Tampere has huge construction projects, but in Lahti, big projects are stalled by bickering. The Lahti residents were particularly interested in the fact that Tampere has not banned cars in the city centre.
Lahti councillors listened almost breathlessly on Thursday as Tampere officials talked about the city’s major projects at a council seminar.
The Kansiareena, the coastal tunnel, the tram and many new residential areas have appeared in Tampere thanks to years of persistent urban development. The people of Lahti listened carefully to how Tampere has done it. In Lahti, people get bogged down in arguments right from the start.
According to Tenhunen, an essential decision in Tampere was the shore tunnel and the fact that cars could be driven underground. After that, the big projects started to come together. An investor was found for Kansiareena when the city got involved and packaged risk-free housing into the same project.
Councilors from Lahti were particularly interested in the fact that Tampere did not start banning cars in the city center. It’s still possible, but slow.
– The center must be accessible by all means of transport, says Tenhunen.
According to Tenhunen, the implementation of multi-million dollar projects requires commitment from decision-making, procurement know-how, willingness to solve problems and the ability to get others excited.
The population of Tampere grows by 3,000 inhabitants per year. The direction and goal are still upwards.
From small bits and pieces to large entities
In their speeches, all the chairmen of the Lahti council group wished for a better decision-making culture in Lahti, commitment to decisions and management of larger entities instead of tinkering.
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