Helsingin menestyminen kansainvälisissä vertailuissa – Mitä näistä vertailuista olisi syytä tietää?

Preface

Helsinki’s rating in different comparisons of cities is something that interests residents, media and city planners alike. City comparisons typically get much newspaper coverage – and plenty of clicking in social media – particularly when Helsinki has done well in the comparison.

And indeed, there has been success: in terms of, especially, quality of life and resident satisfaction, Helsinki has done well. Ratings have been slightly lower in comparisons of volume, such as numbers of tourists coming to the city or direct foreign investment. These rankings are most typically topped by cities of a bigger size, such as New York, Paris or London.

The present publication provides an overview of the varied field of international city comparisons and how high Helsinki has ranked in them. At the same time, it makes a critical analysis of the background assumptions of comparisons and of their scientific level. Comparisons of all kinds have become more and more numerous, including well-done investigations but also studies of a more entertaining character or simply just playful jokes. That is why it is important to identify the varying backgrounds and purposes of comparisons so as to be able to judge their reliability and usefulness.

The study was made in cooperation with the Economic Development Division of Helsinki City Executive Office. A compilation of international city comparisons including Helsinki was made by Piia Raitavuo, a planner at the Economic Development Division, and is included as an appendix. The background and methodological strengths and problems of comparisons are analysed by Anna Idström, a researcher at Helsinki City Urban Facts Office. The fruit of this cooperation is an extensive overview of various city comparisons and, at the same time, a tool for a better understanding of them.

Helsinki, November 2016
Katja Vilkama
head of the Urban Research Department

Publication Information

Idström, A. (2016), Helsingin menestyminen kansainvälisissä vertailuissa – Mitä näistä vertailuista olisi syytä tietää? Study Reports 2016/11, City of Helsinki Urban Facts.