Urban Sprawl in Estonia

Urban Sprawl in Estonia
Contributed talk
presented at Seminar
Unité Analyse Géospatial (ANAGEO).
Institut de Gestion de l’Environnement
et d’Aménagement du Territoire (IGEAT)
Faculté de Sciences
Université libre de Bruxelles
Brussels, Belgium
by
Polina Lemenkova
October 03, 2012Polina Lemenkova Urban Sprawl in Estonia. Presented at: Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgique. 03/10/2012. 1 / 58

Table of Content
Table of Content
Polina Lemenkova Urban Sprawl in Estonia. Presented at: Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgique. 03/10/2012. 2 / 58

Table of Content
Table of Content
1. Summary
2. Study Area
Geographic Settings
Pärnu Bay
3. Research Aim
4. Data
5. Methods
Flowchart
IDRISI GIS
Image Processing
ISOCLUST Algorithm
Land Cover Types
6. Results
7. Landscapes
Baltic Sea Coasts
Marine Landscapes: Pärnu
Lacustrine Landscapes: Luitemaaa
Forest Landscapes: Luitemaa
8. Human Factors
Facts
Ecohouses Construction
9. Tourism
Period 1920-90s
Cases
Period 1990-2000
Modern Trends
10. Real Estate
Eco-Houses
11. Recreation Zones
Forest Areas
Marine Areas
Tourists
12. Perspectives
Consequences
Examples
Perspectives
13. Conclusion
14. Thanks
15. Bibliography

Summary
Summary

Pärnu County
Summary
Estonia within the EU (left). District of Pärnu in Estonia (right) Research Questions:
What are the major trends in the current recreation activities in Baltic Sea ?
How the tourism in the post-USSR countries (Estonia) is developing after the 1990s ?
Is the an environmental balance between the nature and human activities ?

Study Area
Study Area

Geographic Settings
Study Area
The region of Pärnu is valuable
environmental part and a unique
recreational area of Estonia.
Mild marine climate condition
Precious coniferous forests
Landscapes:
richness,
biodiversity,
variability
unique composition structure.
Example of land cover types:
mixed forests
broadleaved forests,
coniferous forests,
agricultural landscapes,
wooded meadows,
heathland,
bogs and moors,
shrublands,
grasslands,
birch-dominating coastal areas

Pärnu Bay
Study Area
What is speciﬁc for Pärnu Bay as a tourism destination place ?
Photos: author.
environmental value of the region (e.g. pine forests)
advantageous location on the Baltic coasts
facilities for tourism and long-year tradition

Research Aim
Research Aim

Research Aim
Research Aim
Spatial extent
Spatial extent of the study area is limited to
the surroundings of Pärnu County.
GIS Analysis
ﬁrst, a geographic (GIS) analysis of land
cover types in the coastal landscapes of
western Estonia, Pärnu surroundings at
two dates (1992 and 2006)
IDRISI GIS
second, an overview of the technical
methods enabling image processing by
different tools of IDRISI GIS software"
Landsat TM Images
Research methods consists in processing
and classiﬁcation of satellite remote
sensing data Landsat TM aimed at land
cover types mapping.
Study Area
The research region encompasses coastal
area of Baltic Sea: south-western Estonia

Data
Data

Data
Data
The research data used in this project include vector and raster types of data:
Raster data
Thematic raster layers GeoTiff Landsat TM including scenes taken on 18 June 2006
and 03 June 1992.
Both images cover summer months, thus enabling vegetation coverage to be easily
recognized. The images were downloaded from the Earth Science Data Interface,
Global Land Cover Facility.
Vector Data
CORINE vector layers (abbreviation from Coordination of Information on the
Environment), developed by the European Environmental Agency, EU Commission).
CORINE data were stored in ESRI format shape-ﬁles. They contain information on land
use types provided by the Estonian Land Board and available at the University of Tartu

Methods
Methods

Methods
Methods
GIS Projects
The GIS projects has been organized and executed in two different software: Arc GIS
10.0 and IDRISI GIS Andes 15.0.
Landsat TM
The raster processing GIS approach and classification was applied in the current work
towards Landsat TM two images."
ISOCLUST
The method is based on the ISOCLUST unsupervised classification executed by
means of IDRISI GIS.
Machine Learning
The ISOCLUST available in IDRISI GIS performs the most of the image processing
workflow in semi-automatically regime
Land Cover Classes
It results in a map with pre-defined number of 16 land class categories which enable to
compare two different stages of landscape development: ’earlier’ and ’now’.
Objectivity
The ISOCLUST method was chosen, since it enables to avoid subjectivity in
classification.

