Helsinki’s chief design officer Hanna Harris

Available for over a year

Hanna Harris is Helsinki’s chief design officer. She’s only the second person in the job since the role was created in 2016. But why does a city need a chief design officer in the first place, and what can design do to boost wellbeing? Erika Benke joins Hanna as she searches for new pioneering opportunities that have the potential to change people’s lives. They visit a vast decommissioned power plant, inviting local people to share their views on how to give an industrial facility, that’s served its purpose, a new lease of life. They also go to an old playground that’s about to undergo a big transformation, creating a new themed playground where children can learn about computing, algorithms and AI while crawling on their hands and knees, and without a single computer or smartphone screen in sight. As Hanna travels across the city, we’ll hear her plotting, planning and exploring ideas and infecting others with her passion for design, in order to improve the quality of life for Helsinki’s communities. Presenter/producer: Erika Benke for the BBC World Service Executive producer: Andrea Kidd (Photo: Hanna Harris. Credit: Teina Ryynänen)