Examples of solutions

HIEDANRANTA, Tampere
A new district called Hiedanranta is being developed in Tampere, planned to accommodate about 25,000 residents and 10,000 jobs. Hiedanranta is planned to be net-positive in terms of environmental impact, meaning the district will produce more than it consumes. Smart technology and a bidirectional network will be used in energy production and consumption. A regional low-temperature heating network will be built in Hiedanranta, connected to the city’s district heating network. Sector integration will be applied to the area’s energy networks. Energy efficiency can be enhanced through building automation and a digital model that monitors energy flows in the area. The area will also pilot scalable energy storage for wind and solar power, as well as seasonal heat storage. More information. – in Finnish only

KOIVISTONTIE energy community, Tampere
The energy community of Koivistontie consists of nine apartment blocks. The old district heating system was no longer energy efficient, and it was replaced with geothermal heat pumps. These now produce almost all the heat used in the buildings throughout the year. The electricity for the heat pumps is generated by solar panels, and their acquisition also made it possible to establish an energy community. More information.

ILOKKAANPUISTO residential area, Tampere
Six apartment blocks in Koivistonkylä neighbourhood in Tampere who produce their own energy through solar panels that are in Teisko area, Tampere. The field where panels are installed is also used for sheep-farming. More information. – in Finnish only

LEMENE MW-scale energy community, Lempäälä
Technically exceptional and advanced MW scale system consisting of multiple sources of energy (electric power and heat), energy storages (electricity and heat), own microgrid and smart control system of power balance.

LIDL distribution centre, Järvenpää
Includes a microgrid and an energy management system, which is able to optimize the usage of energy based on weather conditions, energy prices, and building occupancy. In addition to the solar panels (500 kWp) and energy management system, the microgrid includes two backup power plants, a bidirectional district heating network, and a 2.6 MW energy storage system. The distribution centre operates entirely on renewable energy. More information. – in Finnish only

SELLO shopping centre, Espoo
Energy system of Sello includes a virtual power plant consisting of 2500 (750 kWp) solar panels on the shopping centre’s roof, a 2 MW battery energy storage, 24 electric vehicle charging points, and an intelligent energy management system. The automated energy management system controls the shopping centre’s ventilation, heating, lighting, and street heating. More information.

TURKU STUDENT VILLAGE, Turku
Turku Student Village will be transformed into an energy-positive residential area. Various innovative heating and cooling solutions, as well as solutions for electric mobility, energy production, and energy storage, are being tested. An intelligent energy management system is used to optimize the use of district heating and cooling. A microgrid is being built in the Student Village to connect different buildings. Bidirectional solar panels, energy storage system, and a V2G charging station for electric vehicles will be installed. The student village already has a solar system with the nominal capacity of 165 kWp. More information. – in Finnish only

AURORA PYRAMIDS, Kittilä, Levi
Aurora Pyramids consist of 11 glass pyramids intended for accommodation use in the Levi holiday resort. The pyramids are connected to a microgrid built in the area, and they participate in demand response and operate as a virtual power plant through intelligent energy management system. The energy management system controls the pyramids’ energy consumption by optimizing heating, ventilation, and cooling systems according to occupancy and weather conditions. The roofs of the pyramids are electrically heated glass, which utilizes solar energy to melt snow and ice. The microgrid also includes a 132 kWp solar power system and 1.3 MW battery storage system. The microgrid is connected to the national grid but is also capable of island operation. More information.

FORUM VIRIUM, Helsinki
Forum Virium is an innovation company of the City of Helsinki. It co-creates urban futures with companies, universities, other public sector organizations and Helsinki residents, aiming to make Helsinki the most functional smart city in the world. Forum Virium has many ongoing and past projects on energy and mobility. More information.

BIKE KITCHENS, various cities
Bike Kitchens are community-based and non-profit Do-It-Yourself spaces, where people can repair their own bicycles and learn bicycle maintenance from each other. Repair tools are available for everyone free of charge. Bike Kitchens often serve as community hubs and are run by volunteers. Pyorapajat.fi website provides information and guidance about community-driven bike kitchens operating in Finland. More information.

