- The Next Library
-
- Tommi Laitio
Tommi Laitio is the founder of Convivencia Urbana and an internationally recognized strategist in public space design and civic engagement. He advises libraries, museums, cities, and foundations across North America and Europe on navigating urban friction, building meaningful partnerships, and creating impactful community experiences.
His projects focus on the future of public spaces, youth development, public-private collaboration, and designing for civic participation.
Tommi draws on two decades of experience in public innovation and city leadership. From 2022 to 2024, he served as the inaugural Bloomberg Public Innovation Fellow at Johns Hopkins University, where he researched the capabilities public institutions need to build successful partnerships between libraries and parks.
This followed his pioneering work as the first Executive Director for Culture and Leisure in the City of Helsinki (2017–2021), where he led a team of 1,800 professionals delivering over 20 million annual experiences in arts, sports, libraries, and youth services — and served as part of the city’s executive leadership team.
Tommi holds an MA in Political Science and an Executive MBA, and currently lives in Los Angeles.
