Urban renewal, heritage planning, revitalization of brownfields
Suburban development in partnership with city
Local governance in the digital world

Tartu municipality (10 941 inhabitants) is a typical suburban municipality bordering the second largest city of Estonia, Tartu (a historical university city and a stong regional centre in South Estonia). In 30 years the area of the municipality was mostly agricultural. Also, one of the largest Soviet military airports in the whole Central and Easter Europe was located here. The economy and population of the municipality has made through a remarkable transition since. Suburban residential development attracts new residents, at the same time bringing along a challenge how to support social cohesion and support local democracy among the increasingly diverse population (former and new residents). Former military and agricultural sites have partly already found new cultural functions, for example a new Estonian National Museum was opened in 2016 in the location of former airport, and many other recreation facilities attract visitors from all over Estonia and outside. Tartu municipality is searching its own track how to become an attractive suburb with its own identity and activities that together with the centre of urban region (Tartu) would make the region as a whole economically and socially more attractive and visible worldwide. The municipality sets local tools for climate change management in the foreground with a longer aim to become an environmentally-friendly suburb.