EDUCATION
Cities in Transition Philippines Tagbilaran
Teachers Taru Niskanen Charlotte Nyholm Prof. Trevor Harris Ecosystem Aalto University Nagoya Institute of Technology Bohol Island State University Tagbilaran City Planning Office Bohol Provincial Government
The Cities in Transition course has run under different names since 1993. The course aims to teach students about the environmental, economic, cultural and social impacts of development, architecture and urban planning. Collaborating with universities, NGOs and municipal and national authorities helps students gain a broader understanding of the local context, but also aims at long-term capacity building in the host country. Each year the course takes on real life cases in a city in the developing world. In previous years the field trip, which forms an essential part of the course, has taken students to Senegal, Benin, Cambodia and Tansania. Successfully realised student projects from previous years include the Women’s Center in Rufisque, Senegal, the Sra Pou Vocational School in Udong, Cambodia, Kouk Khleang Youth Center in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and the Sanitation Improvement and Social Enterprise project in Dar Es Salaam, Tansania. After completing the course students are able to understand the realities of life and conditions of professional work in an urban context outside Europe.
Bohol Revival Project 2016 is the second time that Cities in Transition collaborates with Nagoya Institute of Technology from Japan focusing on Bohol Island in the Philippines. The Bohol Revival Project delves into urban planning and architecture related challenges in the fast growing city of Tagbilaran that faces frequent natural disasters. Data collection and analysis were conducted during an intense two-week field trip hosted by Bohol Island State University in January, after which students continued their design work back in Finland until May. This year, particular attention was paid to studying public life in the city of Tagbilaran and assessing traffic and walkability.
Project Research BohoMove – ICT-Assisted Smart Transit Service for Tagbilaran Janne Salo Living with the Sea – Incremental Development of Informal Settlements in Tagbilaran Kiira Piiroinen, Hannele Cederström ZONE2: Developing Economic Potentials & Liveability for Future Twin Cities Antuané Nieto-Linares Reclaiming the City – Place-Making and Participation for A More Livable Tagbilaran Sophie Regal Our Tagbilaran – A Resource for Infromation Sharing and Citizen Empowerment Johanna Marttila Activating potential in downtown Tagbilaran – from car friendly to pedestrian friendly Fabio Latino Bridging the Gap – Connecting Tagbilaran and Panglao Island Theophile Paquet The Plaza Rizal of Tagbilaran Lotta Nylund
RESEARCH & INNOVATION
Digital Opportunities Digital Opportunities is an ecosystem formation project addressing the development of a low-barrier digital service platform especially for citizens living in informal communities. We aim at designing and developing services for sustainable business in emerging markets. Havana Youth Project Research Technology and Service Adoption for Youth Services in Namibia Asnath Kambunga A challenge-based approach to promoting digital entrepreneurship: A case study of youth in an informal settlement of Windhoek Shetuyeni Angula Promoting Citizen Journalism (to diffuse Innovation) in an Informal Settlement of Windhoek Marly Samuel
Time Bank: A Promising Solution for Emerging Markets. Case study of a Namibian Informal Settlement Nabot Natanael Technology design for social change: Selfactualization of marginalized unemployed Namibian Youth using a Participatory Design Approach Shilumbe Chivuno-Kuria
People Marko Nieminen Heike WinschiersTheophilus Teija Lehtonen Pietari Keskinen Ecosystem
Namibia Havanna
Aalto University Namibia University of Science and Technology Funding Partners Tekes Ministry for Foreign Affairs
RESEARCH & INNOVATION
New Global Integrates interdisciplinary research and new business development to co-create the sustainable business solutions of tomorrow
Testing processes for engaging multiple stakeholders in developing sustainability solutions
Co-creating: Participatory design for urban densification, a collaboration with city of Stone Town, Zanzibar
Partnering locally: Smart solar micro grids, a collaboration with social enterprise Boond Engineering in India
Working with Finnish companies: Understanding new markets and opportunities for innovation
The world needs hands-on solutions to wicked problems such as climate change, resource scarcity and poverty. Frugal innovation responds to the challenge by doing more with less and by creating smart, business-driven and sustainable solutions. With a strategic view, Finnish private sector needs to engage in frugal innovation and increasingly provide holistic and sustainable solutions in emerging markets. Such solutions may lead to disruptive new approaches to service provision also in Europe, i.e. reverse innovation. New Global aims at identifying pathways that enable such solutions to emerge. New Global‘s researchers study pioneering cases of frugal innovation globally. They initiate, support and develop new innovation processes together with Finnish companies and benchmark innovation facilitation processes in collaboration with a wide network of international partners. New Global: Co-Creating Frugal and Reverse Innovation in Complex Global Systems • An interdisciplinary innovation and action research project run in 2014-2018 • Funded by the Finnish National Innovation Fund, Tekes, as a Big Strategic Opening project • Aalto University School of Business, Engineering, Science & Design and Architecture participate
Innovation Themes
Research Themes
Energy Affordable solar powered smart micro grids. New business models for African forestry sector. Housing Affordable housing solutions and participatory design for urban densification.
