European Regional Science Association

ERSA 2003 Congress

Congress Venue

The 43rd European Congress of the Regional Science Association took place in Jyväskylä, Finland from August 27 to August 30, 2003.

The Congress were held in Mattilanniemi, which is the new campus of the University of Jyväskylä. The University is in centre of a beautiful natural setting within the city. Over the past few decades the University has expanded to Mattilanniemi and to Ylistönrinne on opposite shores of Lake Jyväsjärvi, joined by a scenic footbridge. The Campus is within walking distance (1,5 km) of the city centre and a range of comfortable hotels. One congress hotel, Alba, is located just in this Campus.

The main congress building was Agora which is the newest and biggest building in the Mattilanniemi Campus. Registration, exhibitions and coffee breaks took place in the entrance hall (Foyer) of Agora. Lunches were provided in two restaurants of the campus: Piato in Agora and Wilhelmiina in Building A. Opening and plenary sessions took place in two auditoria of Agora.

Finland, Your Host Country

Finland is a safe and reliable destination, easily accessible from all over the world. Combining geographic beauty with political and social stability, Finland is an ideal location for meetings. Its geographical location between East and West makes it one of the world's favourite congress countries.

By culture and tradition, Finland is one of the Nordic welfare states. Citizens of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden have enjoyed a common labour market, a passport union and reciprocal social security benefits since the mid 1950s, long before Schengen.

Finn Facts

• Only 5.2 million people live in Finland, but Finland is one of the biggest European countries in size
• 68% of Finland is covered with forests and it boasts 188 000 lakes
• Finland is the northernmost cultivated country
• Finland is called the Land of the Midnight Sun - above the Arctic Circle, the sun does not set for several weeks in summer
• In the summer months, the average daytime temperature in Southern Finland is 20 degrees Celsius
• The main exports are electronics, forest industry and metal and engineering
• Finland has one of the world's largest number of mobile phones, computers and internet connections per capita
• Finland has 21 universities and art academies
• Finnish people read the largest number of newspaper per capita in the world
• Finland is a member of the EU and also a founding member of the Economic and Monetary Union

Congress City, Jyväskylä

Jyväskylä is a lively university city and a bustling centre for business, education, sports and culture. It is the undisputed capital of Central Finland. It is located in the heart of the beautiful lake district by Lake Päijänne, Finland's second largest lake. The beautiful and versatile nature of Jyväskylä Region offers all the elements of the Finnish landscape.

Jyväskylä is easily accessible by land and air: it is 270 km north of Helsinki, which takes 35 minutes by plane and just 3 hours by car or train.

The people of Jyväskylä earn their livelihood from service occupations, wood processing, the manufacture of paper and paper machines, and increasingly from the various sectors information technology. Nokia also has a research unit in Jyväskylä, next to the congress site. Internationally Jyväskylä is well-known for the architecture of Alvar Aalto (30 buildings designed by Aalto) and for the world championship rally "Neste Rally Finland".