Commentary
Why you soon won’t own anything and why that’s a good thing
In the 20th century we got used to a certain way of thinking: if you needed something, you bought it. Cars, houses, records, you named it. Efficient manufacturing and logistics made it possible to create an unprecedented global overflow of stuff. Ownership quickly became about being someone; it was a way of defining who…
Read More3 things all Nordic governments should know about digitalisation
The Nordic countries are stable societies with quality education, making them fertile ground for big digital leaps. We here in the Nordics are able to digitise the more complex and demanding of processes, allowing us to reap the benefits of well increased productivity. Digitalisation allows us to do things smarter and better…
Read MoreThese are Finland´s 3 hottest solutions to climate change
The winners of the Finnish final of ClimateLaunchpad, the largest climate innovation competition in Europe, are the newly founded startups Nanomaji, Loadbro and Tuup. 1. Nanomaji has created a water filter which allows for water to be consumed without it having to be boiled first. The burning of charcoal…
Read MoreHealth 2050: How Finland will make the most out of its aging population and what other nations can learn from it
The Nordic think tank Demos Helsinki’s new Health 2050 scenario report looks at how hidden resources in society and in human beings can be better utilised to tackle wicked problems in health. Populations in Western countries are aging fast and governments are now faced with increasing healthcare costs, especially in Finland: How can perceived health be doubled without…
Read MoreWhat’s the new recipe for developing urban environment?
“The world that the construction field is serving, is changing radically”, were the opening words by Jussi Aho, the CEO of the construction company Fira. Ways of working, ways of living and the logic of retail are changing. “Digitalisation holds a huge potential for built environment. Construction business must invest in immaterial…
Read MoreFrom Cleantech to Cleanweb – The Finnish Cleantech Space in Transition
Now that the worst of the growing pains have been subdued, cleantech has made a respectable comeback onto the global agenda of firms, investors and economic developers alike. One might say it is bigger than ever, with a constantly proliferating range of cleantech companies and business models. In the midst…
Read MoreCan smart services accelerate the renewal of Oslo city center?
Last years have marked the emergence of new smart urban services such as car sharing, smart homes, pop-up diners, electric bicycles and many forms of collaborative consumption. Meanwhile, many – even central – neighbourhoods in European towns and cities are facing severe decline. Lack of investments, eroding infrastructure and e-commerce…
Read MoreFrom Five-Year Plans to Alternative Futures: 7 Ways to Be Smarter about the Future
I spent the past week in Dar es Salaam teaching scenario thinking to the Tanzanian Planning Commission, Ministry of Communication, Science and Technology (MCST), and several regional leaders. The visit was part of the TANZICT project, a bilateral collaboration between the MCST and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.…
Read MoreHow do you change government from reactive to proactive?
The Design for Government (DfG) course consists of 25 talented and committed students in multidisciplinary teams, addressing real-world problems set forth by the Finnish government. The kick-off seminar attracted 150 participants from nine different ministries and other institutions, to discuss why traditional decision-making needs new ways of doing things. The…
Read MoreCan strong foresight orientation make a nation successful?
Foresight on different terrains Foresight understanding is critical to any company these days – wicked problems, disruption caused by ICT and a globalizing economy all mean that businesses must be able to understand the future. But what about entire countries? Could strong foresight orientation be a critical factor in making…
Read MoreStockholm is the second stop in the Smart Retro programme
After the successful first Peloton Smart Retro Innovation Camp in Lahti, Finland, our programme now moves into its second phase in Stockholm: the testing period. Why Stockholm? In 2005, the City of Stockholm launched the slogan “Stockholm, the Capital of Scandinavia”, pointing at the City’s ambition of establishing Stockholm as a commercial node, especially…
Read More“Within one hour, we’d had a business idea and we started to develop it further.”
We interviewed three participants about their experience at the first Peloton Smart Retro Innovation Camp in Lahti. What were your expectations for the camp? “An international crowd interested in developing cities.” Ulla-Maija Kemppi, Citycon “New contacts. Expertise that we lack ourselves. Technical know-how.” Topi Saari, Meido “That it would open up…
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