Finland can be put on the growth track by giving urbanization a boost and by taking full advantage of the station regions.
Urbanization is the engine of the economy and the megatrend of our time, both in the world and here in Finland. The Helsinki region is one of the fastest growing metropolises in Europe. Finland's seven largest urban areas will gain almost a million more inhabitants by 2050.
The obstacles to the growth of cities have held back the entire economic growth in Finland. We now need a new urban policy, the core of which is an even better connection between transport and housing policy. The state should support rail investments in growth centers that most effectively stimulate housing construction and private investments. The cities must accordingly commit to these projects and zone plots along rail connections and especially in station areas.
The infrastructure investments approved in Kehysriih gave the impetus to MAL agreements between the state and growing urban areas concerning land use, housing and transport. Investing in rail traffic in growth centers is very profitable in the long term for both the state and the cities.
In order to get the maximum benefit from urbanization and to speed up labor mobility, it is worth zoning what people want more of. In the 2000st century, there has been a significant change in the willingness of both companies and residents to locate along railway connections.
The growth taking place along the Ring Road in Vantaa and the Länsimetro in Espoo is a perfect example of how investing in rail transport generates private investments in housing and services. When the public authority invests underground in Länsimetro, it generates six times the value of urban construction above ground by the private sector.
The existing station areas of the growth centers also form a significant potential for urban construction. There are old, underutilized station areas located in excellent locations in the city cores in all large and medium-sized cities in Finland, up to twenty in total. Rail areas often have a significant barrier effect that divides cities into separate areas.
Attractive city centers can be expanded to station areas by renovating railyards, moving operations elsewhere or building decks over the tracks. Cities should make better use of station areas in housing construction and large flows of people in generating commercial services. At the same time, the development of station areas increases the use of new mobility services.
Urban construction is a long-term activity. The preparation of a large transport project takes ten years. Although station areas have been found to be important for the vitality of cities in several MAL and growth agreements, the current development operating model has proven to be slow due to the cross-pull of the various interests of several actors. It has been difficult to reach consensus, let alone concrete projects.
The development of station areas has been slowed down by, among other things, the fragmentation of land ownership. The land areas are divided between VR, the Finnish Transport Agency and Senate properties. The central government must clarify and centralize land ownership in station areas. Station areas have areas previously used by railway traffic, which are no longer needed for their original purpose. Transferring land unnecessary for traffic from the VR group to the ownership of the city or a separately established real estate company would be justified. The benefits could be shared between different parties in a win-win way.
Cities should accordingly raise station areas into real development sites. The cities must define with the state the functional content plan of the station area related to movement, housing, services and jobs. Cities can also immediately increase the attractiveness and service capacity of station areas with small concrete actions, such as access parking, bike parks and new mobility services.
Now it's time for station regions. Their development should be encouraged. The whole of Finland will benefit from it.
Produced by the cooperation of cities, construction industry players and experts and compiled by the regional development consultancy MDI Urban construction to stimulate the Finnish economy - report can be read at www.mdi.fi/kaupunkipolikantiekartta.
Tarmo Pipatti
CEO
Confederation of Finnish Construction Industries (CFCI)
Janne Antikainen
Director of Development
Regional development consulting office MDI
The text has also been published Kauppalehtin On the Debatti column on 25.4.2016 April XNUMX.
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