Meet Our
Fellows
Tommi Laitio
BLOOMBERG PUBLIC INNOVATION FELLOW
2022-2024
Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation
at Johns Hopkins University
Tommi Laitio served as an inaugural Bloomberg Public Innovation Fellow at the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University from 2022 to 2024. As a Fellow, Laitio explored the necessary skills and practices for local governments to advance innovative partnerships that sustain the legitimacy of governance. With research support from the Center, Laitio developed a partnership capabilities model for local governments to build effective, accountable partnerships for public innovation. Five comparative case studies focusing on public parks and libraries—areas of governance where partnerships are common—demonstrate the partnership capabilities in action. These capabilities, brought to life across diverse metropolitan areas, are navigation (Fortaleza, Brazil); convening (Mecklenburg County, North Carolina); experimentation (Los Angeles, California); and codification (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). A fifth case in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, illustrates the interdependence and iterative nature of the capabilities. Access Laitio's partnership capabilities research collection.
Before the Fellowship, Laitio served as the first executive director for culture and leisure for the City of Helsinki, overseeing arts and culture, sports, youth work, and the public library for Finland’s capital. Laitio holds an MA in political science from the University of Helsinki and an executive MBA from Aalto University. Currently, as an independent consultant, Laitio advises libraries, museums, cities, and foundations in North America and Europe to find solutions that embrace friction in partnerships in multicultural, democratic societies and harness it for more inclusive, accountable public engagement.
Listen & Watch
MAINSTAGE TALK
From a Nobody to a Somebody: How Do You Create Truly Equitable Cities?
Creative Bureaucracy Festival
Berlin, Germany
June 21, 2023
PANEL DISCUSSION
A Place-Based Approach to Creating Vibrant Downtowns
Placemakers 14
Calgary, Canada
September 20, 2023
Listen & Watch
MAINSTAGE TALK
From a Nobody to a Somebody: How Do You Create Truly Equitable Cities?
Creative Bureaucracy Festival
Berlin, Germany
June 21, 2023
PANEL DISCUSSION
A Place-Based Approach to Creating Vibrant Downtowns
Placemakers 14
Calgary, Canada
September 20, 2023
Recent Features
Finland Library Magazine | October 11, 2023
The library helps people understand who they are and how to get along with others but its role is not to tell people what to think, says Tommi Laitio.
Yle | July 8, 2023
Tommi Laitio realized at a young age that there were two sides to his world.
Creative Bureaucracy | June 22, 2023
Feeling like a somebody is having a story of yourself that is different from others and having the capabilities to live that story out. Our stories are conditioned by the institutions and environments around us. Exchange with others helps us understand our story better.
Medium | June 12, 2023
The government cannot and should not predict and dictate everything that happens in a city. However, societies need to build capacities for people, businesses, and civil society in a sufficiently predictable and reliable manner.
SALTO European Solidarity Corps | December 21, 2022
What does a solidary city look like? Which services, places and spaces make citizens feel at home?
Bloomberg | October 26, 2022
The time has come for a “Great Reknitting” across America. The country’s most egalitarian institutions — its public libraries — are a crucial place to start.