Pori and Mänttä-Vilppula partnership: Revitalization, community and cultural development as driver of Liveability

The exchange centered on two study visits: Mänttä-Vilppula visited Pori in February 2025, followed by Pori’s visit in May 2025. These visits enabled deep dives into community development, cultural services, and the reuse of vacant urban spaces, while also laying the groundwork for future collaboration.

“Organizing and participating in the Liveability Twinning city visit between Pori and Mänttä-Vilppula provided valuable insights for municipal project coordinators. The planning of the visit and the shaping of the program strengthened local expertise and highlighted that, regardless of the city, challenges are often similar. The active presence of engage doers made the visit particularly impactful, as their opportunity to participate in discussions and share their perspectives reinforced their sense of ownership over the local testbed. Direct involvement in the exchange deepened commitment and fostered a shared understanding of challenges and solutions.” – Petri Haavisto, City of Pori

A key shared interest was the role of artists in revitalising empty spaces, with both cities actively developing projects and exploring artist exchanges, residencies, and study visits. Another priority area was children’s and youth culture, connecting Pori’s pioneering Children’s Culture Center Kruunupää with Mänttä-Vilppula’s cultural services.

Despite a temporary pause due to staffing changes, the cities plan to revitalise cooperation in early 2026 and continue exploring joint funding opportunities to deepen their collaboration.

Programme Manual Online

Choose