Stuck in traffic? How sustainable commuting is improving health and the climate in Lahti

On the banks of Lake Vesijärvi, once one of Finland’s most polluted lakes, the city of Lahti is responding to the environmental damage. By 1979, the city stopped discharging domestic and industrial wastewater into the lake, kicking off decades of conservation work to reverse the damage. As the lake slowly healed, the health of the city also improved. 

From phasing out coal in 2019 to its pioneering work in the circular economy and European Green Capital in 2021, Lahti has consistently prioritised the climate and natural environment, and as a result has cultivated a strong reputation in sustainability expertise. Having earned its place among the European climate frontrunners in the EU Mission to deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart cities, Lahti is now facing its most complex climate challenge: decarbonising transport. 

The sustainable mobility hurdle

In 2025, transportation is the second-largest source of global greenhouse gas emissions, and current levels are almost double what they were in 1990. Emissions from this sector will continue to increase unless effective changes are implemented.

While data shows that Lahti, and Finland in general, are on course to meet carbon emission reduction targets in sectors like energy and heating, the transportation sector remains a significant challenge. Promoting sustainable mobility practices, including active modes of transport and public transportation, is one of the ways the city is cutting emissions.

Recognising local resistance to changing behaviours around mobility, Lahti joined the Pilot Cities Programme, launching an initiative to learn what it really takes to get people to ditch their cars in favour of more sustainable options like buses and bikes.

In Finland, private vehicles account for the majority of commuting trips, making commuting patterns a logical focal point for Lahti.  

Emissions from commuting underline an important point: most CO2 emissions within a city are not a direct result of the city authority. In other words, the city isn’t responsible for the emissions from private transport or business, but to achieve ambitious decarbonisation goals those emissions need to be reduced too. While the city isn’t directly responsible for these emissions, it has the power to influence how people move around. Providing reliable public transportation, bike lanes, and paid parking are all ways in which cities decrease reliance on private vehicles.  

“We realised that commuting is an area where the city, companies, and individuals share responsibility. Everyone was waiting for someone else to take the first step, so we decided to lead the way,” says Katja Ojala, the project lead for the initiative. “Our goal is to understand how both the city and other relevant actors like employers can promote sustainable commuting practices,” says Ojala. 

Systemic change towards sustainable commuting in Lahti 

The two-year project has brought together five diverse organisations representing Lahti’s employment landscape, including industrial, healthcare, and office-based workplaces. Together, they cover the main working districts in the city.  

The first step has been to understand how people travel to work and what influences these decisions. Through surveys, interviews, and observational visits, the team built a nuanced understanding of these dynamics in the chosen organisations. 

“We live in a culture that increasingly prioritises instant gratification, even beyond mobility. In this context, adding 10 minutes to a commute seems excessive,” explains Ojala, pointing to a broader societal challenge of valuing fast fixes over long-term sustainability. 

Many respondents to Lahti’s surveys saw public transport as too time-consuming, and employees were at times unaware of bus schedules and routes, or not used to taking public transportation. Workplace HR policies often took a one-size-fits-all approach, failing to address diverse commuting needs, and practical challenges like distant city-bike stations, limited e-scooter coverage, and poorly tailored bus routes reduced accessibility and, as a result, people’s willingness to try them. 

But the initial research carried out for this pilot project also pointed to potential avenues for change. What if those extra 10 minutes could provide the equivalent of 20 minutes of daily exercise? What if they contributed to safer urban spaces and improved air quality? 

Crucially, the team sensed that these so called ‘co-benefits’ of sustainable living are more compelling reasons for people to change their behaviour.

“People don’t always connect climate goals with their daily lives, but they are aware of their health, safety and financial situation. That’s where we see the greatest potential for change,” says Ojala. 

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts: joining forces to promote sustainable commuting  

Using these insights, the team collaborated with the selected organisations, employees, and service providers to co-design a suite of interventions aimed at shifting behaviours and making sustainable commuting easier.  

• Infrastructure upgrades addressed the lack of availability or suitability of existing infrastructure: the city worked with transport providers to expand e-scooter zones, relocate city-bike stations, and test new bus routes that reduced travel times. 
• Real-time information was also introduced, and two companies installed lobby screens displaying live bus schedules, improving employees’ ability to plan their journeys. 
• Awareness campaigns were held in the case companies. Seminars, raffles, and intranet updates helped raise awareness of commuting options. By highlighting health and wellness benefits, they discovered more powerful motivational approaches to behaviour change. 
• Financial incentives were also considered, and employees of one of the organisations were offered a discounted public transport pass and city bike memberships for trial, exploring how economic incentives influence commuting mode choice.  
• Employees at one company receiving heavily discounted public transport passes and city bike memberships, exploring economic influences on commuting choices. 
• Workplace improvements addressed practical barriers, introducing secure bike storage, better shower facilities, and more flexible HR policies to support active transportation. 

Cultivating openness to change 

The percentage of commutes the organisations’ staff made by private cars before the interventions was 57%, which dropped to 45% after the interventions had been implemented.

“Cities are often seen as blockers, but we want to be a platform for collaboration,” Ojala explains. “This project has shown how much we can achieve by working together.”  

The project targeted more than emissions reduction. It addressed broader attitudes related to urban mobility, workplace culture, and individual well-being. It also demonstrated how the city, companies, and individuals can collaborate to improve the overall quality of life, where emission reduction feels like a positive side-effect of efficient and attractive mobility options.  

The results of all the interventions demonstrate that employers can meaningfully impact commuting behaviours of their workforce. However,

“a shift in attitudes does not happen by itself; active communication is needed from the city and the employers,” says Ojala.

Reflecting on the outcome of the initiatives, Ojala points out that using multiple approaches yields better results than single interventions, appealing to both emotion and logic.

“Sustainable mobility is both a challenge and an opportunity. Cities can offer the vision and infrastructure, while companies bring innovation and expertise. By combining these strengths, we can create scalable, impactful solutions that benefit everyone. Ultimately, the best results come from working together—cities need the expertise of companies, and businesses thrive with the support and partnership of cities,” says Ojala

While some interventions showed reasonable success rates, particularly related to infrastructure, it will take time and continued effort sustain long-term behaviour change. Cultural resistance and the perception of inconvenience will continue to be challenges, but there are routes to change.

“It’s not just about infrastructure—it’s about changing mindsets,” says Ojala. “If you start to talk about return on investment—fewer sick days, more motivated employees, better retention—that’s the kind of message businesses are willing to hear,” she says.  

The project has also highlighted the critical role of governance in driving systemic change. Mandatory reporting of scope 3 emissions – indirect greenhouse gas emissions that occur across a company’s value chain – by businesses in the EU are already starting to influence corporate attitudes, and Ojala notes that

“businesses are beginning to understand that their responsibility doesn’t stop at the office door.” 

Long term change for healthier, better-connected communities 

Looking to the future, Lahti plans to share its findings with senior managers and local politicians across the city, encouraging more companies and cities to learn from these initiatives. The city has also developed a partnership model and implementation guide to ensure the project’s lessons inform future efforts. 

“This isn’t just about emissions—it’s about creating healthier, more connected communities,” Ojala says. “By tackling commuting together, we’re redefining what it means to be a sustainable city.”