Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2013 | Page 44
Reach for the Sky
Urban evolution in Tampere brings waterfront appeal,
green communities – and spectacular high-rise construction
Tampere keeps growing and attracting people, companies and investments.
According to a recent study by Taloustutkimus, Tampere is the best large city in
the eyes of the corporate decision-makers. Companies both big and small are
especially keen on Tampere’s great location and traffic connections. Also the
versatile commercial services were deemed noteworthy.
J
yrki Laiho, Director of Urban and Economic Development for the City of Tampere, says that Tampere is in the habit
of doing extremely well in such studies, but
as it is the companies themselves speaking
their minds, Laiho attaches special value to
these particular findings:
“We have been working hard to make
Tampere a better place for businesses, and
that work is starting to bear fruit,” says
Laiho who assumed his duties three years
ago. He is convinced that as companies es42 Nordicum
tablishing operations in the neighbourhood
bring also new jobs into the region, this is the
first and the most important step on the road.
“If you have the jobs available, everything else will fall into place,” he describes
the philosophy.
Green Light for Growth
The population of Tampere is continuing to
grow briskly, but the City is able to respond
to the increase in demand for services. Eve-
ry year, the population of Tampere grows by
about 2,000 residents. At the end of August
2012, the population of the city itself was
216,608, with a total of 360,000 residents in
the whole urban region.
Laiho says that it is likely that Tampere will stay on the growth path for the
next two decades.
“During the next 20 years, there will be
90,000 new residents in Tampere Region,”
he says. Proportionally speaking, the increase is bigger than that predicted for the