Nineteenth Mayors Conference
Overview
Host City Rovaniemi, Finland
Method Online (Zoom)
Date and Time of Online Session
* The dates and times below are all indicated in Rovaniemi (Finland) Time (UTC +02:00).
| Friday, November 5th, 2021 | 9-11 a.m. |
Working Group Discussion Topic A: Tourism Development in Winter Cities Working-level city officials from the member cities and representatives from universities and private entities participated to make presentations and exchange their opinions and questions on the discussion topic A. |
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Monday, November 15th, 2021 |
6-8 a.m. |
Group Session 1 (Sub-theme 3) Sub-theme 3: Infrastructure and Architecture for All Mayors of the member cities or other representatives as a proxy for the mayor participated to make presentations and exchange their opinions and questions on the sub-theme three. |
|
Monday, November 15th, 2021 |
9-11 a.m. |
Group Session 2 (Sub-theme 1 & 2) Sub-theme 1: Challenges and Solutions to Social Marginalization Sub-theme 2: Elderly Empowerment Mayors of the member cities or other representatives as a proxy for the mayor participated to make presentations and exchange their opinions and questions on the sub-theme one and two. |
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Tuesday, November 16th, 2021 |
9-11 a.m. | Mayors of the member cities or other representatives as a proxy for the mayor attended. The session covered the final report on the Arctic Design Subcommittee and the voting on the Rovaniemi Declaration and the Rovaniemi Mayors Conference Resolutions. |
Main theme
Aging Society in Winter Cities and Cold Climate
Sub-themes
Sub-theme1: Challenges and Solutions to Social Marginalization
The social isolation of the elderly has been a serious problem, especially in areas that see outflow of younger population. This can distort the age structure in the community, affect specific areas such as healthcare services, isolate older people who have lost social connections from the community, and cause a variety of problems. This sub-theme is to exchange information and learn from each other about the issues of social exclusion and isolation of the elderly.
Sub-theme2: Elderly Empowerment
Regions where the population is aging face problems such as a reduction in working force and economy, and more people needing nursing care resulting in an increase in the cost of social security. Even under such circumstances, in order to increase the security and vitality of society, it is required for the elderly to support society and the economy as a member of the community while maintaining their health and independent living, and be able to play active roles throughout their lives. This sub-theme is to share and learn from each other about initiatives that can lead to the active participation of the elderly.
Sub-theme3: Infrastructure and Architecture for All
Winter cities have the construction and architectural know-how that can withstand the harsh environment such as low temperatures and snