Five Finnish cities and municipalities with a promising future

#NordicNews on Finland

Five Finnish cities are convincing with sustainability and competitiveness

Turku, Salla, Lappeenranta, Rovaniemi and Lahti: these five Finnish cities and municipalities have gained recognition as destinations through their commitment to environmental sustainability and global competitiveness.

Turku:

The New York Times published a list earlier this year of 52 destinations worth visiting once the crisis is over, including Turku, a city of more than 190,000 people on the southwest coast of Finland. Turku was nominated for its proximity to nature and the idyllic Aura River.

Salla:

Finland's coldest city has been thinking about how to highlight the looming environmental impact of global warming in a way that sticks in people's minds. In the process, it came up with a thought-provoking idea: applying to host the 2032 Summer Olympics.

"Our intention here is clear: we want to keep Salla as it is, and our winters cold and full of snow," said Erkki Parkkinen, Mayor of Salla. "So, there was this crazy idea: to host the Summer Games in one of the coldest towns on the planet."

Lappeenranta:

The city of Lappeenranta, together with the Bulgarian city of Gabrovo, received the European Green Leaf Award from the European Commission last year in recognition of its climate work and commitment to better environmental conditions.

Rovaniemi:

Thanks to its "perfect winter wonderland" travel offer and its increasing popularity among international tourists, the capital of Finnish Lapland, Rovaniemi, secured first place in the list of the 10 best winter travel destinations in Europe last year.

Lahti:

The Finnish city of Lahti is the European Green Capital 2021 and was also named one of five forward-looking European cities by National Geographic. Lahti has set a goal to become Finland's first carbon neutral city in 2025 and is committed to circular economy, innovative solutions for waste management and water conservation efforts.

More information on these five Finnish cities