Commentary
UN Habitat III: Smart city evolution will transform consumers into active co-designers of the city | Demos Helsinki
The UN Habitat conference, officially titled the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, is held once every 20 years. From Habitat I in Vancouver in 1976 to Habitat II in Istanbul in 1996, the conference has sought to create more sustainable urbanization. The 2016 conference was hosted in Quito, Ecuador, and…
Read More87 solutions to tackle climate change
Creating products and services that help us live comfortably and with zero carbon emissions is not only crucial for our planet, but also a treasure trove of business opportunities. The scarcity of natural resources and climate change are absolute game changers for our future lifestyles. All of this was evident…
Read More3+1 What we learned at the FutureFest
Want to hear and discuss about the future? Do you find both talks and interactive performances as great tools to inspire people to change the future? Then you should attend the next FutureFest, weekend festival organized by Nesta. Here we present some of the notions made at this year’s event.…
Read MoreFor genuine integration we need to re-think housing
We seem to believe there is a universal refugee character, someone we can easily recognise in the news. This story of “a common refugee” overwrites individuality and personal experience. The system of integration we now have doesn’t recognise refugees as agents, as if we are printing objectives onto a clean sheet…
Read More8 Statements How to Make Nordic Startup Ecosystems More Effective
I recently published a big literature review on entrepreneurial ecosystems for Demos Helsinki NAKED Approach project (Finns have a bit of a thing for cheeky abbreviations). The work offers a baseline understanding of the factors that shape high-tech startup ecosystems. GREAT STUFF but most of us don’t have time to…
Read MoreWatch: a 2 Minute Video Reveals How to Build a Successful Nordic Business Ecosystem for the Hyperconnected Era
Internet of Things brings us into the hyperconnected era. This changes the core premises of business: Traditional firms need to learn the new rules of strategy for a platform world, or begin planning their exit. What needs to be done to create a successful business ecosystem? Watch this 2 minute video…
Read MoreWhat if affordable housing could improve its residents’ employment prospects too?
Co-working and co-living concepts are revolutionising low-income housing. On offer for residents in some communities now are language courses, leadership training, low-interest loans, and much, much more. Affordable housing is more than just apartments The numbers of self-employed people and those who work remotely are growing at a rapid…
Read MoreWhy blockchain – the innovation behind Bitcoin – might completely transform the way we think about trust (and everything else)
Last week, we invited leading digital experts, designers and social scientists to discuss blockchain technology over a breakfast of coffee, sandwiches and yoghurt. The blockchain and its applications are indeed some of the most exciting recent developments in the digital world, but many questions remain unanswered. In this blog post,…
Read MoreHow giving up mobile phones saved Nokia – and why it’s ready to take over the world again
The future of the internet is the future of Nokia Text: Oskari Onninen Photography: Juha Törmälä Translation: Simo Vassinen The move was the finest one yet in the history of Finnish business, though no-one would believe it. Nokia issued a press release on the first of July in 2013.…
Read MoreSmart Talk: Carlo Ratti, on the role of testbeds, technology, and design within cities
Rapid urbanisation and the aging of our building stock place serious strains on the quality of life in cities, and on management of big infrastructure systems. The smart city paradigm promises to combat these challenges, but it is often leaving out a fundamental fact: our cities are old. The Smart Retro approach is a…
Read MoreBees and Trees – cooperation between startups and big companies
The Bees and Trees project maps the possibilities for cooperation between small companies (bees) and large companies (trees) in the field of consumer cleantech. The project is part of Tekes’ Cleanweb program. Strategic partnerships are necessary for the co-creation and development of groundbreaking products and services. This need is particularly relevant…
Read More7 findings you can’t ignore on digitalization and new business ecosystems
Digitalisation is no longer about computers; people and physical things are becoming hyperconnected with cheap, abundant sensors resulting in the merging of digital and physical realities. To meet these challenges, Nordic societies look for new ways to prosper in the era of hyperconnectivity while upholding the traditional Nordic values of…
Read More