Tilallisuutta

Tilallisuutta is a Finnish term referring to the quality or state of spatiality, i.e., how space is produced, organized, experienced, and given meaning. The word derives from tila ("space, room, place") and the abstract noun suffix -llisuus, forming "the state of being spatial." In Finnish scholarly usage tilallisuutta is a central concept in discussions of space across disciplines such as geography, anthropology, architecture, art, and media studies. It is commonly used to analyze how spaces are created through design, routines, and power relations, and how people orient themselves within them.

Tilallisuutta encompasses several interrelated dimensions: the material or physical arrangement of space (buildings, streets), the perceived and lived experience of space (bodily movement, sensory impressions), and the symbolic or discursive space (representations, narratives, and classifications). It also involves social relations and practices—who has access to space, who controls it, and how space expresses social difference and power (for example, in urban segregation or accessibility).

It can be applied to both real and virtual spaces as spaces are increasingly mediated and portable: urban tilallisuus, architectural tilallisuus, and digital tilallisuus refer to different modes of spatiality in physical and online environments.

Related concepts include tila (space) and paikka (place), as well as the politics of space and spatial justice. Tilallisuutta thus helps explain how space is shaped by and shapes culture, institutions, and everyday life.