We clarified the joint commitment of the business sector and the City of Helsinki for development of the city centre

Together with MDI, we carried out a assessment on the joint commitment of the business sector and the City of Helsinki. This was a joint development project in which the participants defined the future direction for the city centre in wide-ranging collaboration.

The shared vision for the Helsinki city centre was the result of a trust-building process based on interactive analytical work. The joint commitment is a vision or goal jointly defined by the actors, which guides the future direction and fosters commitment.

The process was built around a series of workshops for the HELY working group in autumn 2024 and a dedicated visioning workshop for business stakeholders. Akordi’s role in the work has been to identify the challenges of collaboration within the city and between the city and business through background interviews. We used the insights gained from the interviews to plan and facilitate the workshops and to build collaborative working.

Around 35 business representatives participated in the workshops, including representatives from the Helsinki Region Chamber of Commerce and Helsingin Yrittäjät. A survey targeting businesses in the Helsinki city centre was carried out in tandem with the report, gathering further information from 93 respondents.

Based on the collaborative work, five strategic focus areas were identified to strengthen the vitality of the city centre:

  1. A valued hub for workplaces and businesses
  2. A flourishing residential living area
  3. Encounters and experiences
  4. Trouble-free access and movemen
  5. New methods for collective development

The strategic priorities will be pursued through eight development guiding objectives:

  1. Helsinki city centre is the most attractive place for businesses and the highest possible occupancy rate of premises
  2. Minimise disruption of street works and temporary traffic arrangements
  3. Smooth access to the city centre by all modes of transport
  4. Ambitious increase in housing in the area of the expanded city centre
  5. Making full use of the maritime environment
  6. Enhancing the marketing of the city centre
  7. A year-round hub
  8. Renewing Helsinki’s city centre by working together

The process identified the importance of collaboration as the most crucial element on which all other objectives are built. Successful collaboration requires systematic dialogue between actors, the setting of common objectives, informed decision-making and a bold culture of experimentation.

Read more:

City of Helsinki news: City of Helsinki and businesses work together to strengthen city centre vitality and experiences

The report (in Finnish)

Photo by Veeti Hautanen