New pilots to be launched – more sustainable cities and municipalities through collaboration
The Sustainable City programme will launch 12 pilot projects that promote inclusive and interactive sustainability work in cities and municipalities. The pilots will, among other things, improve residents' opportunities to participate in and influence municipal sustainability work. They also strengthen the use of data for purposes such as managing sustainability and helping residents make sustainable everyday choices.
Municipalities and cities of different sizes across the country are committed to working for a more sustainable future. When developing and managing local government in practice, it requires actions that strengthen social, economic and environmental sustainability. Work is carried out in all municipal sectors and levels, often in collaboration with other actors in the area.
“The strength of sustainable development work done by Espoo lies in partnerships. We will not succeed in reaching our climate and sustainability goals without the entire Espoo community being involved. In the new Future Workshop for Sustainable Development (TUPA) project, we will try out and develop new ways of involving residents of Espoo in the implementation of the Sustainable Espoo programme. This way we will strengthen the residents' personal commitment to shared goals,” says Pasi Laitala, Director of Sustainable Development in Espoo.
The City of Hämeenlinna will open an urban living room for informing residents about climate change and encouraging them to adopt a lifestyle in keeping with the 1.5-degree goal. “The urban living room is an environment that combines culture, leisure time, services and nature. We hope that it will activate residents, support their well-being on a broad scale and promote the objectives of Hämeenlinna's carbon neutrality programme,” says Mira Sillanpää, Director of pilot office of Hämeenlinna.
The fourth call for pilot applications in the Sustainable City programme sought new kinds of solutions for activating and engaging different actors in sustainable development work. 26 applications were received, involving 29 municipalities and more than 30 other actors, such as companies, associations, higher education institutions and a parish. The applications were evaluated by a panel composed of experts from the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Finance and the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities.
“What is particularly great about the new experiments is how closely they are linked to municipal strategies and sustainability targets. Several projects also have international connections through which the results are communicated to the wider public. At the Ministry of the Environment, we support the dissemination of project results and offer help to strengthen the impact of the experiments,” says Programme Manager Virve Hokkanen.
The Ministry of the Environment grants a total of approximately EUR 770,000 to the projects to be launched.
Projects receiving grants
- City of Espoo. The Future Workshop for Sustainable Development (TUPA). EUR 74,760.
- City of Hämeenlinna. Urban living room in Hämeensaari. EUR 49,500.
- City of Jyväskylä. REDI(4)2030 = Digital portal for resource wisdom work of the City of Jyväskylä – strengthening information-based management and communication on a shared journey towards a carbon-neutral city in 2030. EUR 45,600.
- City of Järvenpää. Eco-socially sustainable event production model. EUR 75,000.
- City of Kouvola. Making the sustainable development operating model part of the residents' everyday life with the help of regional committees. EUR 75,000.
- City of Kuhmo. Full life in Kuhmo – Sustainable development through everyday actions. EUR 44,958.
- City of Lahti. Sustainable inclusion in Lahti. EUR 75,000.
- City of Lappeenranta. Awfully wonderful! – Making sustainable actions visible by means of environmental art. EUR 75,000.
- City of Nurmes. Urban planning and culture divisions building a (joint) model of smart and socially sustainable resident inclusion. EUR 75,000.
- City of Tampere. KELI – Promoting more sustainable mobility with the help of a carbon footprint calculator. EUR 75,000.
- City of Vaasa. Vaasa with energetic residents – Invånarenergisk Vasa. EUR 33,000.
- City of Vantaa. Skills and participation – Engaging children and young people in building a more sustainable food culture. EUR 75,000.
Total EUR 772,818.
The Sustainable City programme
The Sustainable City programme coordinated by the Ministry of the Environment accelerates the sustainable development of cities and municipalities in collaboration with ministries, local authorities and other actors. The main themes of the programme promote low-carbon, smart, healthy and socially sustainability cities. New solutions are sought particularly to challenges that connect these themes. The aim is to solve the cities’ common sustainability challenges, strengthen sustainability management and develop new solutions for practical urban development. So far, approximately 80 municipalities and 50 other actors have participated in the programme's development projects, pilots, and expert and peer coaching.
Inquiries
Virve Hokkanen, Programme Manager, Sustainable City Programme, Ministry of the [email protected], tel. +358 29 525 0034