IDRISI GIS
Methods
IMPORT
Initially, the data of Landsat TM were imported to IDRISI Andes GIS from GeoTIFF
format to IDRISI speciﬁc format .rst, through Data Provider Format import.
As each Landsat TM scene is a multispectral image with several spectral bands, each
band was displayed and visualized as a separate image.
COLOR COMPOSITE
Afterwords, the images were composed using Color Composite function. The
combination of three bands was made as a single color composite image (bands
2-3-4). This composition displays urban areas distinctively, which enables to clearly
recognize them
PROJECT
Then data were organized in a created project in IDRISI GIS.

Image Processing
Methods
Examples
Image Processing

ISOCLUST Algorithm
Methods
Classification
The next step includes application of chosen classification method of ISOCLUST
approach towards images processing. ISOCLUST classifier technique is based on the
histogram peak selection technique"
Analysis of Spectral Signatures
The ground principle of the classification consists in the analysis of spectral signatures
that are individual for each land cover class.
Analysis of Spectral Reflections
The analysis of spectral reflections strongly depends on the local surface features:
texture, structure, color, etc.
Spectral Signatures
Information on spectral signatures is received by the satellite sensors and recorded on
the images (in this case, Landsat TM). This information is used for the image
classification.
Examples
Information Extraction: Using individual characteristics of objects, derived from the
multispectral Landsat TM bands, information from the images was extracted, analyzed
and used for land classification

Land Cover Types
Methods
Image Comparison
Changes in land cover types in selected Estonian landscapes are shown on the
histograms on 1992 and 2006.
2006 vs 1992
In 2006 the urban area became larger than in 1992 (land cover class "3" on the
histogram. This can be explained by various reasons.
Impact Factors
The most important reason is intense suburbanization => the major process in the
current urban dynamics of modern Estonia: intensive construction of summer homes
and cottages in the coastal area.
Buildings
New buildings and houses created along the Pärnu Bay, => increased area of urban
areas.

Results
Results

Image Processing
Results
ISOCLUST
ISOCLUST classiﬁcation of the images enabled to create thematic maps of the same
study areas
CORINE
According to CORINE, there are 16 land cover types typical for the study area.

Land Cover Classes
Results
discontinuous urban fabric
industrial or commercial units
green urban areas
pastures
complex cultivation patterns
agriculture lands with grass
broad-leaved forest
coniferous forest
mixed forest
natural grassland
moors and heathlands
transitional woodland
beaches, dunes, sand
island marshes
water bodies
Baltic Sea

Landscapes
Landscapes

Landscapes
Landscapes
South-West Estonia: Unique Environment
South-west Estonia is known for unique environmental settings: mild maritime climate,
broad beaches, coniferous pine forests on the coastal zone
Landscapes
Landscapes here are rich and world-known for their diversity, variability, unique
composition structure and high esthetic value
Examples
Types of Landscapes Landscape types include, for example, mixed and broadleaved
forests, traditional agricultural semi-natural landscapes, wooded meadows, plant
communities, heathland, bogs and moors, complex anthropogenic areas with different
land use structure, shrubland, grasslands, birch-dominating coastal areas and ﬂooded
meadows

Examples of Landscapes: Baltic Sea Coasts
Landscapes
Examples
Landscapes: Baltic Sea Coasts. Photos: author.

Marine Landscapes: Pärnu Coasts
Landscapes
Examples
Marine Landscapes: Pärnu Coasts. Photos: author.

Lacustrine landscapes: Luitemaa
Landscapes
Examples
Lacustrine landscapes: Luitemaa Nature Conservation Area. Photos: author.

Forest landscapes: Luitemaa
Landscapes
Examples
Forest Landscapes: Luitemaa Nature Conservation Area. Photos: author.

Human Factors
Human Factors

Human Factors
Human Factors
Tourism Activities
Pärnu region is traditionally popular as a tourism destination due to favorable
combination of factors:
geographic value: advantageous location on the coasts of Baltic Sea
social value: good facilities for the tourism and tourism reputation
environmental value: unique nature (marine landscapes, pine forests)
Agricultural Activities
Pärnu region is also known for traditional agricultural activities (ﬁeld crops cultivation,
intensive planting, etc), as well as extensive housing development in the rural area.
Human Pressure
All these factors create additional human pressure on the local ecosystems and may
lead to fragmentation of the landscape structure.

Ecohouses Construction
Human Factors
Examples
Ecohouses Construction Photos: author.

Examples: Eco-housing
Human Factors
Examples
Eco-housing Photos: author.

