Latest updates from the Smart Port City project

We are happy to share some of the events that highlight the next steps in the Smart Port City project!

Workshop: Citizens’ Linnanniemi

On May 16th we organised a dynamic workshop at the Forum Marinum to bring together citizens from diverse backgrounds to discuss the future developments of Linnanniemi and how digital tools or other forms of technology and data could enhance it.

The workshop was structured into two parts. In the first part, our project researchers presented the findings of the survey “Smart Port City: Smart Linnanniemi area”, which was conducted from October to December last year.

The second part of the workshop enabled workshop participants to delve deeper into the main themes that emerged from the analysis. These themes included:

  • Traffic
  • Urban planning & built environment
  • Environmental Sustainability
  • Services
  • Culture, art & history
  • Sea, river & the port
  • People

Ideas generated from the workshop discussions varied in their feasibility and potential impact on the Linnanniemi area. Some of the key insights included:

  • Pedestrian-Friendly Traffic Lights enhancing walkability and safety for pedestrians.
  • Maritime Zoo to make the marine theme more visible and engaging.
  • The innovative idea that the New Museum of History and the Future, as part of the development of Linnanniemi, could generate its own electricity.
  • Outdoor Gym as part of the Castle Park.
  • Commuter Services: Providing transportation options for those arriving at the harbour by private car.

Steering Group Meeting

Following the workshop, we presented the latest developments of our project at a steering group meeting held on May 29, 2024. Our research teams presented two conference papers and the preliminary outcomes of the Citizens’ Linnanniemi workshop, followed by an interactive discussion with the steering group members.

The first paper presented during the meeting is titled “Smart port city: digital interfaces for integrating urban infrastructure” and has been accepted to the 27th Nordic Academy of Management Conference, for the track: Creative & Liveable Cities: Planning, organising, governance, and participation. The authors of the paper are Anastasia Tsvetkova, Irina Wahlström, Kristel Edelman, Riikka Franzén, Yiran Chen, and Magnus Hellström.

The focus of the paper is the integration of physical and digital infrastructures in port cities. The analysis is based on key dimensions of smart cities and related interfaces, with the main outcome of the identification of key digital interfaces between the city and the port for balancing the smart city goals of urban and port authorities. The conference will take place from August 15-17, at the University of Iceland, Reykjavík. More information about the conference can be found at the following link: https://www.nff2024.is

The second paper presented during the meeting is titled “Smart cities on the waterfront: citizens’ perspectives on smart city in the context of a port city” and was presented at the 37th Bled eConference “Resilience Through Digital Innovation: Enabling the Twin Transition” in the track: Smart and Sustainable Cities and Digital Ethics. The authors of the paper are Kristel Edelman, Riikka Franzén, Irina Wahlström, Anastasia Tsvetkova, and Yiran Chen.

The paper takes a people-oriented approach on smart cities in a context of a port city and aims to understand how the smart city is perceive by its citizens based on the actual use of Linnanniemi area in Turku and expectations towards the development of this area. The findings emphasise the citizens’ wish for prioritising environmental sustainability and wellbeing in the development of the smart city in a context of a port city and show that improvements in traffic around the port area and urban planning are seen as most topical. The conference took place from June 9-12 in Bled, Slovenia. All published conference proceedings can be accessed from the following link: DOI:https://doi.org/10.18690/um.fov.4.2024

During the steering group meeting, we agreed on the timeframe and the next steps of the project. The next steering group meeting is scheduled for November 13, 2024, where we will discuss more precisely the final seminar of the Smart Port City project.

For more information about our project and how you can participate, visit: https://sites.utu.fi/smartportcity/ or contact us at smartportcity(a)utu.fi