Location: Finland



Alvari – Community Participation Mechanism

The city of Tampere in southern Finland, which has a population of 220,609 as of January 2014, created an integrated system for public participation called Alvari in 2007. Alvari serves as an advisory working group model enabling citizens to participate in city administration, thus promoting a bottom-up perspective to planning. The initiative created four advisory working …   Continue readingAlvari – Community Participation Mechanism

Collective Commitments to Implement Constitutional Right

Section 20 of the Constitution of Finland establishes a right to a healthy environment. Among other things, it places the responsibility for protecting the environment on the collective, stating that “Nature and its biodiversity, the environment and the national heritage are the responsibility of everyone.” A program developed by the Ministry of Environment seeks …   Continue readingCollective Commitments to Implement Constitutional Right

Harava, Web-based Participatory Planning

In 2009, the Finnish Government implemented the Action Programme on eServices and eDemocracy (SADe), a national development project designed to develop new tools for citizen participation and interaction in land use planning. Launched in June 2013 as part of SADe, Harava is an interactive map-based application being used by municipalities, cities, and local governments …   Continue readingHarava, Web-based Participatory Planning

Tarkkailija (“Observer”) – Web-Based Environmental Information Observer

Tarkkailija, a map-based web application launched in 2009, seeks to increase access to information regarding environmental and land use projects in different areas and cities by enabling interested parties to identify themes or locations that they would like the application to monitor. Once users specify the habitat, theme or plan that they would like to monitor, the web …   Continue readingTarkkailija (“Observer”) – Web-Based Environmental Information Observer

Research on Application of Finland’s Environmental Right

The project partners conducted a research project on the implementation of Section 20 of the Constitution of Finland, which provides, inter alia, that “The public authorities shall endeavour to guarantee for everyone the right to a healthy environment and for everyone the possibility to influence the decisions that concern their own living environment.” This research …   Continue readingResearch on Application of Finland’s Environmental Right

North-South Local Government Co-operation Programme between Finland and Tanzania

As a part of the North-South Local Government Co-operation Programme, the city of Tampere and its Tanzanian partner city of Mwanza have worked together to diminish the gap between Northern and Southern municipalities by opening a channel for cities to exchange knowledge, share policies and shape practices inspiring each other. Coordinated by the Association of Finnish …   Continue readingNorth-South Local Government Co-operation Programme between Finland and Tanzania

Nordic Environmental Protection Convention

The Nordic Environmental Protection Convention, which entered into force on 5 October 1976, promotes international cooperation in remedying transboundary environmental harm by, among other things, allowing reciprocal access to domestic legal remedies between residents of State Parties to the treaty. Article 2 of the Convention incorporates the principle of …   Continue readingNordic Environmental Protection Convention