monenkeskisillä

Monenkeskisillä is a Finnish adjective form used to describe systems, regions or processes that involve several centers rather than a single central hub. It derives from monenkeskinen (polycentric) with the adessive plural ending -illä, used when referring to multiple centers or locations in sentences such as monenkeskisillä alueilla or monenkeskisillä keskuksilla.

In urban planning and regional development, monenkeskisillä refers to polycentric development, where economic activity, services and jobs are distributed across several urban cores or towns within a region. The aim is to improve accessibility, reduce pressure on a single city, and strengthen regional resilience by linking centers through integrated transport and coordinated land use.

The concept emphasizes multiple centers with specialized functions rather than a monolithic core. Benefits commonly associated with monenkeskisillä planning include better local access to services, more balanced growth, and opportunities for peripheral areas. Challenges include the need for effective inter-center coordination, potential competition between centers, and higher costs for infrastructure and governance.

Beyond urban planning, the term can apply to governance, economy, and cultural life, describing networks of activity that span several hubs instead of concentrating power, investment, and institutions in one location. In Finnish policy discourse, polycentricity is discussed as a framework to guide regional policy, transport planning, and spatial development.

See also: monocentric, polycentric urban region, polycentric governance, regional policy, urban planning.