Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2012 | Page 30

Photo: Sini Pennanen

Double Your Pleasure
Helsinki gets ready to celebrate
her special year
Helsinki is the World Design Capital 2012 – and also
celebrates bicentennial anniversary as the capital of
Finland at the same time. Marja-Leena Rinkineva,
the new Director of Economic Development for the
City of Helsinki, is excited about the action year.

“I

believe that during the year, we will
see some changes in the way people
think, and witness also new kinds of
encounters which will, in turn, create some
interesting opportunities,” Rinkineva says,
adding that the whole emphasis on design,
of course, goes well beyond the year 2012.
The special year should be viewed as the
starting point for one big party – with the
aim of generating a creative buzz that will
yield plenty of benefits for the community.
Issues such as quality of life and productivity come into play here, but the most important component is still the people: “First and
foremost, we want to improve the lives of
the citizens.”

Soft Power
The corporate citizens are on the guest list as
well. Rinkineva feels that many companies
are now looking at design from a broader
perspective and are better aware of its scope.
The timing seems perfect for a “softer” approach – as hardcore hi-tech sector has run
into problems, innovations such as service
design can help open new horizons.
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In the making of these design-related
new success stories, Rinkineva points out
that very little can be achieved without collaboration: “For the Finns, the only way to
make it in the long-run is cooperation and
networking with various partners,” she says.
In fact, a small nation in the icy north has
always relied on its ability to work miracles together.
“For example, companies and the public sector can collaborate in projects without
excessive bureaucracy and achieve good results rather fast, too.”

Securing
the Shoreline
Cooperation is now needed in Helsinki in
areas other than design, also. The City is
turning old harbour/industrial areas by the
waterfront into vibrant new communities
and reclaiming the shores for people. Rinkineva comments that this is a historic occasion also in a global perspective: “Helsinki
will go through enormous transformation in
the coming years – and the potential is just
breath-taking,” she says.

New construction will shape the development of new seaside neighbourhoods
such as Kalasatama and Jätkäsaari and the
waves of change will be felt inland in Central Pasila, as well.

Bold Strokes
Rinkineva acknowledges that the task ahead
is not an easy one: the construction effort
must take into consideration the best practices of sustainable development and proceed with caution, recognising our responsibilities for the future generations, too. At the
same, time Rinkineva admits to being partial to ‘WOW’ architecture as well.
“We have 20 kilometres of shoreline
here, so we can probably accommodate
some bold solutions, as well.”
Branding Helsinki – the Daughter of the Baltic Sea – as a dynamic Waterfront Metropolis will become more and
more relevant in the future. In this work,
one has to negotiate very carefully between
different interests and perspectives, Rinkineva says.