Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2016 | Page 35

Photo: City of Espoo Media Bank / Pekka Sipola, Compic Oy

THE ANGLE
By Olli Isotalo
The writer is Deputy Mayor
of the City of Espoo

Espoo on
the Move

T

he biggest infrastructure project in Finland is drawing to a close, as the new
metro line to Espoo will be launched in
August, 2016. The metro will transport over
100,000 passengers every day, bringing connectivity to a whole new level in Espoo –
and beyond. There are eight metro stations
opening in Espoo by August, with five more
to come by 2020.
More than moving people, we’re
moving business and communities: the
new metro line will establish a true Growth
Corridor that will sustain Espoo for decades to come. The Espoo Innovation Garden supports the West Metro Growth Corridor by attracting people, companies, jobs
and services. The goal is to attract as many
as 70,000 new inhabitants along this new
corridor, while pursuing also significant
employment growth.
As Espoo is really an interlinked city
of five city centres, with around 50,000
inhabitants each, the task of the City is to
enforce that interconnectivity. Metro is one
way to accomplish this, but we have been
successful with “conventional” rails as well:
for instance, the Leppävaara City Centre –
the main railway link in Espoo – has become
a real dynamo for growth north of the metro
line.
All five city centres offer flexible
opportunities for housing, working, leisure
time activities, services…while re XZ[