• Helsinki

Facts and Figures

 

about
Helsinki, Finland


Inhabitants

Over 664,000 people

Area

217 km2

Educational Institutions

5 universities, 5 universities of applied sciences (over 60,000 students)

Other Facts

45 city libraries, Museums

 


Helsinki is the capital city of the Finland.

Helsinki designs good life

 

Finland has a strong design heritage, with many world-renowned designers, architects and brands, which are present also strongly in Helsinki. Finnish design is characterized by minimalism and clean lines. Finnish modernism from the 1950s is particularly popular, for example furniture designs by Alvar Aalto for Artek. Contemporary Finnish design combines these traditions with the latest innovations, and brands like Iittala’s glassware, Fiskars with their famous orange scissors and Marimekko’s ever popular clothing designs are globally well known.

 

However, as a city committed to design, Helsinki wants to take a step further. For Helsinki, design is a method to create a well-functioning and egalitarian city. We appreciate good design that does not only look pretty but makes things work and transforms our surroundings into pleasant, functional, safe and inspirational spaces. Design is a strategic tool for Helsinki to understand the needs of citizens and to solve meaningful challenges. It embraces all City of Helsinki operations from social services and health care to education and to the development of the urban environment.

 

The influence of design on the city’s development first brought up in the 2009 city strategy. The strong emphasis on design culminated in 2012, when Helsinki was granted the designation of World Design Capital 2012 (WDC) by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID). The theme of the year was “Open Helsinki – Embedding design in life”. During the year, design became a topic of social interest and conversation, and the user perspective as part of design was enhanced. New types of cooperation were established between different sectors, and new co-working methods and places emerged in Helsinki.

 

Since 2012, Helsinki’s unique relationship with the thinking and treatment of design has flourished, expanding throughout the local design community and as an essential function harnessed by the City organisation to understand the needs of citizens, improve liveability and continue to pave the way for a sustainable future.

Discover Helsinki

Helsinki Design Week

Helsinki Design Week (HDW) is the largest design festival in the Nordic countries. The festival has been held annually since 2005. HDW presents design extensively…

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Helsinki Biennial

Helsinki Biennial is an international art event that brings outstanding contemporary art to Vallisaari Island outside of the city, and other locations around Helsinki. In…

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Helsinki Design Week celebrates design in September – The main venue: the Olympic Stadium

The 16th annual Helsinki Design Week will be held on 3–13 September 2020. The festival events will again spread throughout the city: from museums to…

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Helsinki develops experimental activities with artificial intelligence

The City of Helsinki has recently developed internal innovations with what it calls an Experimentation Accelerator. The accelerator project was launched in the autumn of…

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OmaStadi supports local well-being

The winning projects of the voting in the first round of OmaStadi are advancing despite the exceptional circumstances. Especially the development projects related to sports…

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Helsinki to build Architecture and Design Museum as part of post-pandemic recovery plan

The Finnish government will fund the construction of an architecture and design museum in the country’s capital as part of its coronavirus pandemic support package.…

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Hanna Harris appointed new chief design officer

Licentiate of Social Sciences and Urban Researcher Hanna Harris has been chosen for the position of chief design officer at the City of Helsinki. There…

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#habitare2019

Habitare, the largest furniture, design and interior decoration event in Finland, will be held at Messukeskus in Helsinki, from 11 to 15 September 2019.

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Helsinki Design Week 2019

Helsinki Design Week is a multidisciplinary design festival that presents design from a number of fields as well as fashion, architecture and urban culture. 

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