Finland - Jyvaskyla Region - Final Self-Evaluation Report.pdf

The wellness sector is set to become a new pillar for the development of the Jyväskylä region. Thedevelopment of the wellness technology and associated services require a strong knowledge base. Researchand education in sports and health sciences – both mental and physical health – are firmly established in theJyväskylä region. Research and development are conducted by the University of Jyväskylä and the JyväskyläPolytechnic in health and sport sciences, occupational and physiotherapy, and gerontology. The palette iscomplemented further by the activities of Likes, a trust that promotes public health through sport, and KIHU,the Finnish Research Institute for Olympic Sports. An important unit at the University of Jyväskylä is thePsykocenter, a multidisciplinary networked research community concerned with human development, whichoperates in the Agora Centre. The regional effects of the development of the wellbeing sector might berealized through the establishment of new firms providing wellbeing services and different R&D projectscarried out in the region. The expansion of the wellness branch allows such things as an increasing provisionof services aimed at elderly people, the development of vocational wellness and properly functioning workcommunities.In the Jyväskylä region, in addition to the numerous recreational facilities accessible daily, there arenumerous lakes and forests where one enjoy the great outdoors. Sport is a visible part of the image ofJyväskylä; this is especially so as the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences located in the University ofJyväskylä is the only one of its kind in Finland. The Department of Sport Sciences educates professionalsand experts in order to refresh and renew the professions in the field of sport and leisure activities. Thecontribution of students in promoting sporting activities among the wider population can be seen by theiractive participation in the organization of sporting events, work efforts as instructors in the regional sportssocieties, and public and private organizations for physical exercise (e.g., fitness centres). The Faculty ofSport and Health Sciences also cooperates with regional public sector authorities (e.g., Department of Sportsand Physical Activity of the city of Jyväskylä and the Sport Council of Central Finland).The contribution of HEIs to social development in the Jyväskylä region could be further strengthened byextending regional networks. A new promising field is gerontology, which aims at meeting the challenges ofan ageing population. Issues related to ageing, functional capacity and disability form the core of theresearch activities in this field. The main aim of this field is to understand age-related changes in the abilityto adapt to the relevant environmental requirements. The development and cooperation of HEIs is promotedby establishing GeroCenter, which brings together the different actors and their know-how in research,education, development, and the provision of services.The National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health (STAKES) established a regionalunit in Jyväskylä in autumn 2005. At an early stage, one of its main objectives was the development andevaluation of, and research into those social services operating in close cooperation with the HEIs,municipalities, Central Finland’s Centre of Expertise in the Social Field and other organizations. TheJyväskylä Polytechnic and University of Jyväskylä have great expectations for STAKES’ operations in theregion.Physical renewal of local milieuThe Seminaarinmäki campus of the university occupies a key role in the cultural history of the city ofJyväskylä. It forms an integral part of the city’s architecture and it has influenced the planning of the city.The oldest buildings date from the 1880’s. The buildings that comprise Finland’s first Finnish-languageteacher training college dating from 1880-1905 were designed by architects K. Kiseleff and Yrjö Blomstedt.The next phase of construction coincided with the granting of university status, at which time the variousbuildings designed by the world-famous architect Alvar Aalto were completed (1952-57, 1964, 1971). Thenewest buildings on the main campus are designed by architect Arto Sipinen and date from the 1970s. Anumber of private houses designed by the architect Wivi Lönn in the early 1900s have also been preserved inthe Seminaarinmäki area and restored in recent years to their former glory. The result is a uniquearchitectural whole in the heart of the city. Aalto’s campus became a protected area, including the buildings,in the Council of State protection declaration in 1992.The town area of Jyväskylä lies squarely between two lakes, Jyväsjärvi and Tuomiojärvi. The 1980s were adecade of powerful development in Jyväskylä. This was most evident in the form of new public buildings invarious parts of the town. This was a period when buildings such as the town library, the town theatre, the87