Design helped create a Climate Change Map

The Helsinki City Hall turned into a Climate School to teach about climate action. As a result of the week, various topics were combined into a visual Climate Change Map.

The Helsinki City Hall turned into a Climate School to teach about climate action. As a result of the week, various topics were combined into a visual Climate Change Map.

The school was open to all and encompassed lessons and workshops by top specialists on the subject. Pupils from the Merilahti and Ressu comprehensive schools attended the Climate School during the week, working on their sustainable development ideas to produce a Climate Change Map.

Deputy Mayor of Helsinki Anni Sinnemäki received the map made by the attendants on Friday, 13 September. LINK Design and Development, a design agency that supported the co-design with engagement methods, handed out the map to the City.

Design and dialogue help perceive climate change from a new perspective

The school kids worked on the map in workshops for three days and addressed the topic from three different perspectives, starting from the root causes of climate change and moving on to the level of the city and individual influence.

The specialists presenting research results engaged with the kids facilitated by service design professionals. During the interactive design process, the bits and pieces were combined into an integrated, visual Climate Change Map. The idea of LINK Design and Development was to create a synthesis of specialist knowledge and kids’ individual observations and experiences.

School kids imagined what a front page of a newspaper might look like in 2035.

The first part of the map addresses the systemic challenge. This involved looking for effects and means to impact climate change. On the second day, the kids created imaginary local news about carbon-neutral Helsinki in 2035. On the third day, the topic was people and society, and the kids provided concrete ideas on how to influence and participate in change making.

The three sections of the Climate Change Map:

Future-oriented thinking as part of climate influenceThe lessons at the City Hall culminated on Friday when the pupils of the Arabia comprehensive school used the Futures School method to work on their sustainable development ideas. Their work was guided by the registered association behind the Futures School, Tulevaisuuskoulu ry.

Futures School initiates kids of various ages with futures thinking and foresight by taking them on a fun and fascinating journey to alternative futures According to the association, it is useful for anybody to develop their forecasting and futures skills. Information about futures research is available at Annantalo in the Future Lab exhibition until the end of this year.

The Climate School was organized by the City of Helsinki and Helsinki Design Week in cooperation with Aalto University, the University of Helsinki and Urban Academy.

Helsinki takes its climate change responsibility seriously. An ambitious target of the City’s strategy is to achieve a carbon neutral Helsinki by the year 2035.

Interested in further information?

Read about Climate School.

Project director of Helsinki’s emission reduction programme Kaisa-Reeta Koskinen’s presentation at the Climate School: What Will It Take for Helsinki to Become Carbon Neutral (and Is It Even Possible)?

Climate School lessons on the Helsinki channel