Skip to content
In March, TTK University of Applied Sciences hosted a Smart City hackathon, bringing together students from TTK and the Dutch HAS Green Academy to tackle challenges in Tallinn’s urban environment. Over the course of three days, participants worked on solutions related to mobility, environmental integration, and user experience. The winning team focused on mapping dangerous school routes from the perspective of pedestrians and cyclists.
“All teams delivered strong work, and choosing a winner was not easy,” said Christopher-Robin Raitviir, Head of Digital Construction at the Tallinn Strategy Centre and a member of the jury.
“In the end, what set the winning team apart was their practical and feasible approach. Several of their proposed solutions can be implemented with relatively modest resources, while significantly improving conditions for light traffic and making school journeys safer,” he added.
The winning team included TTK students Sulo Kuuler and Laura Sophia Pajumäe from the Environmental Technology and Management programme.
A special prize from TTK was awarded to a team that focused on addressing traffic bottlenecks in Tallinn. According to hackathon organiser Kaie Eha, Head of the Environmental Technology and Management programme at TTK, the team stood out for its effective use of mapping tools in analysis and for proposing well-grounded solutions to a highly complex issue.
The special prize-winning team included TTK students Daniel Kärsten and Brenda Orumets.
According to Christopher-Robin Raitviir student hackathons focused on solving real-world challenges are highly valuable for the City of Tallinn. “They bring fresh perspectives from future professionals, among whom we see potential colleagues and partners in developing urban space. We hope such initiatives will continue, and that the city can contribute even more to them in the future.”
For Kaie Eha, one of the key strengths of the event was the formation of mixed teams from Estonia and the Netherlands. “The international dimension adds a wide range of perspectives from different parts of the world. By identifying effective solutions used elsewhere, the likelihood that hackathon ideas can be implemented in practice increases significantly,” she explained.
In addition to dangerous school routes and traffic bottlenecks, participants also explored solutions for snow removal challenges, smart street lighting, and analysing the behaviour patterns of light-traffic users.
According to Eha, the hackathon format will continue in the future. “The framework for next year has already been agreed with partners, and interest in the event remains high among all parties,” she added.
