Starting points for implementing an acceptable and just green transition – Akordi’s proposal for an engagement strategy for the City of Oulu
We have been sparring with the City of Oulu (Urban Environment Services & BusinessOulu) during the fall of 2025 and spring of 2026 as part of the Scaling up the work in anticipating and resolving conflicts in the green transition initiative, supported by the TAH and RELEX Foundations.
As a result of this collaboration, we developed a practical and systematic engagement strategy for the city that supports the implementation of a just, predictable, and widely accepted green transition. The strategy brings together principles and methods that Oulu can use to strengthen citizen participation and its collaboration with stakeholders. The model is based on Akordi’s long practical experience and international examples.
The engagement strategy includes for example:
- How do the key principles of anticipating and resolving land use conflicts—acknowledgement, agency, reciprocity, and clarity—manifest themselves when applied to the situation in Oulu?
- How do the need for early and recurring interaction, the coordination of interfaces between projects, and the alignment of schedules materialize, particularly in the Hangaskangas, Oritkari and Vihreäsaari, Pyyryväinen, and Laanila areas?
- How was systematic analysis—which also takes into account power relations and levels of trust among the parties—utilized in identifying stakeholders, their concerns, and methods of participation?
- What kinds of concerns emerged regarding safety, environmental impacts, changes to the living environment, the distribution of benefits and drawbacks, past experiences and perceived mistrust, as well as the availability and transparency of information?
- What frameworks were established for gathering and compiling information, conducting consultations, compiling advice and recommendations, and for joint decision-making and implementation?
- How should resourcing and coordination be structured as a cross-administrative framework so that the city can provide consistent, effective, and trust-building engagement in all green transition projects?
- What was recommended for planning engagement activities at different stages of projects?
High-quality engagement is not rocket science, but it requires carefully planned and implemented processes where challenges are solved together while acknowledging different perspectives and starting points. Well-resourced, high-quality, and timely engagement prevents conflicts, reduces complaints, and ultimately improves the quality of planning and the feasibility of projects. Acceptance is earned through well-executed and fair processes.
Read the publication in Finnish: Banafa, T., Turunen, J-P., Kangasoja, J. & Arminen, E. (2026). Lähtökohtia hyväksyttävän ja oikeudenmukaisen vihreän siirtymän toteutukseen. Akordin ehdotus vuorovaikutusstrategiaksi Oulun kaupungille [Starting Points for Implementing an Acceptable and Just Green Transition. Akordi’s Proposal for an Interaction Strategy for the City of Oulu]
