Niklas Aalto-Setälä

I have always wanted to affect the future. With urban planning, I feel that I can have an impact on how our cities will function and what kind of lives people will have in them.

My background is in planning geography. I feel that it is vital for an urban planner to understand the rhythm of cities and how people move in them. That is why an urban planner should be knowledgeable in transportation related issues. The opportunity to gain this knowledge is one of the reasons why I chose to study my master’s in the SPT programme.

The studies have given me in-depth knowledge of transportation planning, but also a wide perspective on how to plan sustainable cities. The staff is always welcoming and easy to reach out to. There is a communal feeling among the students, and we do things together off-campus as well. We have people from various educational and professional backgrounds, so I have learned a lot from my peer students.

I have been working as a coordinator and a consultant on cycling matters. My master’s thesis was focused on cycling promotion in the Helsinki region. In the future, one of my goals is to work as an urban planner and in that way create sustainable living choices for people.

Niklas Aalto-Setälä, Spatial Planning and Transportation Engineering student