Google - Interactive Map
https://www.google.com/maps?ll=65.013865,25.473991&z=11&t=m&hl=en&gl=US&mapclient=apiv3
Case 7: Visionary Planning in Oulu, Finland
The City of Oulu, Finland, is one of the fastest-growing cities in Arctic Europe. It is renowned for its status as a Smart City, a hub for world-class expertise and innovation, and the region's primary commercial, logistic, and cultural center.
In the 1990s, amidst the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) revolution, Nokia, a Finnish multinational telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation, became a leading company in the city. Nokia’s strong presence in Oulu meant that the city’s regional economy was defined by its specialization in high-tech and ICT industries. At its height in the early 2000s, Oulu was an example of regional competitiveness and innovation, serving as a model for other regional cities to imitate.
However, between 2011 and 2012, Nokia’s resistance to smartphone evolution, missed opportunities, and ineffective marketing strategies contributed to its downfall, resulting in significant challenges for Oulu's high-tech industry. This period saw numerous layoffs in its ICT sector, affecting 3,750 employees in total. Oulu had been at the forefront of the knowledge-based economization of the Finnish economy. The crisis exposed the city's dependence on this single company and its supply chains.
In response to this economic decline, Oulu embarked on substantial visionary urban planning to revive its status as a technological and health hub and an urban growth model.
The visionary planning process aimed to formulate comprehensive and strategic long-term visions to make the future more governable by setting it within politically shared parameters. This initiative was executed through the Oulu City Centre Vision 2040 (CCV2040), which focused on depoliticization and interrogated the political imaginaries of City center development. The participatory process of CCV2040 engaged various political actors with different agenda-setting powers, and in this sense, the vision reflects a visionary consensus among economic actors and the city’s managerial fraction.
There are several reasons why the reorganization at Oulu has succeeded:
Political Boldness and Expertise: The combination of political boldness at the national level with the high levels of technical and industrial expertise in Oulu. Once the decision had been taken, there was wide local acceptance, with locals making great personal efforts to succeed.
Resource Allocation: There was a willingness to supply the necessary resources, both in capital and access to technology and innovation. This was channelled through a robust local innovation organization.
Favourable Conditions and Timing: Oulu also benefited from favourable conditions and a series of decisions that proved beneficial, bringing the city into a favourable trend of events.
Overall, the Oulu City Centre Vision 2040 exemplifies a successful case of urban resilience and strategic reorganization, positioning Oulu as a model for other cities facing similar economic transitions.
Siemens Heathineers - Oulu University Hospital, 2022
https://www.siemens-healthineers.com/press/releases/oulu