A city is a community formed by city residents, and the role of the city administration is to answer their needs and ensure their conditions for success. Changes in the community and its operational environment require the administration to adapt to the new circumstances. In the present article, we will locate areas of activity on which cities of the Helsinki metropolitan area should considering focussing in order to manage their relationship with the urban activists in an ideal way.

Since the 1990s, children’s independent mobility in the city has been a lively topic of research. By international comparison, children in Finland still move fairly independently. However, recent decades have seen evidence of decreasing autonomy in children’s mobility. The article looks at Helsinki from the 1940s up until the present day and discusses how a changing city influences the spontaneous mobility of children.

For the first time in fifty years, a considerable part of the growth in the child population of Helsinki occurs in the existing housing stock and infill areas. Today, there are more children in the city than at any time since the mid-1970s. This article looks at the development of the number and proportion of 0–15-year-olds in Helsinki’s population between 1962 and 2017.

Among the tasks of the city administration is to monitor the development of Helsinki by means of statistical analysis, prognoses and research. Sometimes this requires us to delve into a variety of data sources in order to produce relevant insights and understanding about crucial urban developments.

The opening of the Helsinki’s western metro line finally took place in November 2017, over a year after the latest planned opening date. Despite this, the new metro line has already influenced the housing market around its stations for several years.

Last year, 2017, was a exceptional year for tourism in Helsinki. The year was the busiest ever for airline traffic flying in and out of Helsinki Airport, and record-breaking numbers have also been released for overnight stays in the city itself. The purpose of this article is to present a closer analysis of the travel statistics for 2017, and we will also cast an eye on the first half of the present year. The statistical examination will also be connected to the topical debate about how to approach the constant growth of global tourism, and sustainable tourism in particular.

City officials have long striven to manage Helsinki’s reputation and visual appearance through place-making and marketing communication. In the 2000s, these actions have been grouped under the umbrella of “city branding” – a practice that has become increasingly popular throughout the world in the context of global intercity competition.

Geographically closer business establishments form stronger and denser networks generated by employee mobility in urban regions, and the networks created as a result of employees switching jobs are linked to higher productivity in business establishments. This supports the idea that employee mobility enhances the productivity and competitiveness of businesses, industries and regions.