Coastal City Oulu

In Oulu, we are performing development work for a Coastal Oulu. Our goal is to brighten the image of coastal aspects of our city and profile Oulu more prominently as a coastal city.  

Coastal City Oulu Project Plan 

During the Coastal City Oulu project plan work, a viewpoint of the possible future of the Coastal City Oulu was produced together with interest groups. The spearheads of the development of coastal and beach areas of the city of Oulu were also discussed. 

Coastal City Oulu’s planned vision: 

In Oulu, coastal life is present and accessible throughout the year to the residents, tourists and industry. A healthy ocean is the core of a coastal city. Coastal life is built in Oulu in the network of coastal services on land and sea.  

The Coastal City Oulu project’s planning was initiated in 2019. The project plan report was approved by the Urban Environmental Committee on April 27, 2024, § 246. 

Coastal City Oulu Operational Programme 

We have progressed from the Coastal City Oulu project plan to an operational programme (Urban Environmental Committee, November 2, 2022). For the preparation, a committee has been composed of city specialists which has been preparing the operational programme’s compilation process, scheduling and cooperation between operators and decision-makers. 

The monitoring of the operations and programme is the responsibility of the Urban and Environmental Services. The operational programme will be finished in early 2024. 

The operational programme will include actions that will be implemented in the coming years, along with their preliminary budgets and schedules. Good action suggestions that come up during the project work will be included in the operational programme. Many excellent actions were presented in the feedback received about the project work and they have been utilized in the compilation of the operational programme. 

The actions will be formulated based on the five spearhead actions identified in the project plan: 

  • Actions to improve the ecological state and water quality of sea areas 

  • Development of a year-round coastal route structure in Oulu and creating the branding of the route structure 

  • Beach area landscape management plan 

  • Creating the Coastal City Oulu cooperation network 

  • Making coastal life more visible through different highlighting 

Coastal City Oulu project plan is a part of Oulu’s City Strategy 

The City Council decided on the new Oulu City Strategy during their meeting on January 31, 2022. The implementation of the Coastal City Oulu project plan is one of the City Strategy’s goals. 

The implementation of the Coastal City Oulu project plan has been registered to be implemented during the years 2022–2025 to improve the city’s attraction and retention.  

Coastal City Oulu Project Plan (in Finnish)

The video summarizes the vision, spearhead themes and central actions of the plan.

Old Sector Lights Along Oulu’s Channels – Mobile Route

Vanhat loistot Oulu väylillä (Old sector lights along Oulu’s channels) mobile route presents the series of old concrete sector lights built along Oulu’s coast between the years 1939–49. Some of the sector lights are still in use though their purpose has changed over the years. The route has been implemented by associations and with master planning. nä.
See the route (in Finnish)

Explore Coastal Oulu with aerial photographs

Explore Coastal Oulu and the Coastal City Oulu project plan with videos and aerial photographs. The goal of the project plan is to highlight Oulu’s coastal aspects and profile Oulu as a coastal city. On this website, you may explore videos and aerial photographs of Oulu’s coast and islands.
See the videos and photos (in Finnish)

Promoting the vitality of Oulu’s marine environment

Oulu has promoted the goals of the plan’s most central spearhead action, the improvement of the ecological condition and water quality of marine environments. The story map details the actions the city has taken to improve the vitality of the marine environment over the last years.
See the story map (in Finnish)

Save the Bothnian Bay

The Bothnian Bay is our unique sea with which we live and act. It is a part of the Baltic Sea. The Bothnian Bay is in good condition in comparison to the other parts of the Baltic Sea. However, its condition has weakened over the years due to human action. That is why it must be saved now, not when the situation is critical. The city of Oulu participates in the Bothnian Bay’s saving operation.
Read more (in Finnish)
Coastal City Oulu Project Plan (in Finnish)
pdf 7.77 MB
Coastal City Oulu Project Plan – initial assessment themes (in Finnish)
pdf 13.07 MB
Coastal City Oulu Project Plan – results of the surveys and workshops (in Finnish)
pdf 3.29 MB
Results of the feedback surveys and action suggestions for continued planning (in Finnish)
pdf 1.22 MB
Coastal City Oulu, spearhead action progress report 2021–2022 (in Finnish)
pdf 2.16 MB
Kaisa Mars’s thesis: Tulevaisuuden merikaupunki Oulu: Kaupunkilaisen visio merellisestä Oulusta (in Finnish)
pdf 3.73 MB

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