Outi Kuittinen's lecture "Some issues a.k.a wicked problems & opportunities." at Joint Design Masters Introduction course themed around 'issues' at Aalto ARTS, Aalto University, autumn 2014

1. Some issues
a.k.a wicked problems &
opportunities
Joint Design Masters Introduction course
Aalto ARTS, Aalto University, autumn 2014
Outi Kuittinen, Head of Co-creation
Demos Helsinki, outi.kuittinen@demoshelsinki.fi,
+358 50 326 55 82

2. Demos Helsinki
Future-oriented, people-centric think tank studying megatrends and systemic change and
transforming it into action of people, organisations and groups.
Our key areas are Resource-smart Economy and Sustainable Lifestyles, and
Democracy and capabilities of the 21st Century
Our views, reports and experimentations are based on applied and applicable research,
future studies and co-creation.
We work with companies, start ups, ministries, the parliament, municipalities and other
actors of the public sector as well as NGOs that are willing to look for new perspectives
and renew themselves.
Founded in 2005 by enthusiastic people. Politically independent, project-funded, legal
form is NGO. We believe in people, openness and democracy.

3. think tanks
• a group of people who apply research
• strive to influence decision making
• independent of institutions
• usually non-profit
• driven by an ideology, belief or a
perception of human beings or society

4. three types of think tanks
1. Politically
affiliated think
tanks
Fabian Society (UK),
E2 (FIN)
renew political
ideology, support
political decision
making
Emphasise the
importance of
representative
democracy and
political parties
2. Thematic
think tanks
Institute of Foreign
Policy (FIN), World
Watch Institute,
OECD, EVA (FIN)
gather and value
information and data,
enhance
understanding of a
theme
Emphasise expert
knowledge and
insight, make
research applicable
3. Ecosystems
for new ideas,
“think and do
tanks”
Demos Helsinki
(FIN), Young
Foundation (UK)
experiment new
solutions, establish
new institutions and
financing schemes
Emphasise
competing ways of
working and the need
for new institutions
and solutions
(Mokka & Neuvonen 2011)

5. A Wicked problem
1. The problem is not understood until after the
formulation of a solution.
2. Wicked problems have no stopping rule.
3. Solutions to wicked problems are not right or
wrong.
4. Every wicked problem is essentially novel and
unique.
5. Every solution to a wicked problem is a 'one
shot operation.'
6. Wicked problems have no given alternative
solutions.

6. Method of working
Source: Demos Helsinki (2010). Well-being of the Metropolis

7. Issue 1: New Urban

8. The suburbia was a project that cut
through every aspect of the society,
redifining work, mobility, housing,
CC: Paul Townsend
space, food, commerce, private
property, family, gender roles,
generation roles, past time, culture...
CC: James Vaughan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_in_the_United_States#mediaviewer/File:Family_watching_television_

9. The project started well before:
Futurama at 1939 New York World's Fair
presented a possible model of the world
20 years into the future (1959–1960)
"Free-flowing movement of people and goods across our
nation is a requirement of modern living and prosperity.”
– Norman Bel Geddes
Various actors from
industry to social policy
makers had interests in
the project.

10. Work, mobility, housing, space, food,
commerce, private property, family,
gender roles, generation roles, past
CC: Paul Townsend
time, culture all have seen and will see
change.
CC: James Vaughan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_in_the_United_States#mediaviewer/File:Family_watching_television_

11. New ”project” of the new urban is
needed.
The previous project felt good.
It was about the prosperity and well-being
of the nation, individuals,
communities, economy, companies...
The new urban needs to feel as good
and be about all those things.
But in a different world by different
means, ways and natural resources.

