Projects

ChemClimCircle2

The Cities of Turku and Helsinki participate in the international ChemClimCircle2 project, which aims to develop public procurement processes that simultaneously address climate impact reduction, the reduction of harmful chemicals, and the promotion of the circular economy. The project develops a shared operating model and practical tools to integrate these objectives into municipal procurement processes. The project runs from 2025 to 2028.

Read more about Helsinki’s role on the city’s website
Read more about Turku’s role on the city’s website (in Finnish)

TUKHUK

TUKHUK is a collaboration between Turku University of Applied Sciences and the City of Turku, focusing on developing a real-time and comprehensive monitoring system for the quantity and quality of stormwater. The aim is to produce extensive data on stormwater behaviour and use it to better target management measures, particularly in sensitive and critical areas. The project also seeks to create data-driven approaches for preparing for extreme weather events and to advance stormwater management to meet both research and end-user needs. The project runs from 2024 to 2028.

Read more on the website of Turku University of Applied Sciences

RESIST – Regions for Climate Change Resilience Through Innovation, Science, and Technology

The RESIST project promotes regional adaptation to climate change by developing nature-based solutions and advancing their implementation in water management in both urban and rural areas. In the Southwest Finland sub-project, partners include Valonia (Regional Council of Southwest Finland), the City of Turku, Turku University of Applied Sciences, the University of Turku, and the Natural Resources Institute Finland. International partners include the Normandy region in France and Eastern Macedonia and Thrace in Greece. The overall RESIST project brings together 57 partners from 13 European countries. The project runs from 2023 to 2027.

Read more on the City of Turku’s website (in Finnish)

BALTIPLAST

BALTIPLAST was a three-year project (2023–2025) funded by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region programme, aiming to reduce unnecessary single-use plastic consumption through circular economy solutions. The City of Helsinki was one of the project’s 18 partners.

The project sought to reduce unnecessary plastic use in municipal operations, businesses, and households. It identified sources of plastic waste in the city, piloted strategic and communication-based solutions as well as new innovations, and shared best practices with stakeholders and other municipalities.

Kuninkoja – A Gem in the Heart of the City

Kuninkoja – A Gem in the Heart of the City was a joint project by the City of Turku and Valonia during 2023–2024. The project planned and implemented various habitat restoration measures in the Kuninkoja water system and its catchment area on land owned by the City of Turku. The effectiveness of these measures was monitored through ecological assessments. The project received partial funding from the Ministry of the Environment’s Helmi habitat programme. The City of Turku has since continued the restoration of Kuninkoja.

BALTICITIES

The BALTICITIES project, led by the Finnish Environment Institute, aimed to improve the condition of coastal areas in Finland and the Baltic States. It sought to strengthen cooperation networks between coastal cities and stakeholders across countries, and to raise public awareness of the state of the marine environment.

The goal was advanced through cooperation between coastal cities in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Turku and Helsinki participated in the project. The Baltic Sea Challenge network served as a foundation for expanding cooperation between Finland and the Baltic countries. The project ran from 2022 to 2024.

HuLaKaS – Stormwater Quality and Well-specific Filtering

The City of Helsinki, the City of Lahti, Aalto University, and Wateco Oy carried out a joint project in 2021–2022 focusing on urban water management and the reduction of harmful substances. The project was funded by the Ministry of the Environment’s programme for enhancing water protection. It produced guidance for municipalities on identifying qualitative risk points in stormwater.

Explore the guidance

Tools for Construction Site Water Quality Management

The Tools for Construction Site Water Quality Management project aimed to reduce the load of harmful substances entering water bodies from construction and demolition sites. This joint project by Turku University of Applied Sciences and the City of Helsinki compiled data on harmful substance loads from construction sites, assessed their significance for urban streams and the Baltic Sea, and examined appropriate threshold values for inclusion in construction site water guidelines. The project ran from 2021 to 2022.