This article was written for CityChangers.org by Mirka Råberg and Olivia Fokeerah, who both work for Forum Virium Helsinki, the City of Helsinki’s innovation company, in Finland. In it, they explore how cities can help to speed up the green transition, explain what role businesses can play in improving local, social-driven food initiatives, and give a projection for what a decentralised agricultural landscape could look like in just a few years if we act now.
The global food system as we know it has to change. Edible cities could provide an answer, but as rapid urbanisation creates denser urban spaces, how can we help businesses find their plot to grow? We delve into Helsinki’s real-world examples – like temporary parks created from rescued plants, urban farming visions for 2030, and cities serving as testbeds for impactful change – to show how small business collaboration through agile piloting can result in impactful change-making.
The current global food system does not support planetary wellbeing and is recognised as a large contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. However, there are ways to change the food system, to make it more localised and sustainable. One of these ways is to promote “edible city solutions”.
What is an Edible City?
An edible city is one that integrates food production into its urban fabric, making use of both public and private space to grow, distribute, and consume food. It’s a place where food production and consumption are more visible. The edible city is a concept that aims to increase food security, promote healthy lifestyles, and foster community engagement while reducing the environmental impact of food systems.[1]
The development of an edible city is widely linked to ecologic, economic, and social aspects. All in all, edible city solutions contribute to a local, resource-wise economy, where the overall ecological footprint is reduced, social cohesion is promoted, and planetary health and well-being is taken into consideration.
Cities as Enablers for the Food Revolution
As urbanisation continues, we expect that 80% of all food produced will be consumed in cities by 2050. This increase in urban consumers also provides an opportunity and a way to influence the food system.
Cities are hotspots for innovation and, for example, new products. Edible cities should be developed as ecosystems, where innovation and piloting have established platforms and processes and where the quadruple helix model works: when citizens, public institutions, academia, and the private sector work together to create results from which all involved can benefit.
One way in which cities can promote this collaboration and ecosystem building is by having open and transparent ways in which to pilot innovations.
For example, using the city as a test-bed is one of the strategic goals of Helsinki, Finland, and this has meant that the culture of experimentation and open participation is fostered within the city.
Local authorities encourage businesses to try out new technologies and ways to operate within the city, as well as provide support through their Testbed Helsinki services; businesses and citizens do not have to worry about the city killing their creative vibe – in fact, they are encouraged to experiment. In practice, this means that the city offers resources, such as personnel hours, to help facilitate piloting. Piloting through testbed services enables the city to acquire solutions outside of the binding public tender process and procurement framework.
Pioneering Business-City Collaboration Through Agile Piloting
When it comes to fostering collaboration between businesses and cities, Forum Virium Helsinki is an expert at just that. As an innovation company owned by the City of Helsinki, Forum Virium Helsinki co-creates the urban futures we all aspire to, alongside companies, universities, public organisations, and the city’s residents.
After all, what’s a city developer without the right toolkit? Forum Virium Helsinki gathers urban challenges through workshops, discussions, and innovation sprints, then tackles them with a variety of tools. One standout approach is its Agile Piloting Programmes.
Through an open call, companies are invited to propose innovative solutions to pressing urban issues. The most promising ideas are brought to life in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
Real-world piloting, followed by thorough monitoring and evaluation, transforms these pilots into learning experiences—because the most successful pilot isn’t the one that’s perfect, but the one that teaches you the most.
One key advantage of agile piloting is how it brings together actors that might not typically cross paths. Startups gain valuable insights from city developers, and the exchange works both ways. Building new networks is encouraged, and when multiple solutions address the same problem, businesses can learn from one another, potentially sparking future collaborations.
Piloting Green and Edible Spaces: Placemaking in Action
A number of sustainable urban development and placemaking projects have been implemented in urban regeneration districts in Helsinki in recent years. One such project, Circular Green Blocks, aimed to promote the sharing economy in housing units and gave rise to a new concept for urban community gardens. One of the innovative companies we worked with was Blokgarden, a pioneering company in edible city solutions. They developed a community garden in the urban regeneration district of Malminkartano, Helsinki, in 2022.
