Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2016 | Page 22

to bring a good degree of diversity to the
neighbourhood,” says Maarttola, adding that
within a period of five years, especially the
residential side will be bolstered significantly.
Another sign that bodes well for the
district is the fact that major banks keep
moving their operations to Vallila – “follow the money” may not be such bad advice.

Minna Maarttola hopes that Vallila can
attract more businesses and investors.

Reinventing Vallila
Going west from the Kalasatama shores for
a couple of kilometres, one finds an enterprising district that is already firing on all
cylinders. The Vallila District is a favourite of companies both big and small, since
accessibility here is exceptional: trams and
buses form the backbone for public transport and the Pasila railway station is just a
little stroll away.
City Development Manager Minna
Maarttola comments that Vallila has
increased its appeal of late, with big companies such as Amer Sports settling in the
newly zoned Engine Shed (Konepaja) area.
“All of Vallila area is really shaping
out well, and is a good example of the local
demographics: we are combining business,
offices and residential solutions in order
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The Silicon Vallila
Furthermore, there’s plenty of ICT jobs
in the neighbourhood and health and life
sciences industries have a remarkably strong
profile, too. In fact, with GE Healthcare taking the lead, there’s even a dynamic “Health
Innovation Village” for healthcare startups
located right here.
Maarttola cites Health Innovation Village as one example of the local progressive mindset: smaller companies benefit
from being in the vicinity of the big industry players as networking and joint projects
become easier.
“Companies are finding new ways to