Impact Assessment: Investing in the City Centre Campus Would Bring Major Benefits for the City of Hämeenlinna and HAMK
A new City Centre Campus planned by Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK) would bring substantial benefits to both HAMK’s operations and the vitality of the entire City of Hämeenlinna. These insights are drawn from a recently completed impact assessment commissioned by the City of Hämeenlinna.
According to the impact assessment carried out on behalf of the City of Hämeenlinna, the City Centre Campus is above all an urban development project. Its impacts extend beyond the number of students and jobs: they affect the population structure, demand and supply of services, business conditions, the development of events, as well as the city’s image and overall attractiveness.
The assessment concludes that the City Centre Campus directly supports the strategic goals of the City of Hämeenlinna to develop a vibrant and attractive city centre.
“The City Centre Campus brings expertise, young people and city life together in one place – it is one of the most impactful ways to strengthen the vitality of Hämeenlinna’s city centre,” says Niklas Lähteenmäki, Director of Economic Development at the City of Hämeenlinna.
“The City Centre Campus supports HAMK’s strategic goals and strengthens our position as the number one choice for students. The impact assessment shows that the campus solution has a major influence on HAMK’s attractiveness and learning opportunities, and on how students become attached to the city and to the local world of work,” says Heidi Ahokallio-Leppälä, Vice Rector of Häme University of Applied Sciences.
City centre campus would bring thousands of students and hundreds of employees into the heart of the city
Almost all functions of HAMK’s current Visamäki Campus would be relocated to the City Centre Campus, with the exception of some research infrastructure. This would mean that approximately 2000–5000 students and staff members would be present in the city centre on a daily basis.
The number of students at the City Centre Campus is estimated to increase in the long term from around 5000 students in the initial phase to as many as 7000 students by 2040.
At the same time, the number of HAMK employees working in Hämeenlinna is expected to grow to around 720 employees by 2040, representing a significant increase in higher education level jobs in the city centre of Hämeenlinna.
City centre campus would substantially increase demand for services
Based on the calculations in the impact assessment, students at HAMK’s City Centre Campus are estimated to spend approximately EUR 22,5 million per year on daily consumer goods and EUR 3,8 million on food and beverage services in 2040. Part of this spending will be directed to Hämeenlinna and part elsewhere. It is likely that the City Centre Campus will direct the consumption of HAMK’s students and staff more strongly towards the city centre of Hämeenlinna. Growing student and staff numbers at the City Centre Campus will further increase this consumption potential
An increasing number of students and staff in the city centre would particularly boost demand for restaurant and café services as well as grocery stores. This growing demand would strengthen the operating and development conditions of existing businesses and make it more attractive for new companies to locate in the city centre. In turn, this would increase the demand for commercial premises and help bring currently vacant premises into use.
Students diversify the population structure of the city centre
The population structure in the core city centre of Hämeenlinna is currently older than average. According to the impact assessment, the City Centre Campus would bring young adults and students into the city centre, which would diversify the population structure, enliven everyday life and strengthen the city’s overall attractiveness.
Driven by the needs and interests of young people, the range of services and events in the city centre would become more diverse. This, in turn, would attract new residents and visitors to the city centre.
The visible presence of students in the city centre would also support Hämeenlinna’s position as a city of knowledge and expertise, and increase the likelihood that students will choose to stay in the area to live and work after graduation.
City centre campus strengthens the attractiveness of both the city and HAMK
The City Centre Campus would represent a significant investment in the vitality of Hämeenlinna’s downtown. By bringing thousands of students and hundreds of employees into the area every day, the campus would increase the number of customers, expand local services and add vibrancy to the urban environment.
According to the impact assessment, the campus’s central location combined with modern learning environments would be key factors in strengthening HAMK’s attractiveness. The City Centre Campus would improve accessibility, support new ways of learning and reinforce HAMK’s competitive position among higher education institutions. In addition, it would enable new degree programmes and enhance the city’s ability to attract talent and investment.
A key question in the broader campus concept also relates to the future of the Visamäki area. The spaces that would become vacant offer an opportunity to transform Visamäki into a new, diverse and appealing district, although this change will require careful planning and solutions for the reuse of existing facilities.
A centrally located campus would make HAMK an integral part of the cityscape and everyday life in Hämeenlinna. The City Centre Campus would also attract new residents to the area and create broader opportunities for collaboration with businesses, event organisers and other partners.
The impact assessment on the vitality effects of the City Centre Campus was produced by FCG Rakennettu Ympäristö Oy, and the final report was completed on 13 March 2026.
Further information
Niklas Lähteenmäki
Director of Economic Development
City of Hämeenlinna
niklas.lahteenmaki@hameenlinna.fi
03 621 5584
