Urban cemeteries as public spaces : a comparison of cases from Scandinavia and Russia

Insights from the field of cemetery research demonstrate that urban cemeteries have a variety of functions, not limited to their primary purpose of providing space for interment of human remains and commemoration of loved ones. This multiplicity of functions and meanings shapes cemeteries’ special place in contemporary cities and calls for a sensitive framework for their planning and management. This thesis sets out to explore the role of cemeteries with two foci: densification processes, which can reconfigure functions of urban green spaces, and postsecular debates, which highlight the relationships between the secular and the spiritual/religious. In many cities, cemeteries indeed function as publicly accessible green spaces and accommodate intrinsic spiritual aspects, yet it remains unclear how their role might be reshaped in dense postsecular cities. This research is situated within the interdisciplinary field of urban studies and employs the concept of public space as the main theoretical lens. I also draw on the idea of municipal spirituality — a discursive tool intended to integrate the spiritual aspects of places into planning. The aim of this thesis is to contribute to existing research with new knowledge and understanding of the role of urban cemeteries as public spaces with an empirical focus on the policy context. The thesis consists of three scientific papers and an introductory essay. Inspired by a recent call for more global urban studies, this thesis employs a comparative methodology and uses three cities (Oslo, Copenhagen and Moscow) as case studies in a multiple-case research design. The empirical material (policy documents and interviews with experts) is analysed qualitatively, in both inductive and deductive manners, and supplemented with field observations. This thesis contributes to the existing body of literature in three ways. First, it establishes a multidimensional framework for the analysis of cemeteries as public spaces and demonstrates how different dimensions are manifested in the three case study cities. The framework illuminates both dimensions inherent to cemeteries (liminal and spiritual) and dimensions common to public spaces in general (multifunctional, multicultural and commercial). Second, the thesis outlines a comparative methodology that enables an assessment of the role of cemeteries in different contexts, as understood by planners and policymakers. While in Oslo and Copenhagen cemeteries are seen as multifunctional green spaces, Moscow cemeteries are viewed predominantly as burial spaces and places for commemoration and their other functions are overlooked. Third, this thesis extends an invitation to revisit debates around the notion of public space. The conceptualisation of urban cemeteries as a special type of public space emphasises the importance of the spiritual aspects — often forgotten in these debates — and points to the demand for a greater diversity of public spaces to fulfil citizen’s varied needs