Topic

Sustainability & climate action

Commentary

Imaginaries on Sustainability Transformation – Report outlines three positive futures

Imagining futures where society has successfully undergone a sustainability transformation helps us envision a world in which today’s major negative trends have been brought under control. But what kind of positive futures have been proposed in recent years? At the request of the Finnish Expert Panel for Sustainable Development, Demos Helsinki conducted a literature review and drafted three preliminary visions of such futures.

Europe cannot simply build its way out of the housing crisis

There is an anticipated challenge in housing that few are talking about yet. The conventional tool that cities have always had to address housing crises — building more — will not be sufficient. How prepared are cities for this scenario? More importantly, how can cities address housing justice while also averting ecological and biodiversity crises from worsening?

Chapter 1: COP27 signalled an end of an era for cities

Cities are no longer just drivers of climate action but must now transform themselves into leaders of collective action. As we shift from gradual low-carbonisation to rapid decarbonisation, cities must rethink their role, governance, and tools to address the climate crisis and foster coordinated efforts for sustainable change.

21st-century infrastructure must be regenerative

Traditional infrastructure, like Austin’s I-35, often benefits some while harming others, especially marginalised communities. Expanding from six to twenty lanes, as proposed, could exacerbate this. Instead, regenerative infrastructure—rebuilding communities and ecosystems—offers a vision for 21st-century development, promoting social equity and environmental health, crucial for a sustainable future.

What is regenerative infrastructure?

Sustainability is no longer enough to address today’s environmental challenges. Regeneration, which emphasises renewal, restoration, and resilience, is emerging as a more effective framework. By shifting from an anthropocentric to an ecocentric approach, regenerative infrastructure can positively impact both communities and ecosystems, fostering long-term, net-positive environmental and societal change.

Re-focusing on the future: Backcasting carbon neutral cities

Demos Helsinki cofounder Aleksi Neuvonen presents research on how backcasting scenarios can help cities achieve carbon neutrality. By working backwards from a desired carbon-neutral future, backcasting enables collective learning, redefines urban planning, and fosters cross-sector collaboration, crucial for the societal transition towards sustainable, carbon-neutral cities.

Publications

Report: Insights and Proposed Solutions – Summary of the Results from Three Challenge-Based Collaborations in the Sustainable City Program in the Years 2022-2023

A group of motivated cities and municipalities in Finland joined a one-year problem-solving journey to address the numerous interrelated challenges that slow down sustainable city transition. Demos Helsinki coordinated the subgroup, which focused on the “challenge bundle” of urban planning.

White paper: Green skills for green futures

This white paper delves into the critical need for transformative capabilities in organizations and leadership to navigate the challenges of the green transition. Drawing on over two decades of experience, we distil key insights to illuminate a path toward a sustainable future.

Skills and education in the sustainability transition

Over the last few years, the transition to a sustainable future has increasingly started to determine the direction of society and the economy — most notably through investments in new technologies and real capital. However, how can we make these investments matter if we lack the skills to utilise and develop them?

Projects

The Sustainable Urban Net Zero Network for Ukraine – SUN4Ukraine

The project supports Ukrainian municipalities in their pursuit of climate neutrality amidst rebuilding efforts. Together with leading EU and Ukrainian partners, including city networks, research organisations and urban stakeholders, Demos Helsinki supports this project by providing arenas for sharing knowledge and testing new methods for engaging citizens and other stakeholders in these processes.

Circular Economy Green Deal – a steering instrument for collective action towards circularity

The Circular Economy Green Deal is a novel Finnish steering instrument that catalyses collective action for systemic change towards circularity based on voluntary commitments. Demos Helsinki had the honour of leading the co-creative process that led to the creation of the Circular Economy Green Deal.

MUST: Enabling multispecies transition in urban planning

The ongoing biodiversity crisis demonstrates that we need better ways to live with nature in cities. The MUST project, employing a multispecies transition lens, aims to enhance the understanding and visibility of multispecies needs. This, in turn, will foster improved deliberation and action among stakeholders.

People

Themes