Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2012 | Page 62

you can immerse yourself in arts and crafts and
ming with history, tradition and 19th century
atmosphere, the Quarter is sure to give a big
boost to the local creative industry and enhance the appeal of the downtown area.
Fortuna Project Manager Aino Ukkola says that the neighbourhood is very much
about tradition and, in the final analysis, stories:
“The creative people who work here are
inspired by the area – and their own stories
become a part of the legacy of the Quarter,”
Ukkola says.

Spice Things Up
Turto adds that Fortuna is looking to deploy
new business models where the small local
players can join forces to reach a bigger customer base. According to Turto, the Turku Region has world-class design-makers who are
known for their unique products, but they have
lacked a proper commercial platform. To rectify the situation, various concepts such as shopin-shop and pop-up have been explored in order to find the right solutions for the neighbourhood.
The City is looking into the ownership
and renovation issues of the area in early 2012
and is ready to invest considerably in the project.
Even though the development of Fortuna hasn’t really started yet, the audience got a
taste of the things to come in the summer, as
Hans Välimäki, arguably the best chef in the
land, showed up with his friends to launch a
pop-up restaurant.
“That’s the type of spirit we’re trying to
nurture in the quarter – that you would be curious to go there and see what’s going on this
time,” Ukkola says.

Riverside Renaissance
In addition to Fortuna, also Vanha Suurtori
(Old Grand Square) is about to renew itself.
The idea here is to make the square more inviting by adding trees and greenery and polishing up the neighbourhood. Preference will
be given to light traffic and solutions that fit
well into the environment.
“The development of Vanha Suurtori has
been started and it will be a nice addition to
the waterfront.”
Yet another target for development is
Linnanfältti which promises to showcase plenty of ambitious Finnish wood construction.
In fact, the Linnanfältti area is one of the national pilots in the wood construction promotion programme. The City wants to realise a
high-quality residential area in the vicinity of
the legendary Turku Castle: a neighbourhood
that is visually appealing and fully conscious
of history.
“The Linnanfältti city plan will come under review in 2012,” says Turto.
Sami J. Anteroinen

60 Nordicum

Aura of Success
Turku combines ICT and Life sciences
with logistics edge
Turku business scene has always thrived due to its diversity
and depth. The City was also among the first in Finland to
realise the value of clusters and cooperation. Case in point:
Turku Science Park, one of the largest, oldest and still
fastest growing innovation parks in Finland.
Turku Science Park brings together academic and
business experts, with special focus on biotechnology
and ICT. It offers a unique growth environment for the
commercialisation of research-oriented innovations and for
the generation and growth of enterprise activities related to
hi-tech.