City Design
Building our future together
Embracing changeUrban governance challenges
Adopting a people-first approach
The mentality of "we've always done it this way," slows innovation and hinders meaningful improvements. Overcoming this requires shifting focus from rigid processes to prioritizing the real needs of citizens.
How can you effectively put people first in urban development?
- Map out community needs using service design methods like workshops and ethnographic research.
- Foster co-design sessions with stakeholders to build consensus and innovative solutions.
- Establish feedback loops to continuously refine city services based on citizen input.
Ineffective cross-sector collaboration
Siloed operations and isolated departments often prevent cities from effectively meeting complex community needs. Without true collaboration, initiatives risk being misaligned and ineffective.
How to improve collaboration across departments and sectors?
- Use service blueprints to identify dependencies and facilitate integrated decision-making.
- Implement agile working models to enhance communication between different departments.
- Leverage multidisciplinary teams that align tech, design, and governance around shared objectives.
Managing complexity
Cities often struggle with understanding and managing the interconnected nature of urban systems, leading to fragmented efforts and limited results.
How can cities effectively manage complex transformations?
- Develop comprehensive service blueprints to visualize and coordinate city-wide changes.
- Implement clear governance structures to streamline decision-making processes.
- Use data-driven strategies to align transformation efforts with measurable outcomes and city priorities.
We're big on getting everyone involved.
By encouraging people to participate, embracing new ways of thinking, and breaking down the barriers to change, we're making strides toward cities ready for anything the future might throw at them. City design isn't just about solving today's issues but about setting up our cities to thrive long into the future.
City design helps create adaptive urban spaces by overcoming resistance to change, encouraging new thinking, and promoting inclusivity. By adopting fresh mindsets and involving stakeholders early, cities can better respond to residents' evolving needs and build future-ready environments.
Co-creation and city design puts us in a position to engage in discussions and interactions, breaking down barriers related to professions. Phenomena rarely found in cities are not typically solvable by a single profession or part of an organization; instead, they require the integration of various stakeholders. This necessitates the collective articulation of the question or challenge we are embarking on to solve.
Why we know what we're doing
Experience of working with cities
Only a few consultancies can reflect on a work history as long as ours. Working with numerous cities and stakeholders for over two decades helped us build a deep understanding of our public sector clients' work environments and challenges.
Workshop participants annually
A large part of our work relies on co-creation and facilitation. By working with internal stakeholders and citizens alike, our experts accumulate insights that allow cities to confidently plan for the future.
That’s what they said
Our clients give us the best feedback when they work with us again. Rumour has it that we're easy to get along with, and our way of working resonates with clients.
How do we approach city design to create adaptive urban spaces?
City Design projects vary in topics, complexity, and budgets and may span weeks, months, or even years. We actively engage various stakeholders in our city design projects to promote a shared understanding and foster dialogue. We place a particular emphasis on considering the employee experience of city staff, as it is crucial for the success and impact of our projects. By incorporating diverse perspectives and prioritizing effectiveness, we create city design solutions that make a tangible difference in the urban environment.
Stakeholder involvement
Development & Impact
- CX consulting in city context
- Research & insights in city context
- Transformation consulting & Organisational design
- Concepting new services (physical/digital)
- Design of leadership models and processes
Facilitation & Co-creation
- Workshops and co-creation
- Empowering cross-administrative co-operation
- Co-design for multidimensional problem solving
- Design sprints & hackathons
- Modern Platforms
- Research & Insights
Mentoring & Training
- Mentoring programs for designers and non-designers
- Mentoring of internal development work
Some of our clients
Helsinki City I HYTE
City of Tampere
Helsinki City I Hel.fi
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