Press release
13.12.2022

Cities solve sustainability challenges related to urban green spaces, urban planning and wellbeing

Sixteen Finnish municipalities are taking part in in the work on challenge clusters under the Sustainable City Programme. The aim is to tackle the most difficult sustainability challenges that cannot be solved by individual organisations or sectors alone. The three themes selected on the basis of the needs of cities are: urban green spaces in increasingly built-up cities, urban planning that takes sustainability targets into account, and flourishing communities in socially sustainable cities. The themes are particularly challenging as they combine the different dimensions of sustainability.

News item
12.12.2022

Welcome to our virtual study trip to a sustainable city!

The Sustainable City programme, together with Demos Helsinki, will organise a study trip of three events on best practices for sustainable urban development. Led by interesting speakers and examples from international contexts, the events will focus on challenges faced by different kinds of urban spaces and areas. The events will be held in English.

Press release
13.06.2022

Key indicators for sustainable urban development published – Join us in their testing and further development

How should the sustainability of cities be measured? The project carried out by the Finnish Environment Institute SYKE ‘Indicators for sustainable urban development’ was a multi-stage participatory process to draw up a proposal for key indicators for sustainable urban development. The aim is to support cities, ministries and other stakeholders in monitoring sustainable urban development. The follow-up project to be started now will test the key indicators that have been identified in municipalities interested in this work.

News item
17.03.2022

Good solutions put to practice – boost to scaling good practices for sustainable urban development

Municipalities and cities across Finland have developed their activities towards better environmental, social and economic sustainability. The project ‘Levers for a Sustainable City’ (VIPU) looks for solutions for faster scaling of good practices. Besides urban development, the tools created can also be used for other purposes.

Solutions for sustainable cities: examples from the Sustainable City Programme

null Report on how the segregation of residential areas in the Tampere urban area is developing
  • Socially sustainable cities
  • pilots for social sustainability

Report on how the segregation of residential areas in the Tampere urban area is developing

©Laura Vanzo, Visit Tampere

The segregation of population groups has been found to cause recognised and harmful impacts over generations and social impacts. The aim of the report was to identify whether segregation can be observed in the urban region and what special features are associated with segregation, and to prepare recommendations for measures to manage segregation.

The state of segregation was observed using the relative welfare index, which is based on three variables describing the population over four reference years. 

The management of municipalities in the region is supported by creating a regional monitoring tool for office holders based on the report. The results of the monitoring will be utilised, for example, in defining regional housing policy and planning welfare services.

Results

  • Clear clusters of high and low welfare were identified in the region, and there is growing segregation between residential areas in both population and residential buildings.
  • Recommendations were drawn up for monitoring segregation and regional co-development, and recommendations for measures at municipal, regional, neighbourhood and block level to prevent and mitigate segregation.

Effects

  • The segregation of residential areas is regularly monitored using the regional tool.
  • The planning and development of residential areas is based on multidisciplinary and cross-administrative cooperation: 
    • Services will be developed by targeting and according to the needs of the residents.
    • Residential areas have diverse administrative, building type and apartment distribution.
    • The measures support the region’s balanced development and influence the development of regional segregation in the short and long term.
    • Investments are consciously targeted in a manner that equalises the market.

In collaboration with

  • Tampere City Region Joint Authority
    • The region’s municipalities 
    • The joint authority’s working group on land use and housing and welfare services
  • Ministry of the Environment

Picture: Laura Vanzo, Visit Tampere