What does the term “National Urban Park” mean?
The most important goal for the National Urban Park is to maintain and keep the unique, local culture- and nature-environment in good condition. This means that by such actions, it is possible to secure the existence of the architecture, nature, parks and recreational facilities of the area. In addition to this, the city needs to pay even more attention to the overall protection of the area.
How does an area become a National Urban Park?
To apply to become a National Urban Park, the area in question needs to fill the four criteria that the Finnish Ministry of the Environment has given. The criteria are following:
Content – This criterion includes for example the area’s history, architecture and nature.
Cohesiveness and extent – The area needs to be a quite unruffled environment, and as cohesive as possible, so that it is easy to get around the National Urban Park on both land and water.
Ecology and continuance – The area doesn’t have a clear boarder to nearby nature sites and the surrounding countryside, and it must provide the opportunity for different species to move and spread, as well as interact with each other.
Urbanity – The National Urban Park needs to begin from the city center, be in direct contact with it or even be a part of the city structure.
In addition to filling these four criteria, the city also needs to draft a maintenance and use plan, which covers how the city will maintain the condition of the area and also how the city has planned to use the area.
The Hanko National Urban Park
The total areal of “Hangon kansallinen kaupunkipuisto” is about 6300 hectares (or 24, 32 mi²) and is mostly found on the east side of the Hanko Peninsula (mainland Finland’s southernmost point). The National Urban Park mostly consists of water, but offers fantastic park-, beach-, conservation-, and nature areas. Apart from this, you can learn about the interesting history and architecture Hanko has to offer, by strolling down the streets while looking at the historical, magnificent houses and landmarks.
The sea is a huge part of Hanko, and it shows not only in the history of the city, but also in the city’s founding and structure. Hanko has played an important role in trade and shipping throughout the years, and from that the city scape and the tourism has developed. From sea to land, the city brings uniqueness and variation to the table, by offering for example sand dunes, bedrocks and parks.