• Frugal and reverse innovation • Business models • Impact and sustainability • Technical research on frugal solutions • Circular economy • Co-creation, design and innovation processes
Water Processes towards frugal water solutions.
sara.lindeman@aalto.fi newglobal.aalto.fi
EDUCATION
India Mumbai
People Vishal Singh Teija Lehtonen
Affordable Housing in the Digital Era Affordable housing remains one of the biggest societal challenges, especially in developing countries like India that has a large population with high income inequality. This project aims to approach the affordable housing challenge by looking at the various opportunities enabled by digitalisation. How can digitalisation support affordable housing?
Partners
Varied roles of digitalisation in construction sector and implications for affordable housing will be explored, such as:
Aalto University
• Digital design and construction
IIT Bombay
• Performance monitoring and lifecycle management
CIMO, Finland Contact Vishal.Singh@aalto.fi Department of Civil Engineering, Aalto University
• Skill development and training through digital media
Design
Construction
Design for X Prefabrication Maintenance Design management Design for manufacture & assembly
Lean construction Production management Field computing Logistics & supply chain Direct digital manufacturing
Building Information Modeling & Internet of Things As Enabling Technologies
• Services and new business models for built environment
Ecosystem
Currently the project has started with an educational exchange between Aalto University and IIT Bombay, supported by CIMO. This will be expanded into action research in partnership with Finnish and Indian industry partners.
Macro-ecosystem (Market, policies, training & education) Micro-ecosystem (Project & stakeholder management)
Use & Maintenance
Space as a service Performance monitoring, tracking & control Operations & maintenance Energy, health & wellbeing
EDUCATION
Aalto LAB Mexico Mexico Calakmul
Aalto LAB Mexico aims to improve the quality of life in a rural Mayan community of El 20 de Noviembre in Calakmul, Mexico. A wide range of disciplines collaborate with the aim of decreasing social injustice whilst raising awareness of cultural values and the environmental sustainability of the community. This is achieved by empowering the community through co-design and design thinking methods.
Pictures Jan Ahlstedt
To ensure that water is managed sustainably in El 20 both now and in the future ALM is educating children about sanitation, hygiene and water resources management through fun activities at school. The aim is to positively affect long-term behavior of children, their parents, and eventually all inhabitants of the community.
Manual for Water Quality Testing The manual is made to provide detailed instructions for water quality testing on site. The aim of water testing is to generate knowledge and understanding of water quality and to investigate the influence of toilets on the contamination of ground water as well as give recommendations about sanitation systems, rain water collection and water purification.
