Socio-economic development of a metropolis and its statistical service

Policy-making advancing the metropolitan region and requested information support

Case: The Helsinki Region in Finland

International Forum on Metropolitan Statistics – Beijing 2008

Information Manager Leila Lankinen, City of Helsinki Urban Facts

Content:

• Introduction• Joining forces and new voluntary co-operation in the

Helsinki Region• National Level Urban Policy and Metropolitan Policy• Advancing the Helsinki Metropolitan Region requests

urban research, urban statistics and proactive information support

• What are the information needs of metropolitan policy?

Key features for Helsinki region :

• Population 2008– 1.3 million – 25 percent of the whole country– Prognoses for 2020 1.5 million

• Jobs and enterprises 2005– 670 000 jobs – 29 percent of the whole country– Employment rate 75 percent

• Gross domestic product 2006– GVA per capita 42 500 euros in Helsinki region, 30000 in Finland

• Investments in research and development 2006– R&D investments 4.3% of GVA in Helsinki region, 3.4% in Finland– 41% of the whole country

• Students and schools– 10 polytechnics and 4 universities – about 100 000 students

• People with foreign background – 6 percent

Urbanization and Metropolitan Policy

• Late urbanization and industrialization – Competitive region needs critical mass – Helsinki region grew as a consequence of domestic and

international migration

• Metropolitan policy starts as voluntary co-operation– City majors central role– Shared view of region’s challenges and shared goal to

promote area’s development– Helsinki Metropolitan Area Advisory board

– 4 municipalities – Helsinki Region Co-operation Assembly year 2005

– 14 municipalities– Co-operation with Finnish state

Common vision

The Helsinki Metropolitan Area is a dynamic world-class centre for business and innovation.

Its high quality services, arts, creativity and adaptabilitypromote the prosperity of its citizens and bring benefits to all of Finland.

The Metropolitan Area is being developed as a unified region close to nature where it is good to live, learn, work and do business.”

Strategic Goals and strategies

Joint measures to develop

welfare and services

Improving

competitiveness

• Joint strategy for welfare services and developing service processes

• Steering joint service organizations

• Innovation strategy

• Regional business development

• International business marketing

• Availability of skilled workforce

Developing the urban structure

and housing

•Joint land-use strategy•Efficient transport system•Accountability in housing policies

SHARED PRINCIPLES SUPPORTING STRATEGIES

National level urbanpolicy:Polycentric development Metropolisation

• In the 1990’s the idea of ”cities as engines of growth” became a guiding principle in urban policy• Comparatively strong social cohesion• ”Opportunity oriented” urban policy• Polycentric approach and succeeding regional centres • Innovation creation a strong emphasis• Efficient mutual co-operation between R&D institutions, companies and public actors

Urban development policy is guidelined by

• Government Programme (2007)– Major cities, metropolitan region

• Decision on regional development targets (2007)• Policy for major urban regions

– Not legally binding policy document

Latest development in the Finnish innovation scene• Ministry of Employment and the Economy merges together

three departments relevant to innovation• A renewed Centres of Expertise Programme has been started

• National Innovation Strategy

• ”Innovation university” in the Helsinki metropolitan area

Four main strategic targets for the policy in the

metropolitan region: • Improving land use, housing and traffic• Advance international competitiveness• Advance multiculturalism, immigration and bilingualism• Advance social cohesion

Co-operation and networking• Cities, universities and polytechnics, central government• Joint agreement• A research programme with a set of support actions

Information needs – urban research a driving

force of the metropolitan region • The international competitiveness

– to understand the state of metropolis – defining of the concept to be able to measure metropolis’

achievements– from European comparisons to global level

• Measuring social cohesion– long regional traditions and good level of statistics and

study results– no harmonized data for international comparisons– perceptions of well being

• Culture and multiculturalism– two official languages– increasing multiculturalism in metropolitan region

– cultural offerings – region’s attraction Information on land use, housing and energy– climate change – the transformation of urban structure

– GIS • Challenges

– up-to-date information – analyses– present state and future perspectives– diversity

• The Greater Helsinki Vision 2050– International Ideas Competition started year 2007– Open international planning competition

Winners 1. Emerald

2. Boundary Strips

Towads City

Holistic Uniqueness

• All prized entries are available for commenting and re-developing http://www.greaterhelsinkivision.fi/

– Residents of the regions 14 municipalities have an unique opportunity to contribute to the development of their own living area. The comments will be included in the process, in which a new vision is created.

Thank you for your attention!