12. THE URBAN NOW
More than half of the buildings of 2050 are already
built. A great part of those buildings faces large-scale
renovations in near future.
But buildings are not enough:
”If everybody lived like in Hammarby Sjöstad [an
new area famous for sustainable building], it would
be an ecological catastrophe.”
– Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden

13. MANY INTERLINKED ISSUES
”We need investments for major renovations of the building stock.
At the same time, retail space keeps emptying.” – City of Lahti
”We want services that stay in the areas and improve them.”
– a public housing company and developer
”Less and less people walk in through the supermarkets’ doors. We need to
come up with new ways to serve customers.” – a retailer
”We have models to develop single buildings.
But we need shared concepts to develop areas with different stakeholders.”
– a construction company
We would need people, companies or public actors to test our service with
us to proof it really works. But getting pilots running is really hard.
– a startup developing a sharing service

14. SMART RETRO – PROOF OF
CONCEPT FOR SUSTAINABLE
SERVICES IN BUILT ENVIRONMENT
> SMART RETRO: Ret rof i t t ing sma r t serv i ce s into the
exi s t ing bui l t envi ronment .
> PROOF OF CONCEPT: Evidence whi ch e s t abl i she s tha t
a n idea , i nvent i o n , p roce s s, o r bu s i ne s s model i s fea s i b le.
There is an urgent need for rethinking refurbishment projects and
sustainable service models. In the areas built in the mid 20th century,
where many of the buildings are due to refurbishment and where local
retail and service availability is declining, there is
– potential to address sustainable lifestyle changes and revitalisation
of local retail and service economies.
Through including also the service environment in refurbishment
projects, the sustainability of these neighbourhoods can be increased in
terms of energy and resource performance, viability, sense of belonging
and attractiveness.

15. SMART RETRO: CREATING
THE MISSING LINK

16. SMART RETRO AREAS
Stockholm case takes place in
Bagarmossen. The area has
post 1950’s built stock going
under refurbishment and
have retail and other
commercial space requiring
tenants. Most built stock is
owned and managed by
Stockholmshem that
provides the site the project.
Oslo case takes place in
Kvadraturen, a central area is
very rundown but with
historical value.
Lahti case takes place in
downtown area, that has
emptied from services and
offices and where most built
stock is in need of
refurbishment. There will be a
dedicated site for Innovation
Camps of the project that is a
city owned large property
undergoing development and
refurbishment in the coming
years. It serves as an intense
working ground of the new
services and companies during
the project.
BAGAR-MOSSEN
LAHTI KVADRATUREN

17. + startups, local entrepreneurs,
urban activists & residents
Smart Retro project is
• a prototype of a co-design process for smart, sustainable and
attractive urban services and areas between city authorities,
companies, startups, residents and citizen groups
• a service development process for actual services provided by
start-ups and more established companies
• an exercise of foresight combining global drivers with local
context and business models

18. MODEL & SCALE
Concept a new
business model for
refurbishment through
innovative
regeneration.
Plan to move and
multiply the
sustainable lifestyles
service coalition and
new model to a new
site.
CO-DESIGN
Companies, startups,
residents, municipal
actors and other
stakeholders develop
the services together
first on innovation
camp, and then test
them in the daily lives
of the test areas.
IDENTIFY best
practices, models and
close-to-market
consumer services,
startups and citizen
initiatives in the Nordic
Countries enabling
sustainable lifestyles.
Identify special qualities,
needs and wishes of the
areas. Analyze Nordic
refurbishment models.
BUILD SCENARIOS
that depict alternative
futures of built
environmental
evolution, lifestyle
transitions and local
service economy and
communicate
commercial and
sustainability potential
of services.
HOW?

19. SMART RETRO SEES
...renovations as an opportunity for improving quality of life
instead of mere technological improvements
...smart city retrofitted, not newly built
...sustainable urban services seen as an opportunity to
upscale the value of old neighbourhoods
...startup acceleration as well as the new wave of citizen
activity as catalyst for services and solutions of the future
…new alliances (city, construction industry, real estate, retail,
startups, inhabitants, citizen groups) and attitude of co-design
as a tool for urban transitions
...retrofitting as a fruitful new business opportunity for
construction companies, real estate and retail

20. What it means for you as designers?
Applying the designer’s tool kit of
service design etc. in built
environment and the life in it.
”Will a young person use 3000 € for a
design couch or a trip around the
world?
I want to see designers take part in
designing the trips around the world.”
And better and smarter everyday life.

21. Issue 2: Power of groups
Lataa pdf: http://www.demoshelsinki.fi/

22. Other people define what we
consider normal.
How we eat, live and dress?
How we behave in a student building?
How much energy we use compared to our
neighbours?