Blokgarden provided residents with grow boxes, soil, and seedlings, but their involvement didn’t stop there. They also offered support in coordinating the community gardening efforts, gave cultivation advice throughout the growing season, and organised a preservation workshop for the harvest.
After the pilot ended, Blokgarden collected the physical materials but left behind a new operational model. This model for supporting community gardening was so successful, and the Malminkartano residents loved the community garden so much, that it has since been commercialised. The city of Helsinki found this an effective method for placemaking and engaging local citizens, and has repurchased the solution for Malminkartano twice with new locations following suit.
Rescued Plants, Revitalised Space
Another innovative pilot organised with Blokgarden was Surplus Park, launched as part of the PilotGreen project.
This initiative explored creative, environmentally friendly ways to add greenery to dense urban spaces. In July 2024, Suvilahti—a concrete-heavy area—became home to Surplus Park, a temporary oasis made from rescued plants.
The plants were housed in recycled bags lined with used exhibition carpets and outfitted with an irrigation system. Nearby residents helped care for the plants, fostering community involvement while benefiting from nature in their neighbourhood. Surplus Park has since gained traction, with other cities showing interest ahead of the next growing season.
These pilots demonstrate that concrete agile piloting is an effective tool for driving real urban change. It gives small businesses a platform to shine and prove their worth. Cities don’t need to solve every urban challenge alone—businesses are here to help!
Vision 2030: 30% of Food Consumed in Cities Could Be Locally Farmed
Let’s jump to the year 2030! What could the food system look like?
In the summer of 2024, Blokgarden organised an exhibition where they explored the job description of city farmers of the future. In this vision, by 2030, decentralised urban farming centres serve as hubs for agriculture, enabling professional urban farmers to operate across cities. These centers provide farmers with resources, spaces, technical support, and the tools needed for efficient and sustainable food production.
Decentralised urban farming is an innovative approach to food production, making use of diverse urban locations, including grocery stores, restaurants, office spaces, and the community areas of apartment buildings. Cultivation can take place both outdoors and indoors, utilising rooftops and hydroponic systems.
The customer base would include grocery stores, restaurants, and companies that wish to offer their employees fresh produce or harvest boxes. Farmers’ markets and local food co-operatives, where members can order locally sourced food straight from the producers, are also essential distribution channels. The range of products would extend to include urban mushrooms, cultivated in controlled environments within storage spaces of grocery stores, where professional farmers can oversee the harvest and ensure proper care. Urban farmers may also incorporate foraged foods, such as wild berries and mushrooms, which remain underutilised resources in regions like Finland.
This vision of urban farming brings sustainable food production directly to the heart of city life, creating new opportunities for local consumption and greater food security within urban communities. Pilot by pilot, this vision can become a reality.
Edible Cities in a Nutshell
Cities have a big role to play in bringing this vision into reality. They need to act as enablers instead of restrictors. The solutions exist, but what we need are low-threshold ways to speed up the process.
From the city, change requires new approaches, from land use to permit processes. Change happens at different scales and there needs to be open processes and transparency to allow room for it.
Helsinki is leading the charge by embracing bold initiatives that integrate food systems into city life. Through collaboration, innovation, and experimentation, projects like Agile Piloting Programmes and community-driven ventures, such as Blokgarden, are reshaping the city’s urban spaces and fostering greener, more resilient neighbourhoods. By 2030, the agricultural scene here may already look very different from most other cities, serving as a model to aspire to.
For more information about agile piloting, read the Agile Pilots Cook Book.
[1] Plassnig SN, Pettit M, Reichborn-Kjennerud K and Säumel I (2022) Successful scaling of Edible City Solutions to promote food citizenship and sustainability in food system transitions. Front. Sustain. Cities 4:1032836. doi: 10.3389/frsc.2022.1032836