KIMPPAKYYDIT.COM carpooling service, around Finland
Kimppakyydit.com is an online carpooling service where anyone can offer or request rides, as well as search for and browse ride listings by destination across Finland. The service operates on a non-commercial and non-professional basis, meaning that drivers do not make a profit and are not required to have taxi insurance or pay taxes on the shared costs. The service calculates the estimated fuel costs for each ride, and the driver can suggest how the costs should be divided or whether the ride would be free. More information.

CARGO BIKE sharing pilots, Tampere
In Tampere, the rental of shared cargo bikes was piloted in different neighbourhoods in 2024 and 2025 as part of a sharing economy experiment by the City of Tampere. The cargo bikes could be rented at an affordable price from local operators (Lootabikes; Willari), and some bikes were available on a self-service basis via the Lainappi app. More information.

CYCLING AGENTS, Tampere region
The city of Tampere has recruited volunteer cyclists to provide systematic feedback about winter maintenance of cycling routes. These cycling agents observe the conditions on their regular cycling journeys and report their observations at least once a week during the winter period. In 2025-2026, the cycling agent scheme has also been started in nearby municipalities of Pirkkala and Lempäälä. More information. – in Finnish only

ANNIKINKATU COMMUNITY CAR-SHARING, Tampere
Annikinkatu is a communal wooden housing block near the Tampere city centre, and it was originally built in early 1900s. The residents of Annikinkatu have self-organised a peer-to-peer car-sharing service, where shared cars are owned and operated by specific residents and available for all block residents to use via a digital booking calendar that one of the residents maintains. The service is not-for-profit and the fees for borrowing a car are collectively agreed, with the purpose to only cover the costs of fuel/electricity used and car maintenance. More information. – in Finnish only

GOMORE car-sharing service, various cities in Finland and Europe
GoMore is a Denmark-based company that provides a platform for peer-to-peer car-sharing. Car owners can register to the platform and rent out their car when they are not using it themselves. More information.

BICIZEN citizen science app, Tampere and Europe
BiciZen is a collaborative platform that allows users to share data and information about cycling, such as bicycle parking, theft, safety, conflicts with other road users, or obstructions in cycle paths. Cyclists can make suggestions for improvements to cycling infrastructure and report positive cycling experiences. The data collected on the BiciZen platform is open and free for anyone to use. The application has been created in collaboration with five European universities, including Tampere University. More information.

SPOTLOG project
The SPOTLOG project – Green and Socially Responsible City Logistics Innovations – aims at involving local communities in creating socially responsible logistics systems based on zero-carbon modes. This is done through the intelligent use of available resources and the digitalisation of goods and passenger transport services. SPOTLOG focuses on low-density communities and medium-sized cities, aiming to improve regional policy instruments toward Europe’s goals of inclusive and carbon-neutral mobility. More information.

KALEVANHARJU COMMUNITY GARDEN, Tampere
Kalevanharju Community Garden is an urban gardening project located in Kalevanharju, Tampere, on land owned by the local parish. The garden has been operating since spring 2014. The garden is based on shared cultivation in growing sacks and raised beds. Responsibilities such as watering and harvesting are shared among the participants. The community organises regular meetings and work sessions during the growing season. More information – in Finnish only.

REKOLA FARM AND CSA, Kangasala (Pirkanmaa region)
Rekola Biodynamic Farm runs one of Finland’s longest-standing CSA programs, established in 2008 and built around biodynamic vegetable production. The CSA supplies members with biweekly harvest shares containing a wide range of seasonal vegetables, grown on a two-hectare garden cultivating 30–40 varieties. Members pay for their share in advance, commit to regular pickup times, and receive produce. The model emphasizes shared risk, long-term cooperation, and direct farmer–consumer relationships, making the CSA a central component of Rekola’s community-focused food system. More information – in Finnish only.

