tilantarve

Tilantarve is a Finnish term referring to the amount of space required by a person, household, or organization for living, working and storage. In everyday usage it denotes the need for space and appears in discussions of housing policy and urban planning. The concept is used to reason about how much space is needed to accommodate people and activities without crowding or overloading services.

In planning practice, tilantarve informs decisions on housing supply, zoning, transportation, and public facilities. Municipal planning agencies may use tilantarve calculations to estimate the residential, commercial, and public space required to serve projected populations. The assessment typically considers factors such as household size and composition, age distribution, mobility and accessibility needs, work or study patterns (including remote work), consumer behavior, and cultural norms regarding living space. It can also include requirements for shared spaces, green areas, and services.

Methods to calculate tilantarve vary. Some approaches focus on net living space per resident, while others accumulate space for common areas, storage, and outdoor space. Planning horizons for tilantarve are usually long-term (often 10–20 years) and are updated as demographic data and housing preferences evolve. It is a planning tool rather than a fixed entitlement, used to evaluate scenarios and balance housing demand with environmental constraints and budgets.

Limitations include uncertainty in demographic projections and shifting preferences, as well as policy goals. In practice, tilantarve is used alongside other planning indicators—such as population growth, household formation rates, and building productivity—to guide sustainable development.