Arctic urban water management: Rain and snow in Rovaniemi, Finland

Abstract

In the Arctic city of Rovaniemi, which is experiencing rapid growth due to a winter tourism boom, engineers and architects are developing new stormwater management strategies. Because the ground is frozen for more than half the year, absorption and infiltration in “nature-based solutions” from warmer climates require adaptation. This article explores how additional green–blue infrastructure would have the combined effect of making the city more attractive during summer and reducing pluvial floods and pollution of the adjacent river. However, it will be asserted that in this densely constructed area, previous efforts were focused on catering to winter tourism and on making winter commuting safe with the prospect of increasingly frequent winter rainfalls and snowmelts. Because of the lack of space, snow cannot be left where it falls to melt in spring. Instead, large machinery moves the accumulating masses of snow to the outskirts of town, where it is considered hazardous waste rather than a resource on which a city thrives. This article argues that for Rovaniemi, the prevailing paradigm shift in urban water management demands stronger consideration of stormwater integration.