Designing municipal strategy on the edge of the world

Session type:

Case Study

Presented by:

Julius Oförsagd

Arctic Factory

Session time:

12 Mar 12:30 — 13:15

Session duration:

45 minutes

About the session

Dive into our session as we unveil the innovative approach taken in designing the municipal strategy for Utsjoki amidst unprecedented challenges. Utsjoki is the northernmost municipality of EU and home for 1200 citizen.

Utsjoki is located in the heart of Sámi land and is the only municipality in Finland with a Sámi majority. Explore how we facilitated five Future Forums, gathering diverse perspectives to envision the future of this unique community.

Our engaging workshops fostered collaboration and creativity, culminating in a comprehensive digital report guiding the municipality's path forward. Discover the power of co-creation and community-driven strategies in shaping resilient futures.

Participant Takeaways:

Community Engagement: Understand the importance of engaging diverse stakeholders in strategic planning processes to ensure inclusivity and ownership of outcomes.
Collaborative Innovation: Explore the value of collaborative approaches, such as Future Forums, in harnessing collective intelligence and generating innovative solutions to complex challenges.
Designing Strategies: Gain insights into the advantages of applying design thinking principles in strategy work, enabling flexibility, creativity, and user-centric approaches to problem-solving.

Themes:

Innovation, Collaboration, Resilience, Community, Foresight

About the speaker(s)

Julius Oförsagd

Julius Oförsagd is a seasoned design director and development professional based in Rovaniemi, boasting 15 years of expertise in public and business development, management consulting, service design, and brand development. Beyond his entrepreneurial ventures, Julius has left an indelible mark in regional development, international event production, and as a respected member of global design juries.

He is revered as an inspiring speaker in customer-centric business, public sector innovation, and third-sector initiatives. Julius's extensive involvement in social development spans working with the Lapland Union, participating in influential forums with SITRA, governmental bodies, and third-sector organisations, and leading cluster initiatives in Arctic specialisation and foresight.

Complementing his professional endeavours, Julius shares his wealth of knowledge as a lecturer at the University of Lapland and Open Universities in Rovaniemi, Oulu, and Helsinki, recognised for his ability to invigorate audiences and drive impactful change in organisations.

Julius is celebrated for his holistic perspective, seamlessly navigating between the macro and micro levels of business models, brands, strategies, and service designs.

Pronouns: He/Him