Cultural Harbour and sustainable development

Kotka on the south coast of Finland is fighting the recession and a structural change in economy by putting emphasis on culture and sustainable development. For decades, the economy of Kotka has relied on seafaring, the port and heavy industries, but now Kotka is seeking new driving forces by converting the old City Port situated in the heart of the city into a Cultural Harbour and by contributing to the control of climate change.

"I hope thatthe United Nations'Climate Change Conference arranged in Copenhagen before Christmas will reach an agreement on global emissions restrictions which will carry significance also here at the local level," says Henry Lindelöf, Mayor of Kotka.

Kotka is turning its City Port into a Cultural Harbour, where one of the existing landmarks is Maritime Centre Vellamo shown on the right. The objective is to turn the harbour into a carbon-neutral zone.

According to Lindelöf, Kotka is seeking a position between the East and West by creating a new attraction for Kotka at the City Port together with its partners Kotka-Hamina Regional Development Company Cursor and two major construction companies, Skanska and SRV Group.

"The City of Kotka recently acquired this land area of some 20 hectares, where our partners and we will construct a centre which uses culture as the impetus for future urban development," Lindelöf says. Henry Lindelöf is particularly happy by the fact that Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund, is also involved in the project.

"We are planning to make this area a similar carbon-neutral zone as Jätkäsaari in Helsinki. Sitra has also been developing that project by acquiring information from international experts in countries such as Germany, USA and Great Britain. Sitra is contributing to the idea crucially, and I believe that Kotka can live up to the challenges brought by sustainable development," says Henry Lindelöf.