Where habitability began

Habitability grew out of a simple question at Kökar: is it possible to live here all year round?

The story of the habitability framework

It all started with a question we asked ourselves: can you live here, year-round?

2018-2020

Around 130 Kökar residents work on the island's future for two years. We coin the concept of habitability, inspired by the Åland sustainability model, and draw the first habitability wheel, with areas like attractiveness, trust and water. 40 indicators, 77 responses in the 2019 survey. The plan Vår bobarhet (Our Habitability) is adopted by the municipal council.

2021

We organise a course in English on habitability on behalf of the European Parliament, the Nordic Archipelago Cooperation and the Stockholm County Administrative Board. The participants come from twelve islands around Europe. We host the course online at Åbo Akademi University, which leads to continued collaboration and method development.

The Archipelago Institute at Åbo Akademi University receives funding from the Finnish state to build a national island network around habitability, run together with Företagsam Skärgård.

The Archipelago Institute at Åbo Akademi University publishes The Habitability Handbook in Swedish, Finnish and English, developed by Christian Pleijel, Pia Prost and Cecilia Lundberg. The method grows to 45 indicators across seven areas, and is shared freely under a Creative Commons licence so that any island can use it.

2022-2023

Islands around Finland are carrying out their own analyses: in Borgå, Pellinge, Emsalö and Vessö; in Sibbo, the western and eastern archipelagos; in Åboland, Västanfjärd. On Åland, Föglö, Kumlinge and Sottunga follow Kökar's example. The work is administered and financed by municipalities, regions, FÖSS, Företagsam Skärgård and Leader.

2024-2025

Pargas is taking the method out into its own archipelago, where four former archipelago municipalities each carry out their own analysis: Nagu, Korpo, Houtskär and Iniö, in a joint project run by the town of Pargas and the Archipelago Sea Biosphere Reserve.

2026

Four islands in Denmark, two in Croatia, and Brändö and Vårdö on Åland are beginning their habitability analyses.

The network behind habitability

We don't do it alone.

We share the method, the knowledge and the experience with a whole network of islands and organisations. Habitability was born on Kökar, but today it lives beyond us too.

The Archipelago Institute at Åbo Akademi University – manages the method, the manual and the research, and runs the national network.
Företagsam Skärgård – has administered the habitability analyses on Åland.
ESIN – European Small Islands Federation.
European Parliament – island issues are raised at the EU level, much thanks to MEP Tonino Picula.
FÖSS - administering the Finnish island network.