practice makes better

(not perfect)

collaboration

participation

value creation

locality

(latest)

View project

Growth Strategy for Creative Industries

(2025)

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Helsinki Creative Economy Research

(2025)

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Hanasaari Power Plant Vision Work

(2024)

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Lahti Centre Vision 2040

(2024)

(purpose)

Urban Practice is an urban strategy company that helps cities, businesses, and communities thrive together. We combine strategic urban thinking with a holistic approach to multi-stakeholder facilitation, integrating political, economic, environmental, and public perspectives. Our work transforms and revitalizes spaces at every scale—from buildings and districts to city centers and neighborhoods—creating vibrancy, inclusivity, and opportunity.

latest+projects

Growth Strategy for Creative Industries

Hanasaari Power Plant Vision Work

Helsinki Creative Economy Research

Storifying Societal Innovation for Sitra

Lahti Centre Vision 2040

(Services)

Where there’s a missing link between sectors and interests, decision-makers and citizens, vision and action, that’s where we find work to do.
We’ve developed five services that can operate together or on their own to address challenges from inception to completion.

Methods, tools, and expertise for meaningful participation, whether shaping neighbourhood developments or long-term visions, we help bring citizens, experts, and decision-makers together to build common ground.

Strategy is understanding what exists, identifying obstacles, spotting opportunities. We map stakeholder networks, analyze political and economic currents, and design targeted engagement and communication strategies.

Campaigns, audiovisual productions, podcasts, publications, and digital platforms that shape narratives, inform communities, and inspire action. We create content that makes complex societal topics clear, relevant, and compelling.

From local workshops to city-wide festivals and international conferences, we design and produce events that enable unexpected connections, spark dialogue, and generate momentum for change.

We design experiments for hands-on learning in urban environments. Through prototyping and piloting ideas and programs, we help our clients and partners test new approaches, explore collaboration, and discover actionable alternatives.

(references)

Urban Practice brings experience in inclusive city-making, strategic development, and the creative economy. We collaborate with municipalities, cultural institutions, businesses, NGOs, and communities to co-create solutions that combine visionary thinking with practical implementation.
UP initiated various projects such as Lähiöfest, Nordic CityMaking Week and People-Driven City, that focus on enhancing urban environments through participatory processes and place-based interventions.

collected works

We bring together journalism and TV production experience with Yle and MTV3, brand and corporate social responsibility consultancy for companies like LähiTapiola, Tikkurila, and K-Market, vision work for governmental institutions, and large-scale event production. Our approach combines strategic thinking with experimental methods to connect ideas with real communities.

Our portfolio

Lahti Centre Vision 2040 with Uusi Kaupunki Collective for the City of Lahti 2023-24

Vision work for Hanasaari Power Plant with Uusi Kaupunki Collectice 2024 for the City of Helsinki

Helsinki Creative Economy Research with Ellun Kanat 2024-2025 for the City of Helsinki

Creative Economy Growth Strategy – facilitation of stakeholder workshops 2025 for the Finnish Government

Preliminary research on creative services growth contract 2024, commissioned by Design Forum Finland

Nordic Neighbourhood Lab, initiative by Oslo Architecture Triennale 2023-24

AD Museum, publication and competition seminar 2023-24

Finnish Architecture Policy, facilitation 2020-21

Nordic Talks podcasts for Nordic Council of Ministers 2022

Oslo Architecture Triennale, commentary at the opening 2022

EXPO2100 communications and podcasts

Pioneria, competition entry for Kontula shopping centre idea competition with AOR architects 2020

Downtown Helsinki, strategy for Helsinki City Markkinointi Association, media platform and network concept 2019

H22 Placemaking, Helsingborg Sweden 2022

Creative Bureaucracy Festival, Berlin, Germany 2019

Helsinki Symposium, City of Helsinki 2021

MyHelsinki.fi, 2018–2022

Härmälänranta area branding, Skanska, Tampere 2010–13

Lähiöfest 2015 ‘Our House’, Mikkola, Vantaa

Lähiöfest 2017, 10 neighbourhoods, Helsinki

Lähiöfest 2019, 4 cities Espoo, Riihimäki, Kauniainen, Helsinki

#hoodshelsinki & #hoodsespoo campaign

Nordic CityMaking Week 2020 Helsinki–Vantaa

Nordic CityMaking Week 2021 Turku–Vantaa–Helsinki

Kaupunkioppi – City Learning pilot 2019 in four cities

People-Driven City Conference 2017 at Helsinki University

People-Driven City Conference 2019 at Aalto Univerisity

Vantaa Architecture policy

Tikkurila Väritehdas jury consultation

Kustavi placemaking workshops

ATL strategy process for association

Lamminrahka area brand

ARA – facilitation of workshops for International Social Housing Festival

clients

We work with forward-thinking organizations of all sizes: cities like Helsinki and Lahti, museums including the new Architecture and Design Museum, leading brands like Fiskars, Kone, and Sokos Hotels, universities and think tanks like Helsinki University, Aalto University, and Sitra, plus international platforms and conferences for urbanism and democracy.

We would like to thank

A-lehdet
Aalto-yliopisto
ADM Koy
AOR Arkkitehdit
ARA Asumisen rahoitus- ja kehittämiskeskus
Arkkitehtitoimistojen liitto ATL
Archinfo
Business Finland
Danske Bank
Design Forum Finland
Espoon kaupunki
Fiskars
HAM Helsinki Art Museum
Hanasaaren kulttuurikeskus
Helsingin kaupunki
Helsingin yliopisto
Helsinki City Markkinointi ry
HOAS Helsingin seudun opiskelija-asuntosäätiö
Infor / Management Institute Finland
JKMM Arkkitehdit
K-Market
Kangasalan kunta
Kauniaisten kaupunki
Kekkilä Garden
Kiinteistömaailma
Kone
Lahden kaupunki
Lähi-Tapiola
Metropolia ammattikorkeakoulu
MTV3
NCC
Opetus- ja kulttuuriministeriö
Oslo Architecture Triennale
Pohjolan Design-talo
Radio Helsinki
Riihimäen kaupunki
Sitra
Sokos Hotels
Skanska Kodit
Suomen arkkitehtuuri- ja designmuseosäätiö
Suomen Asuntomarkkinat
Tikkurila
Turun kaupunki
Työ- ja elinkeinoministeriö
Uusikaupungin kaupunki
Uusi Kaupunki Kollektiivi
Vahanen-yhtiöt
Vallila Interior
VAV-asunnot
Vantaan kaupunki
Yleisradio
Ympäristöministeriö

(what people say)

We asked Urban Practice to participate because we felt it was important to go deeper into how the nature of the place and multiculturalism could be taken into account in the competition work.

Mikki Ristola, AOR Architects / Archinfo May 2023

Article on Kontula Shopping Centre Idea Competition

During one of the opening seminar speeches, Katja Lindroos had some advice that stuck with me: We don’t need to find the best idea, Lindroos argued; we need to find a vision that enables the most people possible to contribute.

Whitney Mallett / PIN-UP September 2022

review Oslo Architecture Triennale

Venture out on the streets and see what life is like there" is Katja Lindroos's advice to newly elected local politicians. "You can't learn about the city by just reading documents about it."

Tim Johansson / Hufvudstadsbladet June 2021

Article expert advice to the new city council representatives

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practice makes better

collected works

clients

featured quotes

“The point of cities is multiplicity of choice.” -Jane Jacobs