Academic Partners
Three core ALM projects: 1. Artesanía para el Bienestar – handicraft for wellbeing 2. Eco-hostel / La Casita – an archetype of a sustainable house for El 20 with traditional Mayan construction techniques 3. Water system: Cuxta-Há – securing safe drinking water and water saving sanitation systems 2012
2013
Aalto LAB / Mexico
Cuxta-Há
Aalto LAB / Mexico
2014
2015
2016
ALM16 Labbers
ALM16 Mentors
Supported by
Aalto University
University of Mexico (UNAM)
Christine Everaars
Claudia Garduño
Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education
Monterrey Center for Higher Learning of Design (CEDIM)
Mikael Hyövälti
Anni Hapuoja
Maa- ja vesitekniikan tuki ry
Ville Lindgren
Matleena Muhonen
Fazer
Mexico City Campus
Technological University of Calakmul
Mareike Rohrdrommel
National Autonomous
Roy Snellman Philipp Tost
Orthex
ALM / 2015 (Agua Viva)
SGT Programme
ALM16: Education about Water
EDUCATION
UniWASH Uganda Acholiland
UniWASH is a 3-year multi-stakeholder innovation project launched by UNICEF in 2014. The project aims to realise and protect children’s rights to adequate sanitation and hygiene in rural Ugandan schools in collaboration with university students and the private sector.
Pictures Aalto & University of Helsinki students Aalto Participants IDBM PDP Creative Sustainability Sustainable Global Technologies Project Partners UNICEF Finland UNICEF Uganda Makerere University University of Helsinki Biolan Ltd.
Challenge Having access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is a fundamental human right. In Uganda, primary schools in rural areas struggle with overutilisation and poor maintenance of scarce facilities, preventing the realisation of children’s rights during the school day. School latrines in particular are too few, dirty and often non-functional as they fill up quickly and are not regularly emptied due to limited financial resources. Because of this, a number of preventable illnesses such as diarrhoea, typhoid and cholera persist, complicating the children’s efforts to complete their primary education. Through co-creation and a human rights-based approach, students developed three concepts that answer to the challenge by turning the latrines’ human waste into fertiliser.
Three concepts for human waste-based fertiliser (HWBF) School demonstration garden – The school and parents own and operate a composting site that produces HWBF. The fertiliser can be either sold or used in school gardens. Produced crops can be sold or used to feed pupils. Sales income covers composting site maintenance and latrine emptying costs. Latrines are emptied by trucks from major towns. Small-scale business – A handful of community members run a small business that empties latrines, composts human waste and sells HWBF. They use low cost equipment such as common farming tools and gulpers to operate the compost and empty latrines. To capture value, they charge a small fee for emptying latrines. Small and medium-sized enterprise – An existing company from outside the community controls all the steps along the value chain of making HWBF. The company does not, however, have to perform all the steps on its own. For example, an emptying company can do the emptying, and hire and supervise people from the community to perform the other tasks.
CAPACITY BUILDING
ENhANCE Tanzania Dar es Salaam Ethiopia Addis Ababa
Team Members Edward Mutafungwa Beneyam B. Haile Dereje Hailemariam Harald Kundaeli Ecosystem Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, Addis Ababa University College of ICT, University of Dar es Salaam Aalto University
The ENhANCE project, short for Enhancing Education and Research in Networking and Communications Engineering, was organised in 2013-2015 between Aalto University, Addis Ababa Institute of Technology and the University of Dar es Salaam to address the need for high-quality ICT expertise in Tanzania and Ethiopia.
The effective use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) can significantly contribute to, and accelerate progress in private sector development and overall socio-economic advancement. Here, building local capacity in ICT research, education and innovation as well as strengthening the linkages between these three cornerstones of the so-called “knowledge triangle� becomes a key issue. The two-year ENhANCE project took place in the countries of Tanzania and Ethiopia, which both have a critical need for well-trained, highly skilled and innovative graduates in ICT disciplines. Moreover, there is a demand for high-quality ICT research conducted in local institutions to address challenges and priorities specific to those countries. Ideally, the research is facilitated through tight collaboration between local industry and government entities. Together, team members from Aalto University, Addis Ababa Institute of Technology and the University of Dar es Salaam worked toward these goals and, in the end, introduced new
Example propagation modelling of Addis Ababa within the WinProp environment. The WinProp training workshops were among the key project activities.
study programs in the area of communications and networks, launched industry outreach initiatives and strengthened the research environment through the transfer of research tools.
