Debatten om Helsingforsregionen: Mot en flerkärnig storstad eller en samlad metropolkommun

Abstract

Finnish and international reports and policy documents about the problems of the Helsinki region and proposed solutions are analysed in the article. What problems are emphasised and what organisational solutions are proposed? The problems are discussed in terms of urban sprawl, socio-economic and ethnic segregation and political-administrative fragmentation. An important conclusion is that the domestic Finnish documents avoid problems related to social segregation and advocate organisational solutions that are close to status quo: unchanged division into local authorities, voluntary cooperation and federal solutions (joint committees). In an important territorial overview from the OECD also social segregation is given attention and a new merged consolidated metropolitan government is preferred. If this cannot be achieved the OECD report proposes a two-level solution with a new upper-tier metropolitan authority. The difference between the domestic documents and the OECD report could be interpreted as an expression of the vested interests of domestic actors.