Citizen engagement in public-private partnerships for sustainable transition

SPARCS webinar November 19th at 10.00-11.30 (ETT)

SPARCS supports European cities in transforming into Sustainable energy Positive & zero cARbon CommunitieS by creating citizen-centric ecosystems that are equipped to bring about meaningful change.

In this SPARCS webinar on Citizen Engagement, we will present and discuss research findings and practical examples on citizen engagement activities. In Espoo lighthouse city, the SPARCS partners are developing new practices and a cross-cutting strategy for engaging citizens in co-design and decision-making processes from the beginning. It is a collaborative process between public and private sector actors to create possibilities for citizens – the key stakeholders – to participate in sustainable transition and creation of zero carbon communities.

The webinar is organized by the Finnish SPARCS partners (RIL, KONE, VTT, Citycon and city of Espoo) on November 19th at 10-11.30 (EET). We discuss key topics of citizen engagement in public-private partnerships for sustainable transition.

WEBINAR PROGRAMME

10.00 Welcome and opening words
Janne Tähtikunnas, CEO, Finnish Association of Civil Engineers
Merja Ryöppy, Dr., Design Research Specialist, KONE Corporation

10.10 Citizen engagement; Arenas for interaction and participation
Anna Zhelnina, Dr. in sociology, citizen engagement and social movements research
Helsinki Institute of Urban and Regional Studies, University of Helsinki

10.35 Panel discussion: Role of private sector in citizen-centric urban and sustainable city development
Panelists: 
Saga-Sofia Santala, MA, Design research specialist, KONE Corporation
Elina Ekelund, Sustainability Manager, Citycon

Main topics of discussion: Two case examples from the Espoo Lighthouse

•  Insights from Lippulaiva citizen engagement and buddy class activities by Citycon

• Design and co-creation to bring citizens to the center of smart sustainable city development at KONE

11.00 City development and citizen engagement in the city level
Heli-Maija Nevala, Service Manager, Communication and participation, Urban Planning Department, City of Espoo.

What is the current level of citizen engagement in Espoo? Why is it important to do citizen engagement activities? Why and how Espoo is doing citizen engagement?

11:25 Closing words
Janne Tähtikunnas, CEO, Finnish Association of Civil Engineers
Merja Ryöppy, Dr., Design Research Specialist, KONE Corporation

You will be able to attend to SPARCS-webinar via Microsoft Teams. You will get the Teams-meeting link to your email after the registration.

Welcome!

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This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 864242.