EDUCATION
153 709 Arrivals of refugees fleeing through Lesvos, Greece, with the majority coming from war torn Syria and Afghanistan, in 2016 alone.
~ 300 000 More than three hundred thousand life jackets have been abandoned on the coast of Lesvos Island.
ECO DISASTER The life jackets piling on the island are environmental time bombs according to Mytilene Mayor.
The Lift project is an initiative started by four students from Aalto University as part of the Sustainable Global Technologies program. The project aims to respond to the humanitarian and environmental crisis on Lesvos, Greece that occurred due to the large migration of refugees into Europe. The Lift project strives to physically lift life jackets and other debris from Lesvos beaches, develop ideas to lift found materials from their original to upcycled designs, and lift the mindset of Finland towards a positive perception of refugees. Teaming up with a Lesvos based NGO, Lighthouse Relief, our group traveled to the site for 10 days. We worked on situation assessment, beach cleaning and volunteering in Moria camp, the main registration for refugees on the island. The island has been hard hit. This was evident when on a typical day, we didn’t need to go very far off from the local port in Northern Lesvos, to collect a 4 meter long dinghy full of trash in just a few hours. Life jackets, dinghy debris, bottles, clothes and at times even lost personal IDs could be found scattered throughout the rocky coast. The locals, famously welcoming and equally talkative, have openly shared their perspectives. Among them were stories of business losses of over 80% in the tourism industry, one of the main economies supporting the island, undoubtedly due to the state of the island. Many local fishermen have
also vigilantly sacrificed their catches of the day to rescue drowning refugees. The trip was a success in that we achieved and learned so much more than we had hoped. Three coastal areas were cleared of debris, site research and assessment was a success and we established solid partnerships with two local NGOs through volunteering and friendly interviews. Our stay shed a significant light to our project and personal lives, as the underlying issues were all heavily linked to much deeper, more ethical questions. Nevertheless, we strive to be a piece of the puzzle towards positivity and change, big or small, working on upcycling possibilities and exhibiting our work here in Helsinki, hoping to share our story with you. Team: Eve Zorawska Melanie Wolowiec Oona Anttila facebook.com/liftlesvos liftlesvos.wix.com
SGT Programme
Greece Lesvos
THE LIFT PROJECT: LESVOS
EDUCATION, RESEARCH & INNOVATION
Aalto Impact Ecosystem Aalto impact ecosystem brings together students, teachers, researchers and aspiring entrepreneurs who wish to work on global sustainability themes. Research and innovation activities focus on sustainable innovations and business in emerging markets. Students work with societal actors in real-life learning environments. Keywords: Sustainable innovation, Emerging markets, Societal entrepreneurship
PROJECTS
Aalto Global Impact Promotes and facilitates Aalto University’s research and educational programmes for societal impact globally.
New Global
Impact Iglu
Integrates interdisciplinary research and new business development to co-create the sustainable business solutions of tomorrow.
Supports entrepreneurs who do business to solve societal challenges.
Digital Opportunities
STUDY PROGRAMMES
Creates an innovation ecosystem which develops digital services for citizens living in informal communities.
CS
IDBM
SGT
Creative Sustainability master’s programme focuses on ecological, social and economic sustainability challenges and solutions. It offers multidisciplinary courses and a real-life sustainability project with an enterprise, NGO or public sector.
International Design Business Management master’s programme comprises international and multidisciplinary courses accompanied by a six-month industry project in collaboration with organisations from all over the world.
Sustainable Global Technologies programme runs a set of cross-disciplinary courses that look at the diverse connections between sustainability and technology in developing context. Student projects highlight environmental, social and cultural aspects of sustainable development.
