Kotka Nat´l Urban Park awarded as best landscape project

The Kotka National Urban Park on Friday was presented with the award for Finland's best landscape project 2018.

The urban park is a magnificent combination of parks, waterways and the finest architectural monuments in Kotka. The award was presented in Helsinki by Kimmo Tiilikainen, Minister of the Environment, Energy and Housing, said an official press release.

“The Kotka National Urban Park is a unique entity and a good example of the city's commitment to the development of green spaces and recreational areas. Kotka has created a high-quality urban environment through insightful planning and long-term landscape management," the Minister said.

Finland's best landscape project is sought for every two years in a competition organised by the Ministry of the Environment. This year, the five participating projects from different parts of Finland were of a high standard and all fulfilled the criteria set for the competition. The competition was open to non-governmental organisations and local and regional authorities that had protected, managed or designed landscapes.

The jury had representatives from the Ministry of the Environment, the Finnish Heritage Agency, the University of Turku, Aalto University and the Association of Finnish Landscape Architects and was chaired by Senior Environmental Adviser Tapio Heikkilä from the Ministry of the Environment.

The Kotka National Urban Park, founded in 2014, will be Finland's candidate for the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe.

“The concept of national urban parks is exceptionally interesting from an international perspective, which increases Finland's chances in the competition. Nine national urban parks have already been established in Finland, whereas so far there is only one such park in Sweden and none elsewhere in Europe,” said Tapio Heikkilä, the chair of the jury.

The Landscape Award of the Council of Europe is part of the European Landscape Convention promoting landscape management, protection and design. The Convention has been ratified by 39 countries, by Finland in 2006. The Landscape Award is a recognition of exemplary measures in the promotion of landscape management.