My Oulu: New inspiration and cooperation ideas emerge among Arctic municipalities
EU started the AURC program a year ago to help the cooperation of Arctic cities. The AURC delegation visited Oulu before Christmas.
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The Arctic Urban Regional Cooperation (AURC) programme, funded by the European Union, aims at closer cooperation between municipalities and cities to solve the challenges of the Arctic region. During a recent visit to Oulu, the AURC delegation found inspiration in how the city leverages culture, events, and participatory budgeting to drive urban development.
The Arctic is home to millions of people who face global challenges ranging from climate change and the green energy transition to geopolitical tensions and demographic shifts. In addition, issues such as access to healthcare and education are prevalent across Arctic communities.
Recognizing these challenges, the European Union funds the AURC programme, launched in January 2023, to empower Arctic municipalities and cities to seek shared solutions. The programme has brought together 15 local governments from Canada, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the United States, enabling them to collaborate and learn from one another.
Anne Rännäli-Kontturi, Head of International Affairs at the City of Oulu, underscores the programme’s significance.
”This initiative is a practical implementation of the EU’s Arctic policy. Until now, we haven’t had similar instruments to support cooperation with non-EU Arctic countries. With AURC funding, we can share our expertise through concrete examples and organize webinars, themed study visits, and workshops”, Rännäli-Kontturi explains.
”The programme’s goal is to keep Arctic municipalities and cities vibrant. The long-term vision is to establish sustainable partnerships between participating cities to address these challenges collectively”, she adds.
From participatory budgeting to winter cycling
Before Christmas, an AURC delegation visited Luleå, Tornio and Oulu. While the Luleå programme focused on the green transition, the Oulu visit highlighted ways to involve residents and use events and culture for urban development.
”Many of the Arctic municipalities are much smaller than Oulu, so we aimed to share scalable examples. For instance, participatory budgeting is a model that smaller municipalities can easily adopt. We also showcased the Event-Friendly Oulu programme and the Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture with its impressive regional cooperation”, Rännäli-Kontturi explains.
An Oulu-specific highlight, winter cycling, was also part of the visit, allowing guests to experience this local specialty firsthand.
Oulu’s opportunity to learn
Each municipality participating in the AURC has chosen its priorities from a green transition to a socially sustainable Arctic or inclusive economic development, and municipalities are also working in smaller clusters related to their theme. What is Oulu’s focus in AURC cooperation?
”Oulu is focused on creating a vibrant city where skilled professionals want to live and work. A strong workforce is essential for vibrant cities and municipalities across the Arctic region, including Oulu”, Rännäli-Kontturi emphasizes.
Sustainable tourism has also been a recurring theme in discussions.
”Cooperation in sustainable tourism is vital. Oulu recently received the Sustainable Travel Finland (STF) label from Visit Finland, and we see significant growth potential in tourism. As tourism expands, we can adopt sustainable practices and learn from other AURC participants, such as Iceland and Tromsø, where tourism is already well-established”, Rännäli-Kontturi concludes.