Description
Description (EN): Augmented Urbans (AU) refers to strengthening the integration of three aspects in urban planning: timeframe, participation and technology. It improves stakeholder participation and linkage between the long-term visions and short-term actions in the cities for enhancing urban resilience. For this, new extended reality technologies (XR; including AR, VR & MR) are explored and utilised as tools as they hold great potential for supporting urban planning processes in guiding discussions, and providing immersive scenarios. The CB region obtains high level expertise in these. Cities have identified need for better integrated participatory urban management and bridging their long term visions and objectives into practical urban development actions. In response, the AU provides a cross-border collaboration platform for CB cities addressing integrated urban planning for resilience-building in multiple local contexts, and gathering experience-based knowledge needed to make the region a frontrunner in novel urban development strategies. In AU, planners from different cities are co-developing for better integrated urban management process while working on local plans (engagement of planners and experts visible in the budget). A shared Matrix of indicators for urban resilience is co-developed and new technologies aid in creating a space for interaction between city officials and local actors. On practical level, Local Actions to create urban plans are run in each city with two iterations and supported by a multidisciplinary Advisory Board. The context, objectives and findings of each round are co-defined and shared in interregional Planners Forum events. Cities have an opportunity to adopt methods from their peers planning and implementation cases to streamline the response to emerging common challenges. Five integrated urban management plans are developed, aiding the CB to move towards more resilient and sustainable. Gained insights are shared via existing networks.
Read more Achievements (EN): Augmented Urbans improved urban planning:
The Augmented Urbans project focused cooperation efforts on three important aspects of the urban planning: local participation and involvement of stakeholders, urban resilience and applying new technologies (XR).
1. CO-DEVELOPING OF PARTICIPATORY PLANNING PROCESSES AND INTEGRATED PLANS FOR URBAN RESILIENCE:
Five integrated urban plans were co-created in the following local actions sites.
TALLINN. The diversity of bees and insects, of which over ten are protected species, inspired the urban planners to focus on pollinators as a central concept in the development of the urban area. Landscape architecture solution largely consisted of meadows and sustainable mobility options.
Important part of the urban planning was activating local community by gardening activities, organizing events.
AvaLinn AR application updated and tested. People can walk on site and point their phones on a mural and receive extra information about city plans for the future of the area.
Read more on Tallin local action area: https://augmentedurbans.metropolia.fi/local-action-in-tallinn-estonia/
Read more about the current developments on Tallinn local action area (maintained by B.Green project) https://www.putukavail.ee/?lang=en
VIIMSI. Project addressed challenges related to sustainable mobility, environmental resilience and access to public services of Viimsi as one of the fastest-growing municipalities in Estonia (namely Haabmeeme main street). Haabneeme Main Street vision and contributions for the Haabneeme Master Plan, stakeholder interactions were accomplished during the project. Also the survey made and 3D model, 360 visualisations and videos developed together with an interactive portal of the site for communicating the plan to local stakeholders.
Visualisation platform of the Haabneeme General Plan: https://haabneeme.viimsi.ee/
Newsletter to the local inhabitants about the project activities in Viimsi: http://database.centralbaltic.eu/sites/default/files/Augmented%20Urbans_Viimsi_newspaper_2020_EST.pdf
Read more about the Viimsi local action area: https://augmentedurbans.metropolia.fi/local-action-in-viimsi-estonia/
CESIS. A thematic plan for Gauja river surroundings was developed. Project contribution: a holistic approach of collecting environmental data of the biotopes, stakeholder inputs from a variety of stakeholder groups (both via events & online platform), innovation actions to find new business opportunities on-site and combining these into spatial concept designs by architect students.
Read more about the Cesis local action area: https://augmentedurbans.metropolia.fi/local-action-in-cesis-latvia/
Thematic plan of Gauja surroundings: http://database.centralbaltic.eu/sites/default/files/CESIS%20Thematic%20planning%20Gauja.pdf
HELSINKI. Teollisuuskatu outline plan and participatory methods for outline planning process previously undefined. Utilising three pop-up events, surveys and VR visualisations to facilitate stakeholder participation.