23. Groups improve our wellbeing: we feel
useful, competent and needed
Examples:, Time Banks, Volunteering, Elderly Care

24. According to behaviour change research,
groups are utterly important when
changing behaviour.
Groups support us when engaging in
something new.
Examples: North Karelia Project &
Restaurant Day

25. Citizen groups hold
immense potential for
generating change.

26. Typical way of thinking
of groups

27. Residents of Helsinki

28. Men Women

29. Children and young people
Working age
Retired

30. Residents of
Suburbs
Downtown
People

31. Rich
Middle Class
Poor

32. Other way of looking:
competent groups

33. Dog
owners

34. Dog
owners Cross-country
skiers

35. Cross-country
skiers
Dog
owners
Residents
of
Paloheinä

36. Cross-country
skiers
Dog
owners
Residents
of
Paloheinä
SOK co-op
members

37. Cross-country
skiers
Dog
owners
Residents
of
Paloheinä
SOK co-op
members
Cyclists

38. Community of
Geography
Community of
Interest
Residents of Helsinki
City Council City Administration

39. Method of working
Source: Demos Helsinki (2010). Well-being of the Metropolis

40. Examples of communities of interest or competent groups at work in Helsinki
Fillarikanava
Cyclists and the city improving
cycling in Helsinki.
Vetoa ja Voimaa
Improving the neighbourhood
in a coalition of city officials,
politicians, NGOs, church and
business.

41. Community of interest: PriusChat

42. Peloton
Business of
Behaviour
Change
project:
collabo-ration
btw
Biolan and
Dodo ry

43. What it means for you as designers?
Working WITH people. People as not mere
informants but partners.
A perception of people not based on
stereotypes but research.
Creating people-public-private-partnerships.
Source: Demos Helsinki (2010). Well-being of the Metropolis

44. Issue 3: Carbon Bubble
Source: Rolling Stone Magazine, July 2011

45. “New math of climate change”
• 2 degrees of celsius temperature rise
is what we can handle
• 565 gigatons of carbon dioxide is
what we can emit
• 2795 gigatons of carbon dioxide is
what there is in the assets of the
energy companies
• Read: Carbon Tracker’s Unburnable carbon report and
Global warming’s terrifying new math by Bill McKibben

46. “’We’re not going to be able to
burn it all.’
With those 10 words, Barack
Obama uttered one of the most
stunning, far-reaching statements
ever made by a U.S. president. He
also completely contradicted his
own energy policy. Yet no one
seemed to notice.”
(Businessweek 26 Jun 2014)

47. Fossil fuel reserves represent
trillions of dollars of wealth, both
on the balance sheets of
companies and in the asset
valuations that inform investors
the world over.
Being unable to sell most of those
reserves would translate into a
massive markdown on this
wealth, $28 trillion according to
one estimate. (Businessweek 26
Jun 2014)

48. Well, who would oppose that?
You, too.
Because it’s your pension at
stake.

49. What it means for you as
designers?
You need to understand the systems
level, study how it works, interwines
and by what means and tools of can
be changed.
You will work with very different
kinds of partners, environments and
professionals from policy makers and
civil servants to business that come
from different backgrounds.
E.g. Design for government.

50. Upstream Downstream
Design Brief
Attribution: Seungho Lee after
Alastair Fuad-Luke, Aalto University

51. Upstream Downstream
Design Brief
Attribution: Alastair Fuad-Luke,
Aalto University

52. Problem
Definition
Cost
Policy Design Implementation Evaluation
Time
Conventional approach
New approach
Attribution: Sungwon
Yoon, KIDP

53. ”The intro makes the students to understand the shift in the study
objectives from undergraduate to master studies with a changing
emphasis from form to content, from product to process, from
design along a brief to designing briefs, from single discipline to
multidisciplinary and from knowledge reception and digestion to
active competence acquisition and generation.
The intro introduces existing and emerging design practices
driven by contemporary societal challenges.”
To succeed in this and to solve any
wicked problem,
you need stronger research
understanding and skills.

54. Thank you!
Outi Kuittinen, Head of Co-creation
Demos Helsinki
outi.kuittinen@demoshelsinki.fi
www.demoshelsinki.fi
slideshare.net/demoshelsinki
facebook.com/groups/8838070791/
flickr.com/photos/demoshelsinki
smartretro.demoshelsinki.fi
www.peloton.me www.pelotonclub.me