https://futurehubs.eu/cities/oulu/ European Capital of Culture in 2026, Oulu is also advancing a hydrogen plant, a city-centre vision to 2040 and resident-chosen projects worth €500,000. en https://futurehubs.eu/cities/oulu/news/participatory-budget-results/https://futurehubs.eu/cities/oulu/news/participatory-budget-results/Fri, 02 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTOulu residents chose 12 of 94 proposals for the city's €500,000 participatory budget for 2027, with 5,119 people voting and recess equipment for 67 schools, costing €90,000, topping the poll with 1,236 votes. https://futurehubs.eu/cities/oulu/news/icapital-semi-final/https://futurehubs.eu/cities/oulu/news/icapital-semi-final/Thu, 01 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTOulu is one of six semi-finalists in the European Rising Innovative City 2027 category of the European Capital of Innovation Awards, competing for a €500,000 prize to be awarded in Grenoble on 3 December 2026. https://futurehubs.eu/cities/oulu/news/arctic-bridge-project/https://futurehubs.eu/cities/oulu/news/arctic-bridge-project/Tue, 15 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMTThe European Commission has launched BRIDGE, an EU-funded network of 21 Arctic towns and cities led by the Arctic Mayors' Forum, with Oulu's City Board chair and head of international affairs attending the launch at the EU Arctic Forum 2026 in Brussels. https://futurehubs.eu/cities/oulu/news/abo-energy-hydrogen/https://futurehubs.eu/cities/oulu/news/abo-energy-hydrogen/Tue, 01 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMTOulu and ABO Energy Suomi have signed a cooperation agreement for a hydrogen project in the Pyyryväinen green transition zone, where electrolysis capacity could reach up to 600 MW in two to three phases on up to 41 hectares. https://futurehubs.eu/cities/oulu/news/eurocities-award/https://futurehubs.eu/cities/oulu/news/eurocities-award/Wed, 10 Jun 2026 08:00:00 GMTOulu won the gold award in the Eurocities Awards 2026 for its Sustainable Future Learning Stream, a sustainability education model launched in 2019 and adapted by seven partner municipalities, ahead of Paris, Istanbul, Rotterdam and Manchester. https://futurehubs.eu/cities/oulu/news/city-centre-vision/https://futurehubs.eu/cities/oulu/news/city-centre-vision/Wed, 03 Jun 2026 08:00:00 GMTOulu's Urban and Environmental Committee approved the Oulu City Centre Vision 2026–2040 on 2 June 2026 as an advisory plan, based on a final report and six annex reports, with a progress report due by the end of the council term in 2028.