Delegation from Brainport Eindhoven visit to Helsinki - Finland
Delegation from Brainport Eindhoven visit to Helsinki
The cities of Helsinki and Eindhoven share a strong orientation towards innovation, urban development and technology development. Accordingly, a group of Dutch politicians, civil servants and representatives from transportation organisations brought a visit to the Finnish capital in August 2024, having a chance to exchange relevant knowledge and experiences. The visit included a reception at the residence, where ambassador Govert Jan Bijl de Vroe welcomed the participants.
KnoopXL
KnoopXL, the 55-hectare area around Eindhoven’s central railway station, is undergoing a major transformation to accommodate the rapid development within the Brainport Eindhoven area. The area is set to attract many people and jobs, making the theme of mobility and urbanisation highly relevant for livability. This requires innovative ideas and expertise and knowledge exchange from similar projects.
In collaboration with the Dutch embassy, a group of Dutch politicians, civil servants and representatives of transportation organisations visited Helsinki. Helsinki, a city similarly focused on innovation and development. In particular, the Kalasatama, Kamppi and Ruoholahti districts of Helsinki are developing rapidly as mobility hubs. As an example, the Kalasatama Smart City is an experimental innovation platform, where a former harbour area with around 3,000 inhabitants is transforming into a district in which 25,000 residents can live by 2035. Smart Kalasatama grows to a world-class district of smart, sustainable living. The vision of Kalasatama is that smart services save one hour of citizen’s time every day.
Apart from visiting these areas, the participants had the opportunity to interact with representatives from Helsinki, meeting the deputy mayor and listening to presentations on the urbanisation and mobility strategy of Helsinki. Ambassador Govert Jan Bijl de Vroe welcomed the delegation for a reception in the residence where also Finnish contacts were invited. This was a perfect setting for getting to know each other and for exchanging experiences and knowledge.
The visit provided a good illustration of how development and innovation are supported by international exchanges. With both cities planning for future-proof development, these exchanges help to improve mobility and livability for both Helsinki and the Brainport Eindhoven area.