all settings: Exploring the effects of natural and built environments on running pleasantness across places. Building and Environment, 110961. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2023.110961.
Kyttä, M., Randrup, T., Sunding, A., Rossi, S., Harsia, E., Palomäki, J. & Kajosaari, A. (2023). Prioritizing participatory planning solutions: Developing place-based priority categories based on public participation GIS data. Landscape and Urban Planning, 239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2023.104868
Kajosaari, A., Ramezani, S., & Rinne, T. (2022). Built environment and seasonal variation in active transportation : A longitudinal, mixed-method study in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. Journal of Transport & Health, 27(April), 101511. doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2022.101511
Fagerholm, N., Samuelsson. K, Eilola, S., Giusti, M., Hasanzadeh, K., Kajosaari, A., Koch, D., Korpilo, S., Kyttä, M., Legeby, A., Liu, Y., Præstholm, S., Raymond, C., Rinne, T., Stahl Olafsson, A., & Barthel, S. (2022). Pandemic urban resilience in the Nordic context: a cross-city analysis on associations between outdoor recreation and green infrastructure. npj Urban Sustainability, 2(25). doi.org/10.1038/s42949-022-00068-8
Nordh, H., Olafsson, A. S., Kajosaari, A., Præstholm, S., Liu, Y., Rossi, S., & Gentin, S. (2022). Similar Spaces, Different Usage: A Comparative Study on How Residents in the Capitals of Finland and Denmark Use Cemeteries as Recreational Landscapes. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 73(127598). doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2022.127598
Korpilo, S., Kajosaari, A., Rinne, T., Hasanzadeh, K., Raymond, C. M., & Kyttä, M. (2021). Coping With Crisis: Green Space Use in Helsinki Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, 3, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2021.713977
Kajosaari, A., & Pasanen, T. P. (2021). Restorative benefits of everyday green exercise: A spatial approach. Landscape and UrbanPlanning, 206, 103978. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2020.103978.