Tourism
Tourism

Tourism Development
Tourism
Old picture of Pärnu beach. 1920-30s. Source: www.theeuropeanlibrary.org
Historical development of the touristic system in Estonia in early XX. Quick overview:
1. Late XIX: the history of Estonian Baltic tourism begins;
2. 1st
World War 1914-18: resort development restricted;
3. 1920s: quick re-development of tourism (Rannapark restored, new mud baths constructed).
4. Late 1920-30s: Estonian hotels & restaurants - popular destinations in Baltic Europe.
5. Active advertisements of Estonian resorts in the tourist literature of Europe.
6. 1930s: Active development of tourism
7. Good railway communication with Germany, Latvia & Lithuania => facilitated easy access to
the Baltic coasts in 1920s
8. Pärnu region widely visited by international guests: Scandinavia, Poland, Germany, UK.

Soviet Period (1920-90s)
Tourism
Soviet period:
1. the tourism industry in Baltic Sea region has been diminished;
2. restrictions on foreign tourism in Pärnu region;
3. poor management in the Soviet planned economy bad service facilities & undeveloped hotelier
tradition;
4. The business of private hotels and restaurants diminished drastically;
5. The existing touristic hotels were reconstructed and state-controlled;
6. environmental protection: the coasts and beaches in Pärnu region were protected as public
health zone for recreation;
7. environmental protection: only selected activities were permitted and vehicles prohibited;
8. reconstruction and maintenance of the selected hotels;
9. The most precious areas of the Baltic Sea were protected as summer vacation places;

Case Example: Cosmonauts Hotel
Tourism
The Cosmonauts Hotel, a former Soviet resort for workers of space industry
(www.kosmonautika.ee): maintaining history and cosmos hotel design. Famous soviet cosmonaut
Y. Gagarin was guest in this hotel. Photos: author.
1990s => great economical and sociopolitical reformation of Estonia.
Estonia survived a difﬁcult period of restructuring in economic and social system.
Changes in the socio-economic structure, administrative regime, touristic cluster.

Socio-Economic Developmen
Tourism
Rapid socio-economic development in Estonia after 1990s caused
active formation of the middle-class society
personal economic growth
new style of life, increased well-being
increased number of cars and private property
intensive constriction of private hotels, hostels, guesthouses, cottages for rent...
Consequences of globalization: Estonia a part of world society
tourist ﬂows into various country destinations
increasing world trade development
internationalization of production of food, goods, etc
improved hotel management system
improved touristic services
rapid exchange of information & computerization
standardization of touristic guides

Modern Trends
Tourism
Increase in real estate in Estonia after the 1990s and statistics for Pärnu county
(1995-2002):
Modern trends in tourism in Pärnu area
Regaining the independency of Estonia has revolutionized Baltic tourism.
New, revitalized era for tourism industry in Estonia
Tourism is now based on privatization and foreign investments (from Finland or Germany).
Modern, "western-looking" and quickly constructed hotels are now being created

Real Estate
Real Estate

Real Estate Development
Real Estate
Privatization and reconstruction other trends in modern Estonia
Since 1990s, land management system and urban development of Estonia changed reﬂecting
socio-economic and political situation
Currently, Estonia has intensive privatization process caused by changes in the state
regulations on property and ownership.
Naturally, it caused intensiﬁcation of construction of the privately hold hotels and summer
cottages, built both for personal (family based) needs for spending summer vacations, and for
rent to incoming tourists, domestic and international.
Nowadays, suburbanization and development of summer cottages become the major evident
processes in current urban dynamics of modern Estonia.

Eco-Houses
Real Estate
Examples of the new trends in properties reconstruction: eco-houses built in the forest area:
New eco-style houses, Reiu village, Pärnu County, Estonia. Photos: author.

Recreation Zones
Recreation Zones

Examples. Photos: author.
Recreation Zones
Rural environmental tourism: eco-style new cottages built since 1990s in Pärnu
surroundings. Photos: author.

Recreation Zones Polina Lemenkova Urban Sprawl in Estonia. Presented at: Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgique. 03/10/2012. 43 / 58

Marine Recreation. Photos: author.

Tourists Origin and Frequency
Recreation Zones
Who are the main frequent tourists and guests in Estonia ?
Dominating nations Russians and Finnish (for the whole country);
Finnish tourists traditionally visit western Estonia (Baltic Sea coasts);
Russians preferably concentrate near Russian border, in eastern Estonia, on the Finnish Gulf;
These two nations are notably the most representing tourists, while others visit Estonia
signiﬁcantly lesser;
Who are the main frequent tourists and guests in Estonia ?
a bit of statistics on touristic portrait in Pärnu:
About 90,000 foreign tourists/year visit Pärnu.
of which about 50,000 are Finns,
followed by 7,200 Swedes,
4,500 Russians,
2,700 Americans,
and ca. 17,100 of other nationalities.

