Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2010 | Page 51

sustainable communities to be formed along rail connections. Thanks to the superb location, the logistics hubs are within easy reach of St. Petersburg. Of course, it’s not only the great connections which are firing up the engines in Lahti. The city has been a key centre for growth in Finland for a long time and the improved connections only add to the appeal. “Lahti is known for versatile services and pioneering efforts in both culture and sports.” For companies, there is something about Lahti that makes networking and build- ing business relationships pretty easy. Karppanen attributes this to the entrepreneurial mindset of the citizens – Lahti has launched many successful family businesses, for instance, to the world. The phrase “Business City” summed up what the community was all about in the 1980’s, and business is still very much in the DNA of the people here. Bayside Appeal The experts at LAKES are quite aware of the interest generated by their region. Karppanen notes that Lahti is a solid option for companies both big and small – and coming from various fields. There are a few industries, however, which are especially keen on Lahti. Perhaps the most exciting sector right now is cleantech which is currently making its international break-through. Lahti Region is home to Finland’s second most important centre for the environmental industry as approximately 10% of Finland’s environmental trade is located here. In recent years, the cleantech cluster in Lahti has been growing at an annual rate of 17%. The special environmental expertise found in the region encompasses public water system maintenance, international projects, soil treatment, waste management, and recycling. There are also first-class technology-intensive recycling and waste management companies. Lahti boasts an impressive scientific roster in the field as well: Department of Ecological and Environmental Sciences (Helsinki University Faculty of Biosciences), Lahti University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki University of Technology Lah- LAHTI-INFO: – 100 840 inhabitants – 1 hour away from Helsinki – less than 3 hours away from St. Petersburg (by end of 2010) – less than 1 hour away from the international airport – fast highway and train connections Nordicum 49