Read more about the Helsinki local action area: https://augmentedurbans.metropolia.fi/local-action-in-helsinki-finland/
GÄVLE. Management plan for outdoors areas in Gavlegårdarna housing areas, and biodiversity supporting management practices that can be applied to the other properties as well. workshops and events with both tenants and outdoor maintenance personnel were organised, practical actions to engage tenants with their surroundings such as mini gardens, planting meadows, setting up bee hotels and habitats.
Read more about the Gävle local action area: https://augmentedurbans.metropolia.fi/local-action-in-gavle-sweden/
While working with the planning, the project had active cooperation with students and universities. It was designed in a way that project-inspired challenges embedded within university courses, have facilitated collaboration between urban planners and students. The students have also participated in the project activities as interns with various project-related tasks.
The student involvement has provided Augmented Urbans with fresh ideas and perspectives. Student concepts are often not burdened by the conventions of designing certain things or the day-to-day procedures of the city administration.
You can read more about this cooperation and the concrete out of box outcome in Cēsis, Gävle, Tallinn and Helsinki here: https://augmentedurbans.metropolia.fi/collaborating-with-universities/
2. URBAN RESILIENCE WITHIN PARTNER REGIONS AND THE CB AREA:
Project partners had special focus on resilience aspects in 7 local sites. The aim was to develop the Matrix of Indicators which would make the concept of resilience more comprehensible and applicable to planners. The matrix was developed to be used more as a pedagogic tool to identify resilience-thinking and sustainability values in each Local Action site and bring those forward for joint discussion to crystallise the policy recommendations.
The final version of the Matrix of Indicators consists of the seven resilience principles where the users are asked “Do the plan and process address the seven principles and how?”. Secondly, users are asked to fill out the four sustainability dimensions by describing the following aspects:
factors & planning actions that support sustainability,
unsustainable factors and
remaining questions.
By pointing out unsustainable factors, it is possible to map out aspects that still need to be addressed in the future.
More information on project experience working on this you can read here https://augmentedurbans.metropolia.fi/the-matrix-of-indicators-process-and-results/
The fillable PDF version of the Matrix-of-Indicators can access here: http://database.centralbaltic.eu/sites/default/files/Matrix-of-Indicators-empty-fillable.pdf
3. INCREASING PLANNERS EXPERTISE OF XR AS A TOOL IN DEVELOPMENT FOR RESILIENT CITIES :
The Augmented Urbans project has explored ways for extended reality (XR) technologies to support integrated urban planning. The current project has developed and tested twelve XR tools in seven Central Baltic cities and municipalities within this project.
Practice-based insights collected throughout the project; from its reports, workshop discussions and presentations by the partner urban planners and other experts are presented in the articles available here: https://augmentedurbans.metropolia.fi/augmenting-urban-planning-and-management/
Read more
Website: http://centralbaltic.eu/
Expected Results (EN): R2.3. Share of urban areas covered with integrated urban management
Expected Outputs (EN): As the main result project results in 5 integrated urban management plans dealing with resilience through re-activation and re-envisioning areas and neighborhoods, one in each partner city. Local stakeholders relevant for each plan are closely included in realising these. By using these local processes as test labs; by sharing notes and findings with peers from other partner cities in three the Planners Forums; and by including coaching from a multidisciplinary Advisory Board, the planning process itself is also observed and developed from the perspectives of creating better opportunities for stakeholder participation and quality interaction. Result indicator: 5 integrated urban plans developed, one in each partner city.
Project will have wider input to BSR policy level, by close cooperation with VASAB and CSPD/BSR,
making the region a front-runner in novel urban development strategies, fostering:
1) Definitions of sustainability and resilience, challenges and possible solutions in the BSR.
2) Parallel implementation scenarios of plans.
3) Policy recommendations based on developed matrix of indicators to be shared on local, interregional and macro-regional levels (presented in Urban planners network and to VASAB).
