Green Kalasatama
The Healthy Liveable Neighborhoods pilot programme is part of the Nordic Healthy Cities project. The three agile pilots selected for the programme were carried out in three Nordic district innovation labs: Helsinki and Vantaa in Finland and Stavanger in Norway. The themes of the pilot programme included green infrastructure, urban farmingn, food services and logistics. The pilots were carried out in summer and autumn 2021. Also involved in the collaboration were the cities of Kristiansand in Norway and Copenhagen in Denmark.
The aim of the Green Kalasatama pilot project was to test how an augmented reality (AR) application could be used to help the residents of an area under development commit to and learn about the design of green spaces. Residents used a mobile application to see what a planned green space would look like and were also able to use the virtual view to add trees, bushes and other plants to their desired locations. Created by Granlund, the AR application allowed city planners to provide information to residents about the benefits of green construction and visualise different greenscapes in the real environment.
The pilot was carried out in Sompasaari, one of the neighbourhoods of Kalasatama, which is located by the sea and is very densely built. The pupils of the local school and the area’s residents were invited to discover the future of the built area with the help of the Green Kalasatama application and share their thoughts on what the planned green space should look like.
The feedback from the users was positive, as well as the interest from the district’s urban planners seeking innovative ways for user participation. In the future, the use of such data remains to be explored more in detail after the early phase pilot. There is more to learn as the technologies develop and users’ own devices become more advanced. The digital means of engagement remain central tools to hear the residents’ voice in Helsinki’s Innovation Districts.
Contact information:
Francisco Forns-Samso
Digitalization Manager
Granlund Oy
