This is my home city – Lahti. It is located in southern Finland in the province of Päijät-Häme. Lahti is the biggest city in the province.
12 front-runner cities and regions
10 cities and 2 regions are currently engaged in the CITIES2030. The project incorporates diverse cities and regions as stated in the below table. These 10 cities and 2 regions are called front-runners.
| 10 cities and 2 regions Geography | Demography*) |
| Bremerhaven (DE), flat, temperate oceanic | 1.200 |
| Bruges (BE), flat, temperate oceanic | 850 |
| Haarlem (NL), flat, temperate oceanic | 5.461 |
| Iaşi (RO), uplands, humid continental | 3.092 |
| Quart de Poblet (ES), flat, Mediterranean,dry/hot summer | 1.300 |
| Murska Sobota (SI), flat, temperate oceanic | 806 |
| Seinäjoki (FI), flat, subarctic | 44,26 |
| Troodos (CY), mountainous, Mediterranean, hot semi-arid | N/ap |
| Velika Gorica (HR), flat, temperate oceanic | 190 |
| Vejle (DK), flat, temperate oceanic | 400 |
| Vicenza (IT), flat, humid subtropical | 1.400 |
| Vidzeme region (LV), highlands, humid continental | N/ap |
38 follower cities and regions
Cities2030’s aim is to engage a total of 50 cities by the end of the project covering a spanning diversity of scales, climates, and terrains, from continental to coastal settings. At the end of the day, Cities2030 will engage 12 front-runners and 38 followers.
Lahti locates in the province of Päijät-Häme being the biggest city in the province. The three strategic RDI target fields in the Päijät-Häme province are sports, food & drinks, and the manufacturing industry. The RDI strategy is updated in November 2021 (link)
The province’s and accordingly Lahti’s strategic orientation to focus RDI efforts too on food & drinks sounds like a good idea from Cities2030 perspective. S&L will be following the next acts in Päijät-Häme province and in Lahti waiting for an opportunity to initiate cooperation between the city of Lahti and Cities2030.
Smart & Lean 