Accelerating urbanization is a worldwide phenomenon. Cities produce more than 70% of global CO² emissions. This means that the choices that cities make have huge implications for the people and for the planet. The citizens are usually not involved in making decisions about construction materials in the cities, one reason why concrete and steel predominate.

To help both citizens  and decision-makers push for more sustainable urban construction Architectural Democracy, Metsä Wood, and Accenture Interactive came together to explore how to turn todays’ rigid and exclusive urban construction process to a more inclusive and sustainable one – in a digital tool called Decisions.city.

“The idea behind the movement of Architectural Democracy is to move away from opaque urban planning into a more open decision making process. There is no perfect mix of construction materials, but without including the voice of citizens we will continue to use traditional emissions-intensive materials”, Pedro Aibéo, architect and civil engineer, and the founder of the Architectural Democracy organization notes.

Decisions.city is a  showcase of a playful, yet informative online interaction platform that allows anyone to adjust the mix between different building materials; wood, concrete and steel – and to see the differences over time. “Decisions.city is an interactive experience that allows people to learn and understand how their city can develop in the future”, says Elliot White, Service Design Lead & Resident Architect at FJORD part of Accenture Interactive.

“City structures are 90% concrete and steel, two of the single biggest emitters of greenhouse gases. Engineered wood products, like Kerto^® LVL, store carbon and enable sustainable construction. We hope to increase citizens’ awareness of sustainable urban construction through participation and thereby contribute to finding new ways to make our cities sustainable, inclusive, resilient and safe”, says Jussi Björman, Director, Business Development, Construction, at Metsä Wood.

Initial version of Decisions.city will be launched in conjunction with the 2021 Venice Biennale of Architecture to promote building a more sustainably, resilient and inclusive urban future.

Try it out and see what the future of cities could look like: Decisions.city