EDUCATION
Café Impact Finland Helsinki Team Oona Casalegno Jonna Härmävaara Sara Nyyssölä Yunkun Niu Emilio Zamudio Mentors Teija Lehtonen Hani Tarabichi
The concept of Café Impact is a response to the rising need for solutions to smoothen refugees’ integration process in Finland. It is a perfect meeting point for locals and newcomers to create the future together. Café Impact is all about facilitating free and open events for everyone, focusing on entrepreneurship, cultures and languages, while offering an international café atmosphere and delicacies. By offering opportunities for people to meet spontaneously, both relating to work and spare time, the aim is to support unexpected encounters of people from all over the world. The five-member student team was asked to design a service to help entrepreneurially minded refugees start companies and integrate more efficiently into the Finnish society. The research conducted in autumn 2015 revealed that this can only be accomplished through a two-way integration process. This led the team to look into opportunities of self-actualisation through entrepreneurship in a wider context – for both locals and newcomers. The idea for creating an activity hub was originally the result of a co-creative brainstorming session with refugees and it was later formulated into the concept of Café Impact.
Methods The final concept of an impactful café was the outcome of several tools: • Ideation with Six Thinking Hats, Lego Serious Play and scenario planning • Workshops with refugees and design-thinking partners • Inspiration trip to Berlin • Attending and hosting events, including a pilot event “Women, Work & Wow” at Laituri on 28 April 2016. • Building on each other’s ideas with a curious approach to what is happening in the world and how to make it better. The team learnt that creating change without involving the locals is more difficult. The key is building a robust community with a social network and facilitating cross-cultural events to boost integration.
CAPACITY BUILDING
Vagalhão Vagalhão was a collaborative capacity-building project on sustainable and Mozambique clean forest technologies between Aalto University and Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (UEM) in Mozambique between April 2013 and April 2015.
Team Members Roope Husgafvel Andrade Egas Olli Dahl Mikko Martikka Ecosystem Aalto University Universidade Eduardo Mondlane Sol Nascente project HEI CI by CIMO Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
In the Vagalhão project long-time development partners Finland and Mozambique came together at the university level to transfer skills and knowledge related to sustainability and clean technologies in the forest sector.
The project’s main goal was to build UEM’s capacity for sustainability and clean technologies in order for it to play a bigger role in the local development work. The project involved multiple partners including Aalto’s Department of Forest Products Technology, UEM’s Department of Forest Engineering, governmental institutions and the private sector. Between April 2013 and April 2015, the project partners developed a study module along with the associated curriculum, designed and completed expert training and improved UEM’s capacity for service production. For the education to meet both current and future needs of the Mozambican forest industry, hands-on workshops and field excursions were organised in Finland and Mozambique, bringing the participants together for mutual knowledge sharing and co-creation. The Vagalhão project was organised as part of CIMO’s Higher Education Institutions Institutional Cooperation Instrument (HEI ICI) and was funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.
CAPACITY BUILDING
CELRE Nepal and Ethiopia
Key Persons Liisa Halonen Pramod Bhusal Diwakar Bista Tassew Tadiwose Ecosystem Aalto University Kathmandu University Bahir Dar University Funding HEI ICI, CIMO Supported by official development aid from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
CELRE, better known as Curricula Development for Efficient Lighting and Renewable Energy Technology, was a two-year project aiming to support Nepal and Ethiopia in improving their energy efficiency in the field of lighting techniques.
The overall objective of the project was to develop an efficient lighting management curricula for Nepalese and Ethiopian academia to support the countries’ efforts in improving the efficiency of their energy usage in lighting techniques. The project enabled partner institutions in Nepal and Ethiopia to provide employment-oriented education and to make sure the standards and quality of education are competitive locally and globally. Through developing an energy efficient lighting curricula, the project contributed to easing the lack of expertise and knowledge in the field which could be utilized to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy use in the partner countries. The awareness raising and knowledge transfer among the lighting professionals, experts, and industry during the project is expected to drive the demand for advanced efficient lighting solutions in Nepal and Ethiopia to accompany the need to save energy, utilise renewable energy and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.