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Why Helsinki – a mix of Detroit and Geneva – is one of the most exciting cities in the world

Smart doesn’t have to mean boring. As city officials, corporations and other traditional institutions get on board with Helsinki’s thriving participatory urban culture, the Finnish capital is turning into one of the most exciting cities in the world. Nordic think tank Demos Helsinki says the prospering urban commons is a…


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Smart talk with Mehmet Kaplan

Hyperconnected Neighborhoods, Transparent Cities, Smart Meetings and Transportation-on-Demand. These are some topics we’ll present and talk about on April 11 together with Mehmet Kaplan, Sweden’s Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Information Technology. The discussion is based on Demos Helsinki’s new report on the great potential that the massive initiatives in…


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Y-Lab – new affordable housing concepts for citizens’ needs

Y-Foundation, Finland’s biggest and internationally recognized non-profit housing company, aims to offer reasonably priced rental accommodations for citizens. To celebrate their 30th anniversary, Y-Foundation co-operated with think tank Demos Helsinki to envision and develop the future of housing. In this collaboration Demos Helsinki and Y-apartments, founded by Y-Foundation, created new…


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16 Horizon projects later, our goal is the same

Demos Helsinki is currently involved in 14 Horizon Europe projects. From exploring the societal impacts of new technologies to tackling climate challenges, these projects reflect a growing demand for research that sparks systemic change. Discover how we are working across disciplines to shape fairer, more sustainable futures.


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Demos Helsinki is part of three SRC-funded research projects on democracy and water security

These three research projects are: 1) Reducing polarisation via material participation (MaDem); 2) Coastal waters under pressure – safeguarding a healthy Gulf of Finland in a changing geopolitical and environmental landscape (CoWup); and 3) Safe Water for All (WaterFall).


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A time to build – shaping the next generation of public institutions

We are pleased to announce that the UNDP’s Istanbul Innovation Days (IID), taking place in March 2025, will focus on shaping the next generation of public institutions for a secure and prosperous world.


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At the Conceptual Crossroads of Politics and Technology: An Exploration Into EU Digital Policy

While existing scholarship has examined discursive strategies and technocratic
tendencies in EU digital policy in isolation, this article distinctively analyses their paradoxical interplay.


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Applying ethics in a complex piloting context

With the increasing culture of applying piloting as part of technology innovation, the need for understanding its societal implications is becoming more crucial. With the aim of understanding better the power relations, tensions and agencies pivotal to negotiating and embedding ethics across processes, we consider utilizing a framework of “design logics” to the data.


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Revitalising and protecting European democracies

The European Democracy Shield is a timely and commendable initiative aimed at addressing the EU’s growing democratic challenges. However, it would benefit from a more human-centered approach focusing on citizen participation, civil society engagement, and more nuanced policies on digital regulation.


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