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