Two new Programme Directors appointed to the Smart and Creative City innovation hub
Metropolia University of Applied Sciences has appointed two new Research and Development Programme Directors to its Smart and Creative City innovation hub. The Research and Development Programmes strengthen Metropolia’s role as a national and international forerunner and centre of excellence in urban research, development and innovation.
The Design for Regenerative Cities Programme is led by Associate Professor of Environmental Psychology Jenni Radun. The programme harnesses creative design expertise to support urban regeneration that revitalises environments and communities. It enhances citizens’ opportunities to take part in the sustainability transition by utilising new technological solutions. The Programme also provides expertise to cities and urban developers in creating sustainable, beautiful and inclusive living environments.
"I want to help make cities places where people can thrive and communities can flourish in a sustainable way. As urbanisation progresses, cities are becoming increasingly important for people’s wellbeing. Metropolia has strong expertise in planning and implementing environmental interventions, and I want to contribute by bringing in methods for measuring the impact of interventions and for deepening the psychological understanding of urban phenomena. Measuring impact crucially depends on collaboration with other fields, such as engineering and health," Radun explains.
The Intelligence and Lifecycle Wisdom in Built Environment Programme is led by D.Sc (Tech) Seppo Törmä. The Programme develops solutions to improve productivity in the real estate and construction sector and to create healthy, safe and sustainable living environments through smart information management and circular economy approaches. It offers expertise in smart technologies, artificial intelligence, climate impacts, energy efficiency and circularity to tackle the most pressing challenges across the lifecycle of buildings.
"The real estate and construction sector is undergoing multiple, overlapping transformations: digitalisation, new data collection methods and the circular economy are rapidly reshaping operations. Most recently, and perhaps most profoundly, AI has emerged as a force transforming numerous processes in the industry. Yet the sector’s biggest challenge, siloed operations, remains unresolved. Metropolia is in an excellent position to combine multidisciplinary expertise and to develop solutions that make the built environment more productive, sustainable and human-centred," Törmä says.
The roles of the Research & Development Programme Directors are new and support Metropolia’s strategy to create solutions to societal challenges. The R&D Programmes operate in an ecosystem-like manner and, together with their partners, implement dozens of national and international projects each year. Their development partners include companies, research institutes, wellbeing services counties, cities, NGOs, citizens, and students.
More information
Jenni Radun
Research & Development Programme Director, Design for Regenerative Cities
Jenni.Radun [at] metropolia.fi (Jenni[dot]Radun[at]metropolia[dot]fi)
Seppo Törmä
Research & Development Programme Director, Intelligence and Lifecycle Wisdom in Built Environment
Seppo.Torma [at] metropolia.fi (Seppo[dot]Torma[at]metropolia[dot]fi)