Urban networks between Tallinn and Helsinki – Talsinki or Hellinn?
JUSSI S. JAUHIAINEN
26.05.2004
social life. The state and the EU regulations open up urban regions as spaces of flows and their inhabitants to the presence of networks. It is increasingly difficult to disconnect from these networks. This can even lead into a “telematic panopticon” in which the spatio-temporal presence, consumption patterns and social relations of inhabitants are continuously registered, surveyed, controlled and promoted.
Contemporary urban regions and networks of Tallinn and Helsinki
The capital regions of Estonia and Finland play fundamental role in the economic, social, political and cultural life of their respective countries. They are gates to the rest of the country and gateways between the EU and Russia. Together the capital regions cover a territory of 10,700 km² with 1.8 million inhabitants . The two urban regions are intertwined by a continuous flow of tourists with almost 400,000 monthly visitors during summer months – most of them are day trippers. There are over 40 daily connections between Tallinn and Helsinki and the shortest time distance is 18 minutes. Furthermore, in 2000 there was officially launched Helsinki - Tallinn Euregio as a cross-border co-operation network to promote co-operation inside the region and enhance positive regional integration. The goal is that this cross-border region becomes the most innovative regional economy within the Northern welfare societies. This common future is achieved in well functioning co-operation and in such conditions where diversities of the two regions are utilised .
Following a recent comprehensive study by OECD , the Greater Helsinki region was divided in four areas. The Helsinki functional urban region (FUR) is consisted of the Capital Helsinki (560,000 inhabitants) and rest of the Helsinki metropolitan area (Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen) with 412,000 inhabitants (Figure 1). The Helsinki Region has further 253,000 inhabitants and the Greater Helsinki Region further 536,000 inhabitants making total of 1.76 million people. The capital makes about 10.8% and the FUR about 18.7% of national population.
Helsinki FUR is a wealthy and skilled region in Finland. About every fifth person (18.2%) has university degree and there are 18 polytechnics and universities (89,000 students). Of employed almost nine out of ten (88.7%; 511,000) work in service sector and one tenth in manufacturing (11.1%; 64,000). Particularly high is the amount of workers in information technology sector (105,000). Helsinki FUR belongs to the highest category in Finland regarding competitiveness of enterprises and investment in research and development. The generated income tax is above the average and the unemployment rate is relatively low (8.8%). The FUR is very
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