I am an artist-designer working for better and more sustainable public places. I am the co-founder of RaivioBumann - a Helsinki-based creative studio. We develop projects, initiatives and concepts for urban design, placemaking and public art. We believe that inclusive, fun and meaningful public places are the key for vibrant and flourishing cities.
Which additional experience/skills can people of Placemaking Europe reach out personally to you for?
Creative and sustainable placemaking; using placemaking as a tool for experiments and data collecting; placemaking projects linked to long term urban planning; children and youth; urban gardening and green infrastructure projects; production and project planning.
Which of the main themes of Placemaking Week Europe can people reach out to you for?
Climate | Child-friendly cities | Waterfront cities | Place-led development and placemanagement | Culture and placemaking | Inclusive cities (Our City) | The City at Eye Level | Moving and health | Tactical urbanism | Tooltesting
Which experience/skills can people of Placemaking Europe reach out to your organisation for?
As above and multidisciplinary collaborations; art & placemaking; networking in the Nordics; connections to Helsinki-City and other cities in Finland
Describe one of the projects you are most proud of
One of the projects I am most proud of is the Meri-Rastilamme project, which for the first time linked placemaking project into a long term city planning project and was planned together with the city planners. The project had a positive impact on creating a healthy mix of users on a troubled square. The encounters between people increased and children became more visible on the public square. The urban gardening activities which were initiated during the project have been integrated in the new plans for the district in the form of an edible community park. The project is featured in the Our City? book as an example on how placemaking can spark positive change by focusing on inclusive and strategic use of physical placemaking elements such as seating and gardening units.
