Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2010 | Page 21

elsinki Mayor Jussi Pajunen comments that the achievement is an important recognition for the City of
Helsinki as well as its collaborators Espoo,
Vantaa, Kauniainen and Lahti.
“We have received a unique opportunity and will be taking every advantage of
it,” Pajunen said, accepting the World Design Capital 2012 designation in Singapore.
The title of Helsinki’s bid for the designation was Open Helsinki – Embedding Design in Life. The theme will form the foundation for Helsinki’s ambitious programme
for the design year 2012.
Altogether 46 cities from 27 countries
applied for the designation. An international
jury first shortlisted Helsinki and Eindhoven and then awarded the designation to Helsinki after careful consideration.

H

Design Belongs to All
The World Design Capital project will bring
a large number of design events and a great
deal of visibility for the Helsinki Region.
Programme planning and preparations begin immediately – Mayor Pajunen is inviting all citizens, enterprises and organizations in Helsinki, as well as visiting design
professionals and enthusiasts, to participate
in the preparations and the events of the design year 2012.

“This is a major challenge for us to
use design in Helsinki and in the other participating cities to further the development
of our cities from the social, economic and
cultural perspectives,” he says.
“The work begins now. The effort will
extend well beyond one year and one city.
The World Design Capital 2012 project will
support the long-ranging development of the
entire region. The project will also strengthen our role in the international community.”
Mayor Pajunen commends the excellent co-operation between all players in the
bidding process that earned Helsinki the designation. The Helsinki bid was supported by
the Finnish government, many schools and
universities, and design enterprises and organisations.
Pajunen also points out that design
should be seen from a broad perspective: the
over-all goal is to build a better city and to improve the people’s quality of life. Among other
things, design-oriented thinking can be used
to reform public services, Pajunen observes.
“The basic values of good design include user-friendliness, sustainable development and enjoyment.”

Proud Legacy
Helsinki will be the third World Design
Capital, following Turin (Torino, 2008) and

Seoul (2010). The World Design Capital is
a biennial designation given to one city at
a time.
The collaborating cities Espoo, Vantaa,
Kauniainen and Lahti will fully participate
in the planning and execution of the design
year’s programme.
Espoo Mayor Marketta Kokkonen says
that the year serves as an excellent foundation to launch the new multidisciplinary Aalto University and to build the university’s international standing.
“The World Design Capital year 2012
will also strengthen Espoo’s vision to build
the capital region’s competitiveness on
the three pillars of arts, sciences and economy.”
According to Vantaa Mayor Juhani
Paajanen, Helsinki’s designation as World
Design Capital 2012 helps to increase the
recognition of the capital region throughout the world.
“Vantaa will emphasise good city planning in the Kartanonkoski district and the development of new housing districts on the
future Ring Rail Line,” Paajanen stated.
For the time being, the planning and
preparations for Helsinki’s World Design
Capital 2012 project are directed by Pekka
Timonen, Director of the City of Helsinki
Cultural Office, who also managed the bidding process. b

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