Perspectives
Perspectives

Problems
Perspectives
Difﬁculties in development tourism in Estonia
Main problem in the touristic cluster in Estonia consists in its speciﬁc location on the Baltic Sea
with cold climate in summer period.
It causes low popularity among tourists, comparing to Mediterranean.
low investments into tourism (comparing to other European countries) due to the ongoing
development of the country.

Consequences: Demand for popularity
Perspectives
Why does Estonia as a touristic place has lack of popularity, comparing to other
countries? Lack of popularity of Estonia among other nations, (comparing to touristic
giants, like France or Italy) can be explained by various factors:
Not enough amount of world-level hotels, possibilities for recreation and spa-centers
(e.g. not as many as in Finland);
Weather and speciﬁc climatic conditions: cool waters in Baltic Sea (even in summer);
windy and cold winters;
Lack of world-known heritage places;
Under-developed touristic cluster, e.g. bad service facilities, caused by historical reasons (now
in process of growth and development).
As a result:
Touristic cluster now rapidly develops in new directions:
Soviet touristic areas are either abandoned or re-constructed;
New hotels are being actively created, Intensive privatization of summer houses is ongoing;
New eco-style and modern design is dominating in the touristic hotels;

Perspectives
Examples of the today’s tourism in Häädemeeste.
Private new Estonian Spa Hotel (Lepanina Hotell) created on the Baltic Sea coast.
A successful combination of the following factors:
modern European hotel design;
location on the seaside with maritime landscapes;
coniferous forests in the near - make it a valuable health resort area.

Perspectives
Perspectives
Perspectives for the tourism development in Estonia include following points:
Redirection towards the eco-style sustainable tourism;
Family business, family-runed hotels / hostels, which often implies direct host-guest
interactions.
Active development of modern world-class hotels
Intensive reconstruction and modernization of the old, Soviet-style hotels
Organized group sportive activities (e.g., biking)
Seaside recreation activities and small business
Developing of camping and low-cost recreation
Construction of summer cottages for rent
Local-scale tourism, a special benefit for Estonia
Organized tours to the Natural Parks.
What are the main trends in the Estonian tourism nowadays ?
Expanding touristic dimensions is highly profitable for the country (evident income of financial
flows);
Now tourism in Estonia becomes eco-oriented, often family-runned small business;
Actively developed cottages for rent, restructured and renovated old hotels;

Conclusion
Conclusion

Conclusion
Conclusion
This presentation highlighted following issues:
current socio-economic development of Estonia
post-socialistic heritage of Estonia as ex-USSR country
today’s development of tourism in Pärnu region
cultural and environmental changes in the country
Methods included:
Literature review
Analysis of the statistical data
Fieldwork

Thanks
Thanks

Thanks
Thanks
Thank you for attention !
Photo: author.
Acknowledgement:
Current work has been during author’s 2-month short research visit at the University of Tartu,
Faculty of Geography. This included ﬁeldwork, excursions in Pärnu area, research work with
GIS and statistical data.
Funding of this research was provided by the DoRa Scholarship, European Social Fund (ESF).
The University of Tartu provided: CORINE layers, IDRISI GIS 15.0, ArcGIS 10.0.
I cordially thank the assistance in organizing the ﬁeldwork
Mrs. Irja Pede, employee at Häädemeeste municipality,
Mrs. Merle Looring, a lecturer of the University of Tartu, Pärnu College,
Department of Ecosystem Management,
Prof. Dr. J. Roosaare, a lecturer of the University of Tartu.

