Brain Power
Of course , the local academic anchor – consisting of the University of Turku , Åbo Akademi University and the Turku University of Applied Sciences – is in fine form . The powerful combination of business and science has yielded great results over the years – and , against this background , it is no wonder that the City of Turku named Campus and Science Park as one of its key spearhead projects in 2016 .
The foundation certainly seems strong enough . There are as many as 38,000 higher education students in town and the campuses of the three universities are located exceptionally close to each other ( as well as the city centre ). In the same area , one can also find the functions of Turku University Hospital , the Turku Science Park and the most prominent cluster of office complexes in town .
Mikko Lehtinen , Managing Director of Turku Technology Properties , comments that Turku Science Park is unique in both its scope and style . He calls the Science Park “ a real pearl ” that is now being realised one step at a time .
The Campus and Science Park was raised to the rank of spearhead project since the City feels that exceptionally multidisciplinary strategic management and coordination is needed in comprehensive city development . The intention here is to connect especially with the development of the physical and functional environments .
“ Linking the worlds of higher education and business is something we want to do with great frequency , since we believe that is the best platform for winning innovations ,” says Jouko Turto .
Ride the Rails
In addition to developing a world-class innovation and experimentation environment for the interlinked actors , Campus and Science Park project is aimed at delivering high quality planning and implementation of land use , housing , construction , and traffic . A central element is the logistic accessibility of the area – especially via the national One Hour Train initiative ; there are plans to link Helsinki and Turku with one-hour fast rail connection .
“ The state is investing € 40 million into the planning of One Hour Train initiative which concerns also the remodeling of the railway station into a modern traffic centre ,” explains Turto .
One of the objectives of the initiative is linking Campus and Science Park area to the commuter belt of the Helsinki metropolitan area . Bridging the old and new capital
should yield numerous benefits and synergies , now and in the long run .
The Campus and Science Park project is one potent example of the City ’ s mindset which emphasises certain agility and a positive attitude towards experimenting . The chosen spearhead projects must be comprehensive , yes , but not at the price of losing their flexible nature . The success of such projects is measured by investments in the area and development of business as well as the national and international recognition of the area brand .
Time to Move !
In addition to the Turku-Helsinki fast rail , there are also plans to upgrade local traffic connections . Turku ’ s first electric buses hit the road in October 2016 , but the e-revolution does not stop there . Turku is participating in the EU-funded CIVITAS ECCENTRIC initiative along with e . g . Munich , Madrid and Stockholm , spearheading also the pan-European ‘ Mobility as a Service ’ ( MaaS ) component of the CIVITAS collaboration . In the coming years , Turku has the ambition to implement a more interactive and participatory planning approach to traffic , as well as significantly expand its electric public transportation network . In addition , the City wants to keep growing the electric car
Photo : Jaska Poikonen
There are plans to link Helsinki and Turku with one-hour fast rail connection . Nordicum
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