Planect has been developed to assess the climate impacts of town plans, i.e. carbon footprint and carbon handprint, in six different sectors (preconstruction, infrastructure and public areas, soil and vegetation carbon storages, buildings and yards, traffic, and energy).

The assessment includes estimates of emissions throughout the life cycle, from material production to recycling. Planect assesses the change in relation to the current situation, i.e. any buildings to be demolished at the construction site or the climate impacts of vegetation disappearing under construction are also included in the assessment.

Whereas previously a planner or project developer had to order an expensive and often time-consuming report on climate emissions, in the future any Planect user can estimate the project's climate emissions themselves within fifteen minutes.

Service Director Eero Puurunen from Sitowise

The method makes it possible to carry out a climate impact assessment in all projects at the level of detail in the town plan. The aim is that, in the future, planners or project developers will be able to assess the climate emissions within fifteen minutes and also test the effects of various low-carbon measures. At the same time, a database is formed on which solutions are good for the climate and which are worse. In this way, the tool will have a significant impact on how cities are planned in the future.

- Planect helps us see what kind of zoning projects are best for the climate when assessed holistically, Puurunen says.

The new Building Act requires an assessment of the climate impacts of buildings

The new Building Act aims to reduce the climate impacts of construction by introducing low-carbon solutions into construction legislation. As of 1.1.2026, new buildings will be required to undergo a low-carbon assessment and a roof will be placed on the carbon footprint of buildings at the same time.

Under the new Building Act, Finland requires an assessment of the climate impacts of buildings, but buildings are only one part of emissions from land use.

The Government is also currently preparing a proposal for a land use act. The Land Use Act governs the climate impacts of land use, their assessment and the steering nature of the assessment.

- There have been no clear guidelines for numerically assessing the climate impacts of changes in land use. Planect offers a credible calculation model for this, the principles of which have also been reported openly, says Puurunen.

Development work in cooperation with municipalities

The beta version of Planect was released in December last year. Development was carried out together with partners, and almost all of Finland's ten largest cities have been involved in the development work. In Jyväskylä, for example, dozens of formulas have already been evaluated.

- Planect will revolutionise knowledge of how urban planning solutions affect climate emissions and thus guide how cities are planned also at the master plan level, Puurunen says.

Photo: Anders Koponen