Municipal elections 2008 I´m a National Coalition Party candidate for the Helsinki City Council in the municipal elections scheduled for 26 October 2008. In the 2007 parliamentary elections I was elected as the second reserve for National Coalition Party members of parliament representing Helsinki. Now it´s my strong desire to become elected to the Helsinki City Council! My election themes are International Helsinki, Multicultural Helsinki and Natural Helsinki. They are explained in detail in the Finnish section of these pages. For those who understand Finnish, I also write a blog under the heading 'Politiikkaa ja polemiikkia' (Politics and Polemics). You are very welcome to join my election campaign network! Just send an email to the following address, sharing your thoughts and ideas: suomalaisenklubi[a]gmail.com. Multicultural Helsinki – naturally. Nina´s future vision for Helsinki: Multicultural, International, Natural Helsinki Multicultural Helsinki My vision for Helsinki is to provide equal opportunities and a safe living environment to all citizens – regardless of their background, age, gender, interests or abilities. Helsinki is a city of equal opportunities. Every effort is made to ensure equal opportunities for all and to eliminate discrimination and inequality. Action is also taken to ensure that basic services are effective and available to all Helsinki citizens. Disabled people, old people, immigrants and other special groups have the same equality of rights and opportunities as other sectors of the population. The basic services available for them function well. Attention is also paid to the level of services available for those who are less able or whose lives have been marginalised. All citizens – including those who are elderly or disabled – have opportunities to participate in cultural activities. Public transport and other services are guaranteed for those whose ability to move is limited, and these services are safe. Moving in a wheelchair has been made easier. Old people have the opportunity to live in a service facility or in a private care home with the help of service vouchers. These senior citizens are not isolated from others. Attention is paid to their living conditions – including the standard of meals given. They benefit from a higher level of home care support. If they wish, they can live in their own homes for as long as possible. Families with children represent Helsinki´s future, and therefore they are guaranteed opportunities to live happily and safely. Every effort is made to ensure high-quality education. The location of kindergartens and primary schools is carefully planned to ensure that they always meet the demand for these services. A natural dialogue takes place between different cultures. The prevention of discrimination and inequality begins at school in interaction between the children of Finnish and other cultures. A safe Helsinki is guaranteed to all and attention is paid to rooting out all signs of discrimination and racism. Multiculturalism is valued at school, while respecting and honouring Finnish traditions. Efforts are made to attract immigrants to fill gaps in the labour market and to provide resources to house them. Innovative ways of settling newcomers are established and these possibilities are extended to refugees, those living in Finland for humanitarian reasons and those who have come to Finland for work purposes. There is a significant increase in the funds available for teaching the Finnish language to immigrants. It is recognised that, if we want more foreigners to live and work in Helsinki, sufficient investments must be made in language training. Further education or apprenticeship places are guaranteed to all young people who complete their basic education. The number of long-term homeless people is decreased by helping them get their lives under control and providing support homes. International Helsinki Helsinki is a European metropolis, where business, art and science flourish. Helsinki is a city of international interest, and the cultural and political capital of Finland. Every effort is made not only to attract large multinational and Finnish enterprises to Helsinki, but also to maintain an environment in which smaller companies can grow and flourish. Determined efforts are made to establish a role for Helsinki as a dynamic, international city and to ensure the preservation of economic and business activity in Helsinki. Diverse, sometimes unconventional solutions, such as are typical of a capital of culture, are emphasized. Collaboration is promoted with all of Helsinki´s neighbours, whether they be in Finland or adjoining countries. Planning continues for a rail – and possibly even road – tunnel to Tallinn, capital of Estonia. Helsinki systematically plans for areas where larger enterprises, with special needs, can operate. An example is the Salmisaari district beside the Länsiväylä western highway. The area can also be used as a marina and has indoor sports facilities. Small, innovative enterprises (integrating art, science, innovations, handicrafts, technology) are an essential part of the city fabric. Research is conducted to ensure that favourable conditions continue for new company start-ups and growth. Every attempt is made to concentrate the Aalto University in Helsinki, where it can work together with business enterprises. Central Pasila is one district that can be offered for this purpose, with housing for students in Jätkäsaari or Kalasatama. Action is taken to attract more foreign students to Helsinki. The objective of economic policy and traffic planning is to maintain downtown Helsinki as a lively, thriving centre. A cross-city tunnel, with links to parking facilities and streets in the city centre, directs traffic underground and allows pedestrian malls to be opened and business activity to be preserved above ground. Helsinki is an international capital of culture and home of the Finnish National Opera and several professional orchestras. The Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art and the musical achievements of the Sibelius Academy are known throughout Europe. Finnish organising skills, training and culture are admired and Helsinki is respected globally as a congress city. Further friendship city activities are developed , such as the Helsinki Market in Paris. The uniqueness of Helsinki is its greatest asset. The surroundings