Hiedanranta: From industrial past to carbon-negative urban prototype

Hiedanranta, a post-industrial lakeside district in the City of Tampere, Finland, has emerged as a testbed for the city’s urban regeneration strategies. This practitioner paper examines the potential of the red-brick district in shaping attractive, resilient and adaptive urban futures through collaborative, inclusive and environmentally conscious urban planning. The paper examines how this former industrial zone is being transformed into a vibrant, multifunctional hub that seamlessly connects the city and nature, heritage and innovation and permanence and meaningful transformation for Tampere’s residents. Specifically, this paper sets out to ask: What has worked well in Hiedanranta? What lessons can be gathered from Tampere’s research-led urban renewal approach, and how might these insights be replicated in other cities around the world? The vision for the new district has been defined as follows: ‘Hiedanranta is a new lakeside district on the shores of Lake Näsijärvi, where work, activities, living and events are creatively intertwined. Together with Lielahti, it forms a new-generation sustainable and smart hub just minutes away from Central Square’. This paper will share the holistic thinking behind the district’s strategic master plan and evolution of ongoing regeneration efforts, illuminate the values embedded in the city’s change process, and explore the Hiedanranta district’s potential role in accelerating regenerative urbanism practices in the Finnish context. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.