District of Kera as a test bed for smart city solutions
This article series presents cases of innovations built here in Espoo that strive for a better tomorrow for all.
Espoo is dedicated to co-development and innovation, using the city districts and services that are under development as platforms to test new sustainable solutions. One prominent example is the transformation of the former industrial district of Kera, with 3–4 billion euros in investments to pioneer sustainable smart city solutions. Kera will focus on sustainable development, circular economy, and digitalization through resource-friendly construction, innovative low-emission energy solutions, and new digital services. The transformation is a collaborative effort involving partner companies, residents, and other stakeholders, serving as a pilot environment for future projects. The urban development tools used in Kera will be used in other districts in Espoo and other cities.
Development in Kera is guided by Kera Development Commitment, a unique tool that guides developers in Kera implement ambitious sustainability, circularity and digitalization measures. Innovative and forerunning solutions can be seen, for example, in resource-wise construction, low-emission energy solutions, and new types of digital services and applications. The needs of the new district and joint goals were considered systematically through extensive cooperation with landowners, companies and other developers and recorded in a joint commitment. Any projects starting in the area are obliged to prepare a plan on how to reach the shared goals. In spring 2024, the city together with national association of property owners and developers, Rakli, organized a series of workshops with other cities interested in starting using the tool as well.
The circular economy can significantly promote the sustainability of the built environment. A notable example is Keran Hallit, a former logistics center located in Kera now temporarily hosting numerous companies from various industries. Among the various projects happening in Kera, the two most prominent ones are the Nokia-led LuxTurrim5G ecosystem. LuxTurrim5G develops the digital, data-driven platform for smart city purposes. The pilot environment also has two smart bus stops, uses drones and self-driving vehicles, and connects a millimeter wave 5G along with a rich sensor network with more than 250 connected IoT devices. On top of all this, and most importantly, the data platform is secure — which is the absolute requirement in creating data-driven services for citizen's actual needs.
Aalto University Design Factory finished a wide-ranging smart urban furniture project regarding smart pole and other infrastructure elements. Using VR tools, the project embedded the smart urban furniture in the virtual city space of Kera.