Healthy Liveable Neighborhoods has chosen three Nordic cities – Helsinki, Vantaa, and Stavanger – to participate in pilots to support the development of healthy, inclusive, and green neighborhoods. The pilot program is part of the Nordic Healthy Cities project which is run by the Nordic Smart City Network and funded by the Nordic Innovation. Forum Virium Helsinki will coordinate the program.
Five companies will be running three different pilots in the program:
- An urban seed and pollinator bank in Vantaa, Finland will pilot solutions supporting urban farming and community building. The city will be working with Habeetats and Copenhagen Seeds to use solitary bees as pollinators in urban farms. School students will be monitoring the effects of climate change on solitary bees throughout the year;
“We hope to create the first node in the network of Urban Seed & Pollinator Banks in Vantaa, and engage the local residents to explore how the pollinators can support diversity in urban environments, and how they are affected by different climate scenarios,” said Henri Laine and urban food expert from the City of Vantaa.
- Green Kalasatama in Helsinki, Finland will use augmented reality (AR) technology to encourage resident participation in the planning of green infrastructure. The mobile app allows users to place virtual green infrastructure elements – such as trees and bushes – in their surrounding area and provides information about their benefits in the urban environment.
- Pick me up in Stavanger, Norway will focus on three local food challenges – price, awareness and accessibility – and will work to support new business models to address these challenges. Co-Creators and Reveel will be working with the city on the pilot program.
“The pilot will take place in the neighbourhood of Storhaug which has a rich and diverse population, and a fast-growing food district,” said Kristin Kverneland from the City of Stavanger. “We look forward to seeing how Co-Creators and Reveel together can harness these qualities, and support the local food producers and make their products more accessible for the local residents.”