The thesis From factory to culture factory analyses transformation of obsolete industrial space as a contested socio-spatial process of urban restructuring and examines the way ‘culture’ becomes a planning instrument of the transformation. Social practices, actors and conflicts that have influenced the process are studied and perceptions and representations of obsolete industrial space are examined. The main body of the thesis consists of four articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals and includes case studies of the Cable Factory and the Suvilahti in Helsinki.