Recommendations

10 recommendations based on the results of the report:

• Helsinki should set more longer-term sustainability targets that go beyond the council term, as well as progress indicators and target values for its sustainability indicators.
• In implementing the SDGs, the most strategically effective actions should continue to be identified and implemented more effectively as part of key processes, such as economic, investment, land-use and construction planning.
• Attention must also be paid to the effectiveness of measures and indicators at a more operational level in the planning of different units’ activities and in the City’s various programmes and plans.
• Conflicting goals should be addressed more thoroughly, different impacts identified, goals reconciled and compromises sought in a transparent way, for example in relation to the growth of the city and the reconciliation of nature values.
• In the preliminary impact assessment of decisions, Helsinki should better identify and assess the ecological, social and economic impacts of decisions simultaneously.
• The idea of planetary well-being and respect for ecological limitations should guide the City’s actions more strongly.
• Helsinki should pay more attention to the global ecological and social impacts of the City’s production chains and consumption, while also focusing more on its potential to be a pioneer in supporting and influencing cities’ positive development on a global scale.
• Fostering children’s and young people’s faith in the future is essential to achieving a sustainable future. The Education Division must systematically improve psychological safety, hopefulness, resilience and inclusion among children and young people. This requires strengthening the competence of staff based on research.
• The understanding of sustainability issues and management based on knowledge and science must be developed at all levels. The knowledge base and analyses of key sustainability objectives should be further developed to better serve decision-making and planning.
• Cooperation with and the participation of residents, companies, research operators and the third sector should be further developed and made more effective in order to address sustainability issues.