JUSTGREEN Local Stakeholder Meeting - City of Tallinn
JUSTGREEN Local Stakeholder Meeting - Tallinn
On September 11th, the Tallinn Strategic Management Office led its first stakeholder meeting as part of the JUSTGREEN project. The discussion focused on mapping the city center’s current greenery and identifying both challenges and positive examples.
JUSTGREEN’s Aims in The City of Tallinn to develop a methodology that supports residents and organizations in creating neighbourhood greenery in the city center district. To achieve this, the meeting engaged various stakeholders, including representatives from resident associations, built environment organizations (such as the Estonian Association of Architects), and organizations focused on vulnerable citizens, like the Elderly Self-Help and Counselling Association.
The meeting discussed several statements from the JUSTGREEN Scorecard, which led to valuable insights into Tallinn's greening challenges. Despite some positive developments, participants felt that the overall greening situation in the city center remains inadequate.
The evaluation of urban greening and climate adaptation strategies highlights several key insights. First, while there's an effort to align environmental and social data, social considerations, especially those of teenagers, are often overlooked in green space design. Participatory processes exist to involve citizens in climate policy, but information tends to reach them too late, limiting their effectiveness. However, initiatives like the architectural competition on Koidu Street show potential for more inclusive engagement.
Accessibility to quality green spaces remains a challenge, particularly for vulnerable groups such as wheelchair users, and there’s a lack of high-quality, diverse spaces. Climate resilience efforts have improved but are still inadequate, with floods and mobility challenges during extreme weather, especially for those with disabilities. Additionally, the collaboration between city departments is often hindered by communication gaps, resulting in less effective greening policies.
Funding distribution for greening projects, while supported by initiatives like Tallinn's participatory budget, still falls short, especially in areas like the Old Town, where accessibility needs remain unmet. Finally, although there are some solutions that consider different abilities and perspectives, a more comprehensive approach is needed to ensure that all voices are valued in greening policies.
Conclusion The meeting revealed that while there are positive steps toward urban greening in Tallinn's city center, significant gaps remain, particularly in accessibility, climate resilience, and interdepartmental collaboration.
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