of Diana Park in 'Design District Helsinki' provide high-quality, individual design products, while the Punavuori area appeals with its boutiques, art galleries and restaurants. The capital city is an ideal place for all kinds of cultural events – not just mass gatherings, but also small, innovative events in different forms. City Planning takes into consideration the needs of a multicultural community and the placement of new work-related immigrants. The degree to which the city meets their special needs is a key factor in determining how long they stay. The European Chemicals Agency, for example, employs an enormous number of professionals who bring a lot of purchasing power to Finland. Many other immigrant groups play important roles in providing labour and are catered for in planning. An investigation is conducted into the integration of the cities of the Helsinki metropolitan region. Natural Helsinki The natural environment defines and typifies Helsinki. It´s not a resource borrowed from neighbouring municipalities. Helsinki City Planning pays attention to the pleasantness of both old and new residential areas, and particularly to the green areas that are so dear to Finns. The natural environment is recognised as a fountain of spiritual renewal for city dwellers. It is a place to exercise one´s dog, go jogging, walk, eat a picnic lunch, or just enjoy the nature and fresh air. All residential planning takes account of the need for green areas nearby. They include parks, tree-lined boulevards, areas of forest, golf courses with forested boundaries, cycle routes and marine parades. City dwellers are free to enjoy and exercise in the natural environment virtually at their back doorstep and have no need to travel outside the city. Outdoor routes are planned to connect city suburbs and are located especially along the shorelines. The measures taken to ensure cleaner air are constantly being developed. The land use and housing programme, 'High-Quality Housing in Helsinki', is implemented to ensure that Helsinki retains its diversity and that ample recreation areas are left between housing concentrations. Nevertheless, land use plans ensure the coherence of community structures. Old Helsinki architecture is preserved next to new construction. Green areas are linked to housing projects. The city’s natural environment is for enjoyment and reinvigoration of the soul. Efficient housing production is important to ensure that prices are reasonable. Care is taken to ensure that new residential areas such as Jätkäsaari, Eira, Kalasatama, Central Pasila, the western part of Sipoo, Kruunuvuorenranta and Salmisaari are pleasant and green. A key element in pleasant city living is the creation of traffic solutions that take account of people´s need for exercise. Very little has yet been done to encourage cycling to become an integral part of everyday life. Cycling is currently regarded as a hobby to be done after work or at the weekends. In my vision for Helsinki, an infrastructure is built to encourage cycling to and from work. Facilities are provided for cycle-train-cycle work trips, allowing cycles to be carried on trains at no extra cost and to be used for transport in the city centre. Bike routes between suburbs and to the city centre are well signposted and maintained, and their use is promoted through campaigns and advertising. The effective mass transit systems of the future will rely on rail. In the long term – by the 2020s – they will entirely replace buses. In my vision, the so-called Töölö metro (the underground line from Kamppi to Töölö to Pasila) is built with extensions to Maunula and the Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport, and in another direction to Viikki. The western metro is completed and the continuation of the eastern metro (or its linking with rail) is a top priority. The tram route from Itäkeskus in East Helsinki to Tapiola in Espoo is operating successfully. Water bus traffic between suburbs is in profitable use not only for sight-seeing, but also for normal intra-city transport. Cars, too, remain a valuable and necessary means of transport for many. There are more and better parking facilities at the linking points with rail transport. The potential for using electric and hybrid cars in the Helsinki metropolitan area is under study, and inducements are provided to encourage people to use the CityCar rental concept for better connections with public transport. There is systematic traffic planning for the Helsinki metropolitan area. Traffic improvement projects such as the Ring Rail Line connecting with the airport, the western metro and the Ring Road III upgrade are progressing. There is closer co-operation between public transport systems within the metropolitan area and a greater number of east-west transport routes crossing the region. The recreation areas near Helsinki, including the Sipoonkorpi and Nuuksio wilderness areas, are further developed and preserved, and can be more easily accessed by city dwellers. The Uusimaa Recreation Area Association, of which Helsinki is a member, acquires and maintains recreational areas in the neighbouring municipalities. It´s operations are supported by Helsinki and the services it offers are efficiently promoted. Helsinki is actively involved in promoting implementation of Finland´s Programme for the Protection of the Baltic Sea, and does not rely only on its role in the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM). The Kokoomus Party acts in the Finnish government to promote decisions that reduce agricultural emissions (agri-environmental support, establishment of wetland areas and protection zones), and in the EU to prohibit the use of phosphates in detergents, to enforce the treatment of waste water in sparsely settled areas, and to create an EU Baltic strategy. The discharge of sewage into the Baltic Sea is banned. There is closer co-operation with the Finnish Environment Institute. An efficient and right-sized waste management and recycling system is essential for environmental protection. The construction of a waste incinerator is an urgent task as the ämmässuo Landfill reaches full capacity. Energy- and bio-waste collection and waste recycling are emphasized. In conclusion Helsinki is Finland’s metropolis. We bear a great responsibility for the whole country. Our guiding principles are transparency, flexibility and collaboration.