Spatial Justice and Local Capability in Rural Areas

Centralisation and urbanisation affect rural areasin different ways. By using the concept of rural spatial justice, this paperexplores the injustices experienced in rural areas facing different challengesfrom each other. The aim is to enhance the understanding of the concept of ruralspatial justice and how it can be used to identify the factors and mechanismsthat produce and reproduce injustice. The argument is presented that localcapability is a central factor for understanding the prerequisites for ruralspatial justice. The social innovation concept is used to analyse localdevelopment capabilities. The planning of a profoundly centralisingadministrative reform in Finland is used for studying local responses to thereform in the region of Ostrobothnia in Finland. Four types of rurality aredefined, which are expected to be exposed to a variety of injustices. Theempirical cases confirm the place-based character of spatial justice, and theconclusion is drawn that in order to achieve justice, factors affecting thecapability must be investigated.