NORDGREEN Partners
The project includes 4 research partners delivering the work packages: Aalto University (Finland), Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, and Nordregio. The research will result in co-created, scalable and transferable knowledge-based planning and management tools for the six case cities, as well as for other cities in the Nordic region and beyond. These six cities and towns are: Aarhus, Stavanger, Vilhelmina, Täby, Espoo and Ii.
For more information, contact project leader Luciane Aguiar Borges (@nordregio.org )
City partners
Espoo (Finland)
Espoo is the second largest city and municipality in Finland. It is part of the Finnish Capital Region, along with the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, and Kauniainen. As part of the new municipal master plan, called the ‘Espoo Story’, the city is collecting residents’ opinions about the development which has become its ‘story-based strategy’, giving voice to what types of urban environments are meaningful to residents and what areas should be developed and how.
City partner: Johanna Palomaki (@espoo.fi)
Ii (Finland)
Ii is a small city north of Oulu, with a growing region consisting of approximately 10,000 residents. Ii attracts thousands of visitors each year, given the access to many outdoor and cultural activities that are available in the city. The municipality is known as one of the best-practice cases in Europe when it comes to bioeconomy initiatives, and has set an ambitious goal to reduce 80 percent of carbon emissions by the 2020. These environmental targets and ongoing efforts towards a zero-emission society combined with the ongoing development of plans and strategies will be key to II’s health-promoting green space implementation.
City partner: Elina Nissinen (@ii.fi)
Stavanger (Norway)
Stavanger is the fourth largest and most populous city in Norway. In recent years, the city has implemented a new planning system, and the development of a new spatial plan as part of the municipal plan (KPA) has been part of this process. A component of the spatial plan is Grønn plan, a comprehensive green strategy for the city focusing on maintain biodiversity, access to outdoor activities as well as sustainable green spaces. For Stavanger, cohesive green areas connected to its coastal landscape will strengthen the city’s adaptive capacity to a changing climate, and increase the quality of public spaces that can promote well-being of its citizens.
City partners: Else Dybkjaer (@stavanger.kommune.no) and Martina Andersson (@stavanger.kommune.no)
Täby (Sweden)
Täby, located in the Swedish capital region, is growing fast and greenspace is challenged by rapid population growth and densification. The municipality is working with citizen participation in the development of the green plan that states that half of the municipality should be green. The organization of the governance system for greenspace is thus a topic on the agenda that can be further studied in NORDGREEN. Of interest for the municipality is also finding ways to evaluate the health impacts of greenspace.
City partner: Tove Jagerhok (@taby.se)
Vilhelmina (Sweden)
Vilhelmina covers a vast area of northern Sweden, while being sparsely populated. The municipality has adopted a Green Comprehensive Plan with a holistic view of social, ecological and economic aspects. As a destination for outdoor tourism, Vilhelmina municipality needs to balance the expectations from seasonal population with the needs of the permanent population to support wellbeing for both groups. In particular, Kittelfjäll area is going through a large development which generates many questions about the balance between physical development and maintenance of the greenspace. The municipality will benefit from NORDGREEN, not least via using PPGIS to gather additional data about the seasonal and permanent population. Photo: Emma Sandström
City partners: Peter Manner (@vilhelmina.se) and Jenny Berg (jenny@kittelfjall.com)
Research partners
Aalto University (Finland)
Professor Marketta Kyttä (aalto.fi)
Researcher Anna Kajosaari (@aalto.fi)
Researcher Saana Rossi (@aalto.fi)
Nordregio
International research centre for regional development and planning.
Professor/ Former Director Kjell Nilsson (@nordregio.org)
Senior Research Fellow Luciane Aguiar Borges (@nordregio.org)
Junior Research Fellow Diana Huynh (@nordregio.org)
Senior Communications Advisor Pipsa Salolammi (nordregio.org)
Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)
Professor Geir Aamodt (@nmbu.se)
Researcher Emma Charlott Andersson Nordbo (@nmbu.no)
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
Professor Thomas Randrup (@slu.se)
Professor Patrik Grahn (@slu.se)
Professor Helena Nordh (@slu.se)
Researcher Anna Sunding (@slu.se)
Researcher Anna Åshage (@slu.se)