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Cultural change towards a good life within the planetary boundaries – The work at Puistokatu 4 for building an ecologically sustainable future continues until 2030!
A Space of Science and Hope at Puistokatu 4 has been bringing together researchers, artists, activists, political decision-makers, business leaders, and city residents since 2022. In December 2025, the TAH Foundation and the Nessling Foundation signed a cooperation agreement that secures the continuation of the work of Puistokatu 4 until 2030. In this article, Minttu Jaakkola, Executive Director of Puistokatu 4, explains the strategic thinking behind the organization’s work, which, supported by the impact evaluation, will guide it over the next five years.
TEXT: MINTTU JAAKKOLA
My colleague Anna Herlin and I began dreaming about a place like Puistokatu 4 in 2019. There was frustration behind it: even though the ecological crisis affects us all, most of the discussion and solutions happen in silos. There was no physical place where people could meet across disciplines, sectors, and roles, share their views and current situation, and build solutions together.
The dream came true in August 2022, when the culturally and historically valuable wooden villa at Puistokatu 4 opened as a Space of Science and Hope. Over the past three years, nearly 200 members have worked in the multidisciplinary and multisectoral community at Puistokatu 4, and the events organized at the house have attracted thousands of participants.
The villa in Kaivopuisto, Helsinki, may seem like a tiny bubble from the perspective of society or the world, but the people who work and visit there represent dozens of different disciplines, organizations, and sectors, as well as thousands of different social networks and realities. Through these its influence spreads.
The community spirit that is being built at Puistokatu 4 is an antidote to the polarization, individualism, and loneliness that characterize our times.
Cultural change towards a shared vision – a good life within the planetary boundaries!
Bringing people together and encouraging cooperation requires an inspiring vision. From the very beginning, the vision of Puistokatu 4 has been to normalize a good life within the planetary boundaries.
If everyone lived like Finns, we would need almost four Earths to sustain this lifestyle. Our values, ideals, and worldviews must change so that we can imagine what a good and desirable life within the planetary boundaries looks like. We need a cultural change.
The basic unit of cultural change is the individual: all communities, organizations, and structures are ultimately made up of individuals. It is essential to recognize one’s own thoughts and actions as part of a shared vision.
A study of over 130,000 people worldwide shows that the obstacle to change is not people’s unwillingness to act amid the ecological crisis, but the mistaken belief that others do not share the same concerns. Puistokatu 4 breaks this misconception by bringing together people who are committed to finding solutions to the ecological crisis and reminding them that they are not facing it alone.
The impact evaluation confirmed what we had observed at Puistokatu 4: our strategy works!
The impact evaluation conducted by 4FRONT on the first three years of Puistokatu 4’s operations shows that Puistokatu 4’s work promotes the cultural change needed in the ecological crisis. According to the evaluation, Puistokatu 4 offers its community members and event participants a deeper understanding, inspiration, and a sense of belonging. This has changed individuals’ thinking and values and motivated them to take action.
“At Puistokatu 4, it feels like you’re not alone in facing these huge challenges. This is also linked to the inspiration provided by Puistokatu 4 as an example of how each of us can recognize how we can make a difference through our own choices and actions, we all have something to contribute, something to give, which then influences others and also multiplies the opportunities for others.” –Member feedback 2023
Everyone who works at or visits Puistokatu 4 is a potential change agent within their own community. By engaging a diverse range of audiences through the Puistokatu 4 community and programs, we extend the reach of its transformative power across social, informational, and professional networks.
“The way Puistokatu creates a better future without compromising on quality of life and aesthetics sparked something in me, and I ended up going back to university to study the sustainability of food systems. Now I hope to have my own farm and work to lobby for a sustainable food system. These issues and ideas were already there for me in a way, but Puistokatu 4 had such a strong impact that they became so central to my thinking that I had to change careers. ” – Event visitor feedback 2024
The model developed on the basis of the impact assessment illustrates the impact of Puistokatu 4 using four mutually reinforcing circles:
Science and hope as forces of change
Puistokatu 4 is also known as a Space of Science and Hope. The name describes two key forces of change that are needed to build a future worth striving for. This is particularly important at a time when there are attempts to curtail the freedom and prestige of science and hope is considered a naive and passive emotion.
Insights from researchers across scientific disciplines provide vital raw material for understanding the current situation and imagining a future that respects planetary boundaries. Hope, by contrast, is an active force for change: it emerges through collective action and guides us toward futures we have envisioned together.
Puistokatu 4 is an invitation to pause, connect, dream, and act. Change begins when you step into the same space as others and realize that you are not alone.
