Helsinki's vision is to be the most functional city in the world. How far have we come with this goal? Helsinki The City hires quality inspectors this summer to observe how the goals of the City Strategy are achieved in practice.

The renovation of Finlandia Hall is set to start in early 2022. The renovation project will last for approximately 2.5 years. The temporary facilities are a central part of the phased preparations made for the renovation. Finlandia Hall will continue to be used as a conference and event centre throughout the renewal project and some of the activities will be organised in the temporary facilities.

The City of Helsinki will build a pavilion and two new docks on the Lyypekinlaituri pier, located by Helsinki’s Old Market Hall. The pier will be the departure point for the ferry traffic to Helsinki Biennial and Vallisaari Island. In the pavilion, people can buy ferry tickets and visit the Helsinki Tourist Information desk. In addition to the Market Square, another departure point to Vallisaari, the exhibition venue for Helsinki Biennial, will be located in Hakaniemi. There will also be a circular route running between the islands of Vallisaari, Lonna and Suomenlinna.

The Helmet network of libraries in the cities of Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa have again released a series of annual challenges designed to inspire people to seek new experiences with books, music, games and film.

In the future, Helsinki will offer children nearing the preschool age, and their guardian, a preschool place without an application or rorms to fill, or calls to the day-care centre.

For the first time in Helsinki, a library and a youth centre will be placed in the same premises. The Herttoniemi library and the youth centres of Kettutie and Herttoniemenranta will move into the local service centre Hertsi in March 2020. The opening of the new premises will be celebrated on 19 March 2020.

The European Chemicals Agency ECHA moves from Annankatu street to its new premises in Telakkaranta in early 2020. ECHA is one of the EU’s largest agencies and it works for the safe use of chemicals in the area of the European Union.

Compulsory education for children who were born in 2013 will begin in autumn 2020. Future first-graders will receive a guidebook for the start of school (Tervetuloa kouluun) in late October or early November and their compulsory education note in the beginning of January. In Helsinki, school enrolment starts on Tuesday 7 January 2020.