Nina Wessberg

Systemic transformation, anticipatory culture, and knowledge spaces: constructing organisational capacities in roadmapping projects at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland

This article suggests that, in the current interlinked innovation meta-system, research and technology organisations (RTOs) would benefit from developing two systemic capacities: partial structural openness enabling flexibility in organisation and an anticipatory culture that builds on an anticipatory agency, that is, a proactive participatory approach that leads to action. In this article, we explore the questions of systemic transformations and the building of an anticipatory culture in the context of VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. First, we discuss the strategic development paths, anticipatory culture and systemic transformation capacities in the context of RTOs. Second, we show how process-based roadmapping can be applied in building the systemic transformation capacities and anticipatory culture. Third, we illustrate these notions by analysing four roadmapping projects as case studies.

Assuring the information flow from accident sites to decision makers- a Finnish case study

In spite of the huge amount of information regarding natural and man-made accidents, rescue forces are not able to use information efficiently in their decision-making. From a rescue services point of view, the main challenge is not only to get authentic and real data, but to get ready analysed data. This paper discusses the Finnish way to create an emergency management system that collects reasonable data from an emergency situation, merges the data to get a better overall picture, and sends the analysed assessment of the situation to the rescue services and decision-makers. Two pilot tests were made to define how the information would flow from accident sites to rescue authorities and decision-makers in the best way. The results show that a network has to be established for supplying and analysing the information into a suitable form to be used in real-time management of crisis situations. The authorities also have to ensure that there are no technical limits which obstruct the real-time information flow from accident sites to the decision-makers’ monitors.

Foresight in Sight: How to Improve Urban Resilience with Collaboration Among Public Authorities?

Creating a resilient built environment for citizens is one of the main issues public authorities face when planning urban areas, such as new residential areas, suburbs, shopping centres, or traffic stations. Today, in particular, the safety and security of the built environment focuses on city planning. New technologies, including digitalisation, as well as citizens with differing feelings about and experiences of safety and security challenge city planners, and this requires attention. Utilising foresight methods, such as the participatory scenario-building method, is one way to adapt to future changes in urban settlements and help decision-makers in creating a better tomorrow for citizens. This paper presents one foresight method, termed scenario-building process, as a tool for city planners to create a safer and more secure built environment for citizens with different needs and backgrounds. The paper discusses how to use participatory scenario building together with city authorities and other stakeholders for planning urban areas. By presenting a case study from Finland, where the method was used to develop the area around a railway junction station, the paper brings out four scenarios developed to visualise possible future paths of the studied railway station area. The case study was part of the HARMONISE—A Holistic Approach to Resilience and Systematic Actions to Make Large-Scale Built Infrastructure Secure—project that was funded by the European Union within the Framework Programme 7.