What is habitability?
Habitability is sustainability adapted to a small community. Being habitable means, in short, that there are jobs, housing, a school, ferries and a sense of belonging: the conditions for taking care of your people, your nature and your sea.
Seven areas, a scale from 1 to 4
The habitability of an island is assessed across seven areas. Each area has a number of measurable indicators, for example whether there is clean drinking water all year round, whether the ferry runs when you need it, or whether there are homes to rent. Each indicator is rated on a four-step scale, where 1 stands for critical and 4 means very good. Kökar's first analysis in 2020 used 40 indicators. Today the method comprises 45 indicators across seven areas, accessible in Åbo Akademi's open Habitability Handbook
Place identity
It's about who inhabits our island, who we are and how many we are over the seasons. This also includes how distant the island feels, how far from a main town, services, a regional hub - not just how far it actually is.
Ecosystem
What is happening on land, at sea, under the surface and in the skies of your island? Local knowledge acquired over time is essential to understand how fauna and flora changes, how human life and nature interact over time.
Freshwater
Clean drinking water all year round is not a given on a small island. The area measures the availability of freshwater, its quality and how safe it is even in dry summers.
Energy
Where is the island’s electricity, fuel, heating and cooling produced? Are they sustainable resources over time? How much do we use, altogether? For what? This includes fossil and renewable energy, security of supply and the footprint from transportation and ferry traffic, among other things.
Local economy
Are there jobs, businesses and occupations to make island life rich, meaningful, rewarding and possible to live off? How much money leaks out of the island, and whether the business community is sticking together.
Public service
The things that make or break everyday life: school, kindergarten, healthcare and elderly care, and if the ferries run when you need them. Are all islander’s different needs met by enough, reasonable priced service all year round?
Prosperous people
How are the islanders doing, are they feeling safe, happy and involved? What about their health, their age, the strength of the community, trust and ensuring that no one is left alone. Are the islanders becoming older or younger, more numerous or fewer?
The result is an image of the entire island
Once every indicator has been assessed, they are plotted on a Habitability Wheel, a circle diagram where each small slice is one indicator. Green where the island is strong, yellow and red where something needs fixing. At a glance you can see where the island is thriving and where things are urgent. Each island gets its own wheel.
Rate your own island
Seven concrete questions, one for each area. This is what working with the indicators feels like. Drag the sliders from 1 to 4 to match your own sense of things, and your Habitability Wheel is drawn straight away. It's not a complete survey, just a way to get a feel for the method yourself.