the newest example of the dynamic nature of universities is the new Aalto university that will be created when the Helsinki university of technology, the Helsinki school of Economics and the university of Art and Design combine their resources innovatively. the ever-growing role of embedded design as a unifier and catalyst of other disciplines becomes a reality through the merging of the resources of these three universities. science and art meet in the merger and enable products, services and operational models that result in economic wealth that again feeds back into science and art. the regenerative system comes alive. in the City of Espoo strategy, t3 thinking implements a symmetrical view with the Aalto university where science, art and the economy converge as a driver of prosperity in accordance with the formula i = t3 + e3. According to the formula, innovation is the product of the synergy between science, art and the economy (all three start with t in Finnish), as well as ethicality, the aesthetic and the experiential(again three e’s in Finnish). innovation has a central role in the Aalto university ideology. this is why the Confederation of Finnish industries Ek and companies have played an integral part in the project since the very beginning. the task of Aalto university has been defined as “creating a sustainable future”. HELsinki is A COmmunity OF CitiEs When i say Helsinki, i mean the area that is comprised of the cities of Helsinki, Espoo, vantaa and kauniainen. the concept of area also covers other communities in active cooperation with it – for example, the city of Lahti to the north-east. in fact, this interaction covers the whole of Finland, because as Helsinki is the country’s capital it belongs to the entire country and thus connects with the rest of Europe and the world through trade. in the south, Helsinki shares the twin city vision with tallinn. in the east the city has long-standing, deep commercial and cultural ties to st. Petersburg, and in the west to stockholm. Finland and Helsinki also used to be connected to the areas around the baltic via the trade cities in the Hanseatic League. the large centres in Germany and England have traditionally traded with Helsinki. this ever-growing cultural exchange spurred the establishment of our own cultural institutions. Once established, these networks are constantly being renewed and strengthened. it has been said that the ability to establish lasting personal connections is a defining strength of ours. A closer examination reveals some of the special characteristics of our pocket-sized metropolis that we ourselves take for granted but that can be surprising to foreign visitors. the city is so compact that you can walk through the centre in just one hour. Everything is close at hand and easily accessible. the central park reaches the centre of the city. there are two large coastal conservation areas either side of the centre. there is a freshwater highland only half an hour’s drive from the centre in northwest Espoo. the main railway station is in the city centre, and even the largest of passenger ships has access to the harbour right next to the market square. the city’s international airport is only half an hour’s drive away. For my children, Helsinki is a good starting point with open doors to the world. it also offers an ever-present opportunity to return to the safe base in the world village. Open Helsinki — Embedding Design in Life World Design Capital 2012 Application