URBACT Creative Clusters Network has recently been reinforced with the participation of Jyväskylä [130,000 inhabitants], a youthful, lively and international city located in Central Finland. The site of many education-related firsts in Finland, Jyväskylä is known as a “city of schools” hosting two Universities: the University of Jyväskylä and the JAMK University of Applied Sciences and a number of innovative cross-field research institutes. The city is also famous for its many buildings designed by Alvar Aalto and the home of the annual Jyväskylä Arts Festival.
As in the whole Country Jyväskylä is very active re-shaping mature industries and promoting new productive realities throughout knowledge, technology and creativity. This range embraces clusters such as Forest Industry Future, Bioenergy cluster, Nanotechnology, Ubiquitous computing, New generation machines and equipment, the EduCluster [on education activities], the so-called wellness sector on technologies around sports and health sciences, or tourism and experience management. The vision for the area is to build an innovation ecosystem setting people at the core: that is the meaning of the place-brand “the human technology city”.
Within the URBACT framework Jyväskylä is appearing as a benchmark in innovative learning systems, new cluster readings for urban economies; and innovative facilities and venues for creative industries and activities.
Miguel Rivas