Bibliography
Bibliography

Bibliography I
Bibliography
Author’s publications on Cartography, Mapping, Geography, Environment, GIS and Landscape Studies:
1 S. Gauger, G. Kuhn, K. Gohl, T. Feigl, P. Lemenkova, and C. Hillenbrand, “Swath-bathymetric mapping”, The expedition
ANTARKTIS-XXIII/4 of the Res. Vessel ’Polarstern’ in 2006. Berichte zur Polar- und Meeresforschung // Rep. on Polar and Marine Res.
557, edited by K. Gohl, 38–45, ISSN: 1618-3193 (2007), https://www.coldregions.org/vufind/Record/288392, In English Ant. Acc.
No.: 85104. CRREL Acc. No.: 63000887; illus., incl. sketch maps.
2 K. Gohl, G. Eagles, G. B. Udintsev, R. D. Larter, G. Uenzelmann-Neben, H. W. Schenke, P. Lemenkova, J. Grobys, N. Parsiegla,
P. Schlueter, T. Deen, G. Kuhn, and C. D. Hillenbrand, “Tectonic and Sedimentary Processes of the West Antarctic Margin of the
Amundsen Sea Embayment and Pine Island Bay”, in 2nd Open Science Conference 29th SCAR on ’Antarctica in the Earth System’ (),
https://www.scar.org/events/.
3 K. Gohl, G. Uenzelmann-Neben, G. Eagles, A. Fahl, T. Feigl, J. Grobys, J. Just, V. Leinweber, N. Lensch, C. Mayr, N. Parsiegla,
N. Rackebrandt, P. Schloter, S. Suckro, K. Zimmermann, S. Gauger, H. Bohlmann, G. L. Netzeband, and P. Lemenkova, Crustal and
Sedimentary Structures and Geodynamic Evolution of the West Antarctic Continental Margin and Pine Island Bay, (Bremerhaven,
Germany, 2006), https://epic.Alfred%20Wegener%20Institute.de/29852/1/PE_75.pdf.
4 G. Kuhn, C. Hass, M. Kober, M. Petitat, T. Feigl, C. D. Hillenbrand, S. Kruger, M. Forwick, S. Gauger, and P. Lemenkova, The response of
quaternary climatic cycles in the South-East Paciﬁc: development of the opal belt and dynamics behavior of the West Antarctic ice sheet,
(Bremerhaven, Germany, 2006), https://epic.Alfred%20Wegener%20Institute.de/29852/1/PE_75.pdf.
5 P. Lemenkova, “Water Supply and Usage in Central Asia, Tian Shan Basin”, in 4th International Symposium for Doctoral Studies in the
Fields of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environmental Protection, Phidac-2012, edited by Z. Grdic and G. Toplicic-Curcic (Sept.
2012), pp. 331–338, ISBN: 978-86-88601-05-4.
6 P. Lemenkova, “Seagrass Mapping and Monitoring Along the Coasts of Crete, Greece”, M.Sc. Thesis (University of Twente, Faculty of
Earth Observation and Geoinformation (ITC), Enschede, Netherands, Mar. 8, 2011), 158 pp., https://thesiscommons.org/p4h9v.
7 P. Lemenkova, “Using ArcGIS in Teaching Geosciences”, Russian, B.Sc. Thesis (Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of
Educational Studies, Moscow, Russia, June 5, 2007), 58 pp., https://thesiscommons.org/nmjgz.
8 P. Lemenkova, “Geoecological Mapping of the Barents and Pechora Seas”, Russian, B.Sc. Thesis (Lomonosov Moscow State University,
Faculty of Geography, Deparmnet of Cartography and Geoinformatics, Moscow, Russia, May 18, 2004), 78 pp.,
https://thesiscommons.org/bvwcr.
9 P. Lemenkova, Ecological and Geographical Mapping of the Baltic Sea Region in the Gulf of Finland, Russian, Moscow, Russia:
Lomonosov Moscow State University, Mar. 30, 2002, https://zenodo.org/record/2574447, Term Paper.

Bibliography II
Bibliography
10P. Lemenkova and I. Elek, “Clustering Algorithm in ILWIS GIS for Classiﬁcation of Landsat TM Scenes: a Case Study of Mecsek Hills
Region, Hungary”, in Geosciences and environment, Near-surface geophysics, Proceedings 3rd International Conference, edited by
S. Komatina-Petrovic (2012).
11P. Lemenkova, B. Forbes, and T. Kumpula, “Mapping Land Cover Changes Using Landsat TM: A Case Study of Yamal Ecosystems,
Arctic Russia”, in Geoinformatics: theoretical and applied aspects, Proceedings of the 11th International Conference (2012),
https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=24527736.
12H. W. Schenke and P. Lemenkova, “Zur Frage der Meeresboden-Kartographie: Die Nutzung von AutoTrace Digitizer für die Vektorisierung
der Bathymetrischen Daten in der Petschora-See”, German, Hydrographische Nachrichten 25, 16–21, ISSN: 0934-7747 (2008).
13I. Suetova, L. Ushakova, and P. Lemenkova, “Geoecological Mapping of the Barents Sea Using GIS”, in Digital cartography & gis for
sustainable development of territories, Proceedings of the International Cartographic Conference (2005),
https://icaci.org/icc2005/.
14I. Suetova, L. Ushakova, and P. Lemenkova, “Geoinformation mapping of the Barents and Pechora Seas”, Geography and Natural
Resources 4, edited by V. A. Snytko, 138–142, ISSN: 1875-3728 (2005),
http://www.izdatgeo.ru/journal.php?action=output&id=3&lang_num=2&id_dop=68.

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