HIRVITALO FOLK KITCHEN, Tampere
Hirvitalo Folk Kitchen is a volunteer-run, community-based food initiative operating at Hirvitalo, a nonprofit cultural space in the Pispala district of Tampere. The Folk Kitchen organizes a weekly vegan community meal, prepared collectively by volunteers who decide the menu, cook together, and serve affordable food on a pay what you can basis. The activity is non-commercial and rooted in solidarity, ecological values, and shared responsibility for food provision. More information – in Finnish only.

RUOKAHÄVIKKI TAMPERE JA LÄHIKUNNAT Facebook group of surplus food redistribution, Tampere region
A local Facebook group dedicated to reducing household food waste by enabling peer-to-peer redistribution of surplus food. The purpose of the group is to allow members to give away edible food items that would otherwise be discarded, as well as to share information and links related to food waste reduction. Participation is open, and food exchange takes place directly between private individuals without monetary transactions.

BLOKGARDEN urban farming consulting company, Tampere
Blokgarden is focusing on developing modular urban farming solutions that bring food production into cities. Its activities combine design, technology, and education to create scalable growing systems for rooftops, yards, public spaces, and temporary urban sites. Blokgarden works with cities, organizations, schools, and communities to support community garden initiatives, local food production, circular economy practices, and food system learning. More information – in Finnish only.

KAUPUNKILAISTEN OMA PELTO co-operative farm, Helsinki and Vantaa
The Herttoniemi Urban Cooperative Farm (Kaupunkilaisten Oma Pelto) is community supported agriculture (CSA) initiative in Helsinki region, run by the Herttoniemi food co-operative consisting of around 200 households. The co-operation collectively rents a field and employs professional growers (personal farmers) to produce food. Members pay an annual fee in advance to cover seeds, tools, and labour. During the harvest season, organically grown vegetables are delivered weekly to city distribution points for members to collect, and the season concludes with a shared harvest celebration. More information – in Finnish only.

HELSINKI HARVEST MAP, Helsinki
The Helsinki Harvest Map (Satokartta) is an online mapping project showing publicly accessible edible trees and shrubs in Helsinki. The initiative began in 2009 from an idea by a member of the Dodo, a Finnish environmental NGO, and developed from early mapping experiments and activities, such as a guided bicycle tour on urban foraging, into a publicly available online map in 2011. The project is based on the principle of Finland’s Everyone’s Rights, which allow the picking of edible plants in public spaces where no prohibitions apply. Although the map has not been actively updated since 2014, it remains freely available online. More information – in Finnish only.

RESTAURANT DAY, Finland
Restaurant Day (Ravintolapäivä) was a popular pop-up food carnival organized between 2011-2016 across Finland and later also internationally. On designated dates, anyone could set up a temporary restaurant, café, or food stand for a single day without formal registration anywhere they wanted. The day was an opportunity to expand their cooking hobby and offer their own delicacies to paying customers. More information.

REKO food circles, Finland
REKO is a Finnish model for selling and distributing local food in which consumers place orders directly with local producers, eliminating intermediaries. The system operates through closed Facebook groups that serve as ordering and communication platforms. Group administrators are volunteers who receive no financial compensation for their work. The model originated in Finland in 2013 and has since replicated rapidly. REKO groups are locally organized and typically hold regular delivery events where producers bring pre-ordered goods to a designated pick-up point. REKO circles have expanded significantly, with over 160–200 rings in Finland and hundreds of thousands of members participating in the system. More information.

FARMOI digital local food marketplace, Finland
Farmoi is recently established digital e-commerce platform that connects consumers directly with nearby farmers and producers. Producers can be also individuals producing the food products themselves. The platform removes intermediaries and enables customers to purchase fresh, locally sourced products through a mobile app or website. It emphasizes transparency, secure payments, and flexible delivery options such as pickup, meetups, REKO-style collection events, or home delivery. More information – in Finnish only.