Virtual Verdure brings new tools for taking into account green infrastructure that integrates the needs of the city and its residents in city planning, and develops business opportunities for smart & clean companies.
Objective
The goal of the project is to support the planning and development of new areas into carbon-neutral city districts that make diverse use of green infrastructure. An operating model is being tested in Kalasatama that can also be utilised in the planning of other city districts in the future.
The goal is to influence the planning process of the area to create favourable preconditions for carrying out innovative green infrastructure solutions. In addition to this, the goal is to develop business solutions that take the needs of the public sector into account: new use cases for the digital twin and the green infrastructure audit tool, and technical solutions for implementing green infrastructure.
Duration, partners and funding
The project is funded by the Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council. The total budget is 114,000 euros, of which Forum Virium Helsinki’s share is 43,000 euros. The project will run from September 2019 to April 2020.
The project participants are the City of Helsinki’s innovation company Forum Virium Helsinki, and partner companies WSP and InnoGreen. The project collaborates tightly with Kalasatama area development project, environmental services and city planners of Kalasatama and Western Harbour of the City of Helsinki’s Urban Environment Division.
Role of Forum Virium Helsinki
Forum Virium Helsinki is the coordinator of the project and takes care of the cooperation, administration and communications. Forum Virium Helsinki is also responsible for the testing and co-creation of the operating model, in which the use of the green infrastructure audit tool and the application of the area green factor are adapted to the city planning process. The co-creation started with a field trip to Nordic sites in Copenhagen and Malmö, that successfully utilise green infrastructure. The pace of the project group’s co-creation will be set with three design sprints organised during the project with the following themes: the digital twin and area green factor, buildings and infrastructure construction, and the maintenance of green infrastructure.
Benefit to Helsinki
The project increases Helsinki’s opportunities for taking green infrastructure into account by supporting the city planners’ understanding of the ecosystem services produced by green infrastructure and the way in which these need to be taken into account throughout the city planning process. It also secures the preconditions for implementing new kinds of green infrastructure solutions in the plan of the northern areas of Kalasatama, taking the needs of several user groups into account.
The new planning practices tested during the project can be utilized in other areas under construction in Helsinki. Furthermore, the new information produced in the project and the accumulated experiences will be available for other cities, as well.
Photo: Vesa Laitinen
Further information
Maija Bergström
#fiksukaupunki #virtuaalivehreä
puh. +358 40 766 1415
maija.bergstrom(at)forumvirium.fi
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