What if the university was a meeting place?

Universities have unique opportunities to bring scientific knowledge and societal actors together. But science-society interactions often remain unidirectional, formal and highly structured. What if the university would be a meeting place? A place for spontaneous and informal encounter between science and society? Puistokatu 4, the ‘Space for Science and Hope’ in Helsinki, shows what happens when researchers, activists, entrepreneurs and artists share the same building.

Blog by Lisette van Beek, in conversation with Minttu Jaakkola and Oscar Hartman Davies

Universities are no longer the ‘ivory towers’ they once were. The need for partnerships with society to address sustainability issues is broadly recognised and transdisciplinary research is becoming more and more widespread [1]. Still, interactions with society mainly take the form of highly structured, formal and goal-oriented processes, such as public lectures or large research consortia. Universities’ windy campuses, prestigious buildings and big lecture halls offer little space for spontaneous encounters. This seems like a missed opportunity; it is through spontaneous encounters that new ideas arise and networks are built.

The transformative potential of spontaneous encounter

In his book The Great Good Place, urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg stressed the importance of a ‘third place’ in cities; informal places where people can meet easily, regularly, spontaneously in between home and the workplace. As argued by Oldenburg, places such as the pubs in London, the pavement cafés of Paris and tearooms in Japan were crucial to build community within cities; an essential quality for social wellbeing and health of citizens [2]. Likewise, informal face-to-face interactions are also crucial for collaborations between people with diverse backgrounds and skills within organizations [3]. Unplanned interactions between scientists have also led to various unexpected scientific discoveries such as the structure of DNA [4].

A meeting place between science and society: Puistokatu4

Spontaneous encounters between diverse actors is precisely what Minttu Jaakkola, executive director of Puistokatu 4, aims for: “Most of the discussions on sustainability are happening in silos within academia, activism and corporations. Digital platforms are only making the silos worse. We started to imagine a place where we share the same vision and bridge those silos.” The newly renovated building opened its doors in 2022 and is funded by two Finnish foundations with a shared vision: envisioning a good life within planetary boundaries. Essentially, it is a co-working space with three floors; an ‘extended living room’ with a restaurant and library, a floor for ‘agents’ (activists, artists and entrepreneurs) and a ‘science attic’ hosting about 40 researchers from 33 different disciplines. As Minttu notes: “It has really been working. Magic always happens when you put people together”.

New ideas and collaborations

She gives numerous examples of this ‘magic’. Last year, over 60 CEOs from the largest companies in the Nordic countries participated in a biodiversity course organized with top ecologists, where the main message from the researchers was that a company's capital is completely dependent on natural capital. For many leaders, the course was eye-opening and motivated them to contribute to biodiversity. A former research fellow, Oscar Hartman Davies, explained how conversations with other researchers and actors at Puistokatu 4 stimulated new thinking and collaborations: “Only a few weeks after presenting at one of the morning seminars, I’d become part of a regenerative practices reading group, made plans to visit a river restoration site in central Finland, and started putting together a major collaborative funding bid.” When talking about Puistokatu 4, Oscar’s eyes sparkled: “It’s an incredible place. They somehow manage to create this highly productive working space with low levels of stress.”

Sharing emotions and cultivating hope

Puistokatu 4 is clearly about much more than sharing knowledge. “We bring our whole selves”, Minttu notes, when giving the example of a researcher that ended her presentation with tears in her eyes, feeling hopeless. “It is very important that we share those moments. Research is not just about logic but also about emotions and feelings.” Apart from presentations, many activities engage with emotions, such as a discussion group for toddlers and their parents to discuss climate anxiety. Puistokatu 4 also explicitly aims to cultivate hope, Minttu explains: “We discuss a lot about what brings us hope. Every year we have a session with our members about how we define hope. People keep saying that what brings them hope is seeing so many people working towards the same goal.”

The university as a meeting place

It sounds so simple: just put people together in one building and magic happens. On my train journey I encountered similar examples, such as Laederstraede 20 in Copenhagen, where humanities scholars share the building with think tanks and NGOs. But when talking to Minttu and Oscar, it soon became clear that it requires careful curation. A diverse set of activities are organized, ranging from formal presentations to informal gatherings such as yoga, book clubs and swimming sessions. People outside of Puistokatu 4 can also request a free lunch meeting with a researcher. Another key ingredient is commitment; both agents and researchers need to apply for membership. Once a member, they commit to the house values and practical rules, such as being present in the building at least once a week and attending a weekly morning coffee event with presentations. Setting up a space like Puistokatu 4 clearly requires substantial time and funding. But some small-scale interventions such as the ‘invite researcher for lunch’ initiative might already go a long way. Perhaps the most important lesson of Puistokatu 4 is showing what an alternative university culture could look like; a culture centred around community, creativity and hope.

1. Lawrence, M. G., Williams, S., Nanz, P., & Renn, O. (2022). Characteristics, potentials, and challenges of transdisciplinary research. One Earth, 5(1), 44-61.

2. Oldenburg, R. (1989). The great good place: Cafés, coffee shops, community centers, beauty parlors, general stores, bars, hangouts, and how they get you through the day. (No Title).

3. Irving, G. L., Ayoko, O. B., & Ashkanasy, N. M. (2020). Collaboration, physical proximity and serendipitous encounters: Avoiding collaboration in a collaborative building. Organization Studies, 41(8), 1123-1146.

4. Copeland, S. On serendipity in science: discovery at the intersection of chance and wisdom. Synthese 196, 2385–2406 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-017-1544-3