Involving residents and resident data in the sustainable development of suburbs
The ‘Ecosocial well-being and inclusion’ suburb research project is part of a national programme pertaining to suburban areas. In Tampere, the research focuses on the Peltolammi and Multisilta suburbs and seeks ways to bolster vitality and understand the segregation of residential areas from the perspectives of well-being and inclusion. Tampere University researchers are examining the kinds of everyday means of urban policy can be employed to strengthen the ecosocial well-being and inclusion of residents and reduce regional segregation. The project was active in 2020–2022.
One of the outputs of the suburb project is a policy recommendation, according to which resident data is required for the development of a sustainable city. Identifying the residents’ local needs and considering their experiences help to understand how people can live in an ecological and socially sustainable manner in their own residential area. As such, the residents should be included in the development of the residential areas, since they are always at the core of the development efforts.
Read more about the EKOS project.
The UPCE project studies the living lab platforms of cities
The multidisciplinary profiling project University Platform for Circular Economy (2018–2022) focuses on the utilisation of living lab platforms to promote circular economy in cities. From Tampere University, the units of environmental technology, industrial engineering, aerosol physics and environmental politics are involved. The research focuses on the Hiedanranta living labs and nutrient recycling in particular. The research group studies the impact of various stakeholders on living labs from the perspectives of technological development, implementation, coordinating stakeholder cooperation and economy.
The UPCE project also contributes to the following SDGs: 17.
Outdoor Express provides effortless low-emission access to nature from the centre of Tampere
Towards the end of the summer in 2022, the Outdoor Express nature bus trial was carried out as part of the Sustainable Tourism Mobility project with the aim of improving the equitable low-emission accessibility of natural sites in the Pirkanmaa region. The aim of the trial is to test the bus transport service to the national parks of Seitseminen and Helvetinjärvi and the Kintulammi camping area.
Tampere University is responsible for coordinating the trial and assessing the results. Thanks to the good results and experiences, the plan is to continue the Outdoor Express service in 2023. The aim is to extend the availability to span from May to September and include new locations.
The Outdoor Express project also contributes to the following SDGs: 13.
The ‘Empowering Urban Cyclists with Citizen Science (BiciZen)’ consortium research project (ECIU)
Tampere University’s SPARG (Space and Political Agency Research Group) is included in the ECIU SMART-ER pilot project, which is focused on the development of urban cycling in four European cities: Barcelona, Enschede, Aveiro and Tampere. The project’s aim is to increase awareness of urban mobility, communal engagement and cycling through cooperation between people cycling within the cities and municipal stakeholders. The project will involve developing a mobile app that cyclists can use to document their cycling experiences and talk about their mobility practices, thereby producing important data on cycling practices, communal commitment and information processing. The project will be active between 19 May 2022 and 31 October 2023.
The purpose of the consortium research project is to mobilise the urban cycling community to find perspectives and templates in context of urban cycling. The project will support democracy and sustainability with the cities.
The BiCiZen consortium research project also contributes to the following SDGs: 10, 13, 17.
Promoting construction-related circular economy through networks
The RATKI project seeks to identify circular economy operators in construction and empower existing construction networks to promote the transition to a circular economy. The current state and development obstacles of construction related circular economy are analysed by interviewing representatives of municipalities and companies.
The project organises regional networking workshops for companies, non-governmental organisations and authorities, and monitors a number of infrastructure and home construction projects, recording and sharing good practices that promote circular economy especially in the Pirkanmaa region. At the same time, the project is used to raise awareness of the services provided by the university community and strengthen cooperation within it. The project was initiated in October 2021 and will continue until the end of August 2023.
The RATKI project also contributes to the following SDGs: 4, 8, 9, 17.
Read more about the RATKI project.
Sustainable building maintenance and monitoring with DIGI4GREEN
The research project funded by the Academy of Finland will be conducted in cooperation between Tampere University and the Chinese Southeast University. The project involves studying the smart monitoring of sustainable buildings as well as digital measures and maintenance with the ultimate aim of reaching a carbon-neutral society.
The DIGI4GREEN research project also contributes to the following SDGs: 7, 9.
Human-centric AI opens up new opportunities for improving accessibility
A project titled Human-Centered AI Solutions for the Smart City (KITE) focuses on the co-creation of AI solutions and their design methods in collaboration with companies by conducting applied research on human-centred technology.
The aim is to develop knowledge and skills for the design and development of AI solutions that are not only meaningful and understandable but also acceptable and ethically sustainable from the perspective of users. The targeted solution domains are chosen from the central AI application domains of the smart city, such as smart traffic, a city’s decision-making processes and sustainable development.
The KITE project also contributes to the following SDGs: 9, 13.
Read more about the KITE project.
Researchers develop resource-wise housing concepts
The project titled Low Impact, Low Energy Housing and Neighbourhoods in the Häme Region was launched to co-create tools and ideas for developing appealing housing concepts and environments for the municipalities located in the Häme region, Finland, which can then utilise the tools in their strategic development.
The project and the housing concepts place a special emphasis on sustainable development, resource-efficiency, carbon neutrality, energy efficiency and social sustainability with the aim of promoting holistic regional development and the success of small municipalities in Finland, both now and in the future.
The project also contributes to the following SDGs: 9, 12.
Smarter and more resilient communities
Tampere University’s Postdoctoral Research Fellow Raul Castano de la Rosa serves as a research field coordinator for the ‘SMART-ER Communities of practices – Resilient communities’ research project. Smart European Regions, i.e. SMART-ER is a research area of the ECIU University Research Institution, which joins the forces of 12 separate universities to study sustainable and resilient communities.
The Resilient Communities research project also contributes to the following SDGs: 13, 16, 17.
Architectural conservation and circular economy through barn architecture
University instructor Iida Kalakoski’s article on architectural conservation is a part of her dissertation that will be completed in spring. The article examines how architectural conservation and circular economy relate to ecological and cultural sustainability within the framework of “barn architecture.” For the article, Kalakoski interviewed two Swedish architects and studied many case examples. She built the theory and analysis of the study on a wide and diverse range of research literature.
The study also contributes to the following SDGs: 9, 12, 13.
Quality assessment of house design
In 2022, Tampere University researchers were involved in assessing the design quality of the City of Helsinki’s HITAS-funded housing project.
The quality assessment also contributes to the following SDGs: 3.
The course on circular economy in property development and home construction increases awareness of the link between circular economy and construction
The Faculty of Built Environment offers a course on circular economy in property development and home construction (Kiertotalous kiinteistökehittämisessä ja talonrakentamisessa), which teaches students to understand the life cycle of construction and the environmental impacts of construction. About 50–70 students take the course each year.
An innovation course to drive sustainability
The Innovation for Sustainability course involves theoretical and practical grassroots-level coverage of innovation activities that aim for sustainable development. The concrete example covered during the course is South Africa and its fragile urban settlements. The students cooperate with young local residents and students of the University of Johannesburg to consider the key challenges in the area and think up innovative solutions based on the models and tools presented during the course. The course is part of the EduCASE programme funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture, and Tampere University is cooperating with the University of Johannesburg in relation to it.
The Innovation for Sustainability course also contributes to the following SDGs: 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
Early architectural design course creates a place for quiet relaxation in the woods in Hervanta
The first-year students of Architecture were tasked with a practice assignment of designing a place for quiet relaxation, i.e. a 50-m² light structure, in a delicate forest environment by Lake Hervantajärvi in Viitastenperä.
The design process was kicked off by visiting the site, which is located about a 2.5-km walk from the final tram stop. The site visit involved an exercise in which the students had to delineate an area of about one m² to make observations related to what grown in the patch of land and what is happening underground or in the treetops. The aim was to increase awareness about the fact that building something new always means that something else is lost.
The air of the location was strongly present in the eventual design submissions, and the scale models in particular were very detailed in life-like. Many of the students decided to base the design process on a respectful approach to the natural environment by dividing the building mass into smaller sections or adapting it to the terrain.
The design course projects also contributes to the following SDGs: 13, 15.