Our Metropolis has to rise to the City Champions League

Our metropolis is growing. But growth is modest compared to competitors in the Baltic Sea region. Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen and Tallinn are still developing at a faster pace. The growth and development of the metropolitan city needs to be increased and improved in order to make Finland a success in international competition. In a postmodern economy, urban competitiveness is more decisive than the state when companies and international experts decide on their locations. Finland needs a more international, more accessible and more competitive metropolitan area today.

We propose to the metropolitan area its own metropolis agreement, which is built on the current Land Use, Housing and Transport agreement. The agreement is wider in themes and includes education, research and innovation policies that are essential for growth. The main railway track needs third track between Helsinki and Tampere, and a high-speed train connection to the airport. Internal links within the metropolis area should be intensified, introducing also a congestion charging system that limits the disadvantages of traffic. The city center of Helsinki must be expanded and the other centers of the metropolis should be intensified. The attractiveness of foreign experts and students are improved by making English as an official language. In addition to the language issue, the funding of key Finnish top universities must be secured.

The clients of the survey were Hypoteekkiyhdistys (Hypo), the Federation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), the Service Trade Union (PAM), the Construction Industry RT, Sitra and the Building Information Foundation.

Links to report, press release and other material (in Finnish):

Kaupunkipolitiikan tiekartta IV – Kaupunkien mestarien liigaan

Press release January 9, 2018: Suomi tarvitsee Helsingille oman kilpailukykyä vahvistavan ohjelman

Previous urban policy road maps