Seminar: Towards a More Vibrant City Centre

How can Helsinki city centre be reimagined?

For decades, city centres have been shaped around retail, offices and public infrastructure. Today, e-commerce, remote work, changing consumer behaviour and new ways of living are challenging this model.
Helsinki Design Week brings together experts in urban planning, business, design and culture to explore new solutions for the future of the city.
The seminar will be moderated by Katja Lindroos, who will guide the audience, speakers and panellists through the transformation of city centres and the need for change.

Lisa Thörn, CEO of Uppsala Citysamverkan, will present successful examples of city-centre development in Sweden and offer a look ahead at the future of city-centre collaboration and development models.

Jannica Aalto will take up her position as Executive Director of Helsingin Ydin ry on 1 October. Drawing on her extensive experience working with universities and property developers, she will bring these perspectives to the seminar and share her thoughts on how to make Helsinki city centre more vibrant.
Pia Salmi, Director of Urban Design at WSP, has been involved in numerous urban development and pilot projects across Helsinki. Through her work, she has witnessed how the city has evolved through long-term collaboration, high-quality design and user-centred solutions. Her presentation will show how recent projects have contributed to making urban spaces more attractive, vibrant and sustainable.

The panel discussion will explore a central question: What concrete actions can make the city centre more vibrant?Invited panellists include restaurateur and cultural figure Mikko Leisti and Timo Hämäläinen, Leading Specialist at the City of Helsinki’s Economic Development Division.

Moderator Katja Lindroos will conclude the seminar by bringing together its key themes and insights.

The seminar will be held in English.