Uudenmaan liitto

About Uudenmaan liitto

Uudenmaan liitto is the regional council for Uusimaa, Finland’s most populous region, and a joint municipal authority made up of 26 municipalities. It works as part of regional administration and focuses on long-term development, spatial planning, and coordination of regional growth.

The organization serves municipalities, residents, businesses, and other regional actors by preparing strategies and programmes that support competitiveness, wellbeing, skills, and climate action. It also acts as an advocate for the region’s interests and helps align development efforts across public, private, and civic stakeholders.

Uudenmaan liitto positions itself as a future-oriented regional builder: it combines regional planning, development policy, and advocacy to strengthen Uusimaa’s role as a nationally and internationally significant growth area.

Core Values

• Sustainability: The region’s development is framed around ecologically sustainable, economically responsible, and socially just growth, with climate neutrality as a central goal.
• Wellbeing: The liitto emphasizes improving residents’ wellbeing and reducing inequality as part of regional development.
• Competitiveness and renewal: It aims to strengthen Uusimaa’s competitiveness through innovation, skills, employment, and research and development.
• Collaboration: Its work is built on cooperation with municipalities, state actors, businesses, universities, research institutes, and organizations.
• Long-term thinking: The organization stresses strategic, future-oriented planning and preparedness for societal change.

Unique Aspects

• Represents Finland’s largest region: Uudenmaan liitto serves a region of 1.8 million residents and 26 municipalities, giving it a central role in Finnish regional development.
• Combines planning, development, and advocacy: It brings together regional land-use planning, development coordination, and interest representation in one public body.
• Strong climate and innovation agenda: The region’s roadmap targets climate neutrality by 2030 and aims to raise R&D intensity, linking spatial planning with innovation policy.
• International project involvement: The liitto participates in European cooperation projects such as Interreg and Interreg Europe, including work on circular economy, climate adaptation, transport emissions, and strategic foresight.
• Regional governance role: Decision-making is carried out through democratically elected bodies, including the regional council and regional board, which distinguishes it from many other regional actors.