4) Expertise exchange both on local and interregional level, contribution to implementation from new stakeholders.
5) Working methods for utilising MR technologies in the integrated urban management and recommendations in which cases and state of the planning process they’d be best utilised.
6) MR visualisations of the case areas, and the possibility to modify them (new in the world of novel technologies, and to planning processes).
7) MR scenarios of the cities in the future, aimed to guide planning and decision-making.
8) Communications of insights gained, interactive exhibitions, video reports, articles, scientific articles.
Local Actions, total city land area.
Helsinki 214.21 km2;
Tallinn 159.2 km2;
Gävle 42.45 km2;
Cēsis 19.28 km2;
Viimsi 72.84 km.
Read more
Thematic information
Specific Objective:
Better urban planning in the Central Baltic region
Thematic Objective:
(06) preserving and protecting the environment and promoting resource efficiency by:
Investment Priority:
(06e) taking action to improve the urban environment, to revitalise cities, regenerate and decontaminate brownfield sites (including conversion areas), reduce air pollution and promote noise-reduction measures
Partners (10)
Lead Partner:
Metropolia Ammattikorkeakouli Oy
Department:
Cultural Services
Address:
Bulevardi 31, 100 Helsinki, Finland
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.metropolia.fi/en/
Total budget:
EUR 472 977.98
ERDF budget:
EUR 348 300.98
-
Stockholms Universitet
-
Name:
Stockholms Universitet
Department:
Stockholm Resilience Centre
Address:
Kräftriket 2B, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.stockholmresilience.org
Total budget:
EUR 31 460.09
ERDF budget:
EUR 23 595.07
-
Viimsi Vallavalitsus
-
Name:
Viimsi Vallavalitsus
Address:
Nelgi street 1, 74001 Viimsi, Estonia
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.viimsivald.ee
Total budget:
EUR 147 000.35
ERDF budget:
EUR 124 950.30
-
Rīgas plānošanas reģions
-
Name:
Rīgas plānošanas reģions
Address:
Z.A.Meierovica blvd. 18, LV 1050 Riga, Latvia
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.rpr.gov.lv
Total budget:
EUR 99 999.66
ERDF budget:
EUR 84 999.71
-
Högskolan i Gävle
-
Name:
Högskolan i Gävle
Department:
Faculty of Engineering and Sustainable Development
Address:
Kungbäcksvägen 47, SE-801 76 Gävle, Sweden
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.hig.se/Ext/En/University-of-Gavle.html
Total budget:
EUR 374 540.04
ERDF budget:
EUR 280 905.03
-
Tallinna Ülikool
-
Name:
Tallinna Ülikool
Department:
Centre for Landscape and Culture
Address:
Narva mnt 25, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.tlu.ee/en/Centre-for-Landscape-and-Culture
Total budget:
EUR 162 841.38
ERDF budget:
EUR 138 415.17
-
Tallinna linn
-
Name:
Tallinna linn
Department:
Tallinn Urban Planning Department
Address:
Vabaduse väljak 7, 15198 Tallinn, Estonia
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.tallinn.ee/est/ehitus/
Total budget:
EUR 144 353.88
ERDF budget:
EUR 122 700.80
-
Cēsu novads
-
Name:
Cēsu novads
Address:
Bērzaines iela 5, LV-4101 Cēsis, Latvia
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.cesis.lv/en
Total budget:
EUR 218 802.70
ERDF budget:
EUR 185 982.30
-
Helsingin kaupunki
-
Name:
Helsingin kaupunki
Department:
City Planning Department
Address:
Kansakoulukatu 3, 100 Helsinki, Finland
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.hel.fi/www/helsinki/en
Total budget:
EUR 165 155.28
ERDF budget:
EUR 123 866.46
-
AV Gavlegårdarna
-
Name:
AV Gavlegårdarna
Address:
Utanvindsvägen 1, 80106 Gävle, Sweden
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.gavlegardarna.se
Total budget:
EUR 212 592.20
ERDF budget:
EUR 159 444.15
