The Smart Kalasatama project started in fall 2013 and was closed in June 2021. The project established pilots as a method of developing the city, and the lessons learned from the project are now being utilised in urban renewal areas in Helsinki and abroad. The final report of the project illustrates the current state and development of the valued smart city district in Helsinki.
In autumn 2013, Helsinki started the Smart Kalasatama project with the objective of making Kalasatama a model area for smart urban development, the smart city district of Helsinki, which would be developed together with residents, companies, the City and other operators. Kalasatama has seen the promotion and piloting of solutions of the future that streamline everyday life and support climate goals.
“The Smart Kalasatama project brought together City officials, companies, residents, and researchers. The basis of Kalasatama’s smart approach has been a smooth-flowing everyday life. For this reason, it was key that the collaboration between parties was close and new solutions were tested in genuine urban environments,” explains Programme Director of the Smart Kalasatama project Kerkko Vanhanen from the City of Helsinki’s innovation company Forum Virium Helsinki.
The Smart Kalasatama project introduced agile piloting and showed how a city can be developed through experimentation. Next, the best learnings and solutions observed in the Smart Kalasatama project will be applied in Pasila and the urban renewal areas of Mellunkylä, Malmi and Malminkartano-Kannelmäki.
Several innovation projects and 25 agile pilots were implemented in the Kalasatama area, with themes launched within these, such as a sharing economy for spaces, green infrastructure, and a food carbon footprint calculator, lined up for Helsinki to promote in further projects in the future.
The report illustrates the development of Kalasatama as an innovation platform and showcases the key urban development themes of the project, including:
- Smart living
- Smart infrastructure
- Green infrastructure
- Everyday well-being
Find out more in the publication Smart Kalasatama – a district for experimentation
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