We organised a STUE seminar in Paidia called Planning and Governing for Sustainable Cities. We received opening words from the social policy professor Liisa Häikiö, and Saldert gave a keynote lecture on cities’ sustainability paradoxes. We also received talks from administrative sciences lecturer Ilari Karppi with a talk on city lights making a safe city, architectural lecturer Annuska Rantanen with a talk on shrinking cities, and Anni Jäntti, a lecturer from administrative sciences, giving a talk on urban strategies. The event was full, with 100 registrations. At the seminar, we had a fruitful discussion on the importance of urban governance and planning as cities work towards a sustainable future. We addressed the urgency of aligning urban development with ecological, social, and economic imperatives. The discussions explored how well-informed policy decisions can lead to a balanced and fair transition towards a sustainable city.
We also organised a workshop for teachers on Pedagogical Reflections on Teaching Sustainability. In our research community, we have been discussing the transformative role of education in fostering sustainable development. We thought it would be interesting to organise an informal discussion to provide an opportunity to share thoughts and reflect on this important topic. We first discussed barriers we had faced while integrating sustainability into teaching. Afterwards, we had a lively discussion about our insights as teachers.
In addition to the two major events, Saldert gave a lecture on the mass course of Sustainable Society for first-year students of the Faculty of Social Sciences. She also participated in the Tassu research group meeting, where we discussed our collaborative article project. One day, we worked on our COST Action application and submitted a proposal for one article on urban densification. During her stay, she was shown around local urban development sites, the Lenin Museum, Pethaus Club, Rajaportin Sauna, and Telakka. Saldert’s week in Tampere was highly productive and strengthened STUE’s Swedish connection.
Saldert’s visit was sponsored by Tampere University’s profiling area, the Sustainable Transformation of Urban Environments Tampere (STUE) Action Grant, and hosted by Antti Wallin and Anni Jäntti.
Antti Wallin & Anni Jäntti