From loneliness among the elderly to urban floods – cities around the world are facing enormous yet similar challenges. Nordic Sustainable Cities exhibition gathers cases from all five Nordic countries within five themes: Mobility, Health, Circular Economy, Low Carbon and Resilience. All cases are closely connected to the UN17 Sustainable Development Goals – and their specific subgoals.
(...) what we can offer in collaboration with cities in other regions are solutions based on our strengths such as good governance, public-private partnerships, environmental consciousness and focus on social inclusion.
– Rasmus Malmborg, Senior Innovation Adviser, Nordic Innovation
A rising interest in Nordic cities
Nordic Innovation and the partners behind the exhibition have experienced a rising global interest in Nordic cities.
“Solutions to environmental and urban challenges require cooperation between cities around the world. The Nordic countries are early adopters of environmentally friendly solutions, and what we can offer in collaboration with cities in other regions are solutions based on our strengths such as good governance, public-private partnerships, environmental consciousness and focus on social inclusion”, says Rasmus Malmborg, Senior Innovation Adviser from Nordic Innovation.
Already before the launch of the exhibition, we’ve been contacted by embassies wanting to showcase the exhibition. It really shows that there’s an interest from the embassies in promoting Nordic architecture and city solutions – but also, more importantly, that those solutions are in high demand around the world.
– Kristina Neel Jakobsen, Senior project manager, Danish Architecture Center
There has been a great demand from Nordic embassies and export councils on exhibitions that can help them share and discuss the creative and innovative ways that Nordic architects and designers are addressing some of the planet’s most pressing environmental needs. To meet this demand, the exhibition has been created to be easily downloaded from Nordic Innovation’s webpage and used at embassies, festivals, exhibition fairs, etc. to showcase Nordic architecture and urban planning and their sustainable solutions.
“Already before the launch of the exhibition, we’ve been contacted by embassies wanting to showcase the exhibition. It really shows that there’s an interest from the embassies in promoting Nordic architecture and city solutions – but also, more importantly, that those solutions are in high demand around the world", says Kristina Neel Jakobsen, Senior project manager, Danish Architecture Center.
Curated by Nordic architecture and design centers
The exhibition is funded by Nordic Innovation as part of the Nordic Prime Ministers' Initiative Nordic Sustainable Cities. The initiative brings together Nordic embassies and trade promotion organizations in North America, India and China to increase export and interest in Nordic urban solutions within areas like resiliency, waste management, and water.
In close collaboration with Nordic embassies and foreign ministries, the development team includes design and architecture centers from all five Nordic countries: ArkDes and Form/Design (SE), Design and Architecture Norway (NO), Iceland Design Center (IS), ArchInfo (FI) and Danish Architecture Center (DK).
