Lahti, a home to 120,000 inhabitants in southern Finland, aims to be climate neutral by 2028. As European Green Capital 2021 and one of the Finnish Mission Cities, Lahti has strong climate goals across all GHG scopes. However, mobility remains a key challenge. Therefore, the City of Lahti’s Pilot Activity, Systemic change towards sustainable commuting in Lahti (SYCLA), addresses emissions from daily commuting, which is one of the most persistent challenges on its journey toward climate neutrality. Inner-city traffic remains heavily car-dependent, making a significant modal shift to sustainable transport essential.
The Pilot Activity focuses on shifting commuting habits toward walking, cycling, and public transport usage through a co-creation process with local organisations. The pilot includes mapping current commuting patterns, testing interventions with pilot companies, and developing policy recommendations for a new business district. One of the highlights is the collaborative interventions with local companies. More specifically, Lahti developed and tested a Sustainable Mobility Agreement with a local employer, Kempower, focusing on collaborative actions to reduce commuting-related emissions.
Collaborative Effort with a Local Company
The piloting approach followed a structured, co-creative process built on mutual commitment between the city and the company, involving key stakeholders, including the municipality-led SYCLA pilot team and Kempower’s sustainability manager. The project began by appointing dedicated contact persons to enable transparent communication and sustained collaboration.
Implementation involved several stages. First, the current commuting practices and mobility needs of Kempower employees were assessed through surveys, interviews, and on-site observations. The findings were validated with Kempower and shared with relevant city stakeholders to inform coordinated action. This data-driven foundation ensured that the pilot aligned with both the company’s sustainability ambitions and operational realities.
Based on this analysis, the pilot team developed a tailored set of recommendations, including updates to workplace travel policies, infrastructure improvements, and incentive schemes for low-carbon commuting modes. For example, offering discounted public transport passes and city bike memberships or introducing secure bike storage and better shower facilities at the workplace. These measures were integrated into Kempower’s operations with support from the city, emphasising flexibility and responsiveness to changing employee needs. In addition, to support long-term sustainability work and ensure continuity after the conclusion of the SYCLA pilot, a final intervention was added: a Scope 3 emissions reporting training tailored for Kempower.
The Sustainable Mobility Agreement demonstrated several innovative features: a clear partnership model between a city and a business, defined roles and accountability structures, and use of verified data to guide implementation. Rather than a static commitment, the agreement functioned as a dynamic tool for iterative learning and adaptation.
Feedback from Kempower was highly positive, with employees expressing increased awareness of sustainable commuting options and appreciation for the inclusive process. A follow-up survey captured changes in commuting patterns and preferences, helping refine the interventions.
The pilot also strengthened internal collaboration within the city, building capacity for future agreements with other employers. It illustrates how cities and businesses can co-develop practical, targeted solutions that contribute meaningfully to climate goals. Lahti’s experience highlights the value of shared responsibility, continuous engagement, and structured collaboration in accelerating sustainable urban mobility.
What were the key drivers of the initiative?
- Political support: The pilot builds on Lahti’s Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP, 2017) and Nature Step to Health programme (2022), which have politically approved climate targets that cover all three scopes of emissions.
- Governance: Both the City of Lahti and Kempower designated dedicated individuals with responsibilities centred on fostering transparent, close collaboration, facilitating open discussions, sharing knowledge, and driving change.
- Engagement: Engagement through interviews, surveys, and on-site observations enabled a deep understanding of Kempower’s needs, while sharing validated insights with city stakeholders ensured informed decision-making and alignment across the organisation.
What were the challenges and barriers?
- Aligning different timelines and priorities: Cities and companies often operate on different schedules and decision-making cycles, which can make coordination slow or complex.
- Resource constraints: Both public and private stakeholders had limited time and capacity to engage deeply throughout every pilot phase.
- Translating insights into action: Turning shared understanding into concrete measures required extra effort, especially when existing infrastructure or policies needed adaptation.
- Continuity: A key challenge now is maintaining momentum and expanding collaboration to other companies. Each organisation has unique needs, and building trust takes time. Ensuring continuity requires clear incentives, internal commitment from companies, and dedicated city resources to support long-term engagement.
Potential for Replication & Lessons Learned
One key takeaway from the SYCLA pilot is the value of continuous, open communication between cities and local companies. Instead of developing a formal model, the city focused on building trust and sharing knowledge regularly. By combining surveys, interviews, and workplace observation, they were able to gain a well-rounded understanding of commuting challenges and tailor their actions accordingly.
Quantitative data helped find patterns, but it was the personal stories and on-site visits that revealed practical issues and built stronger connections. This collaborative, mixed-method approach allowed for a more effective response to real needs.
Reykjavik, Lahti’s Twin City, is already working on replicating interventions and implementing lessons learned from Lahti’s Pilot Activity within its local context. Other cities looking to replicate should focus on establishing regular dialogue and mutual problem-solving with businesses. The tools can vary, but what truly drives success is a shared commitment to collaboration, adaptability, and ongoing engagement. To help other cities embark on a similar journey, Lahti has prepared a guide for cities and businesses on sustainable mobility agreements.
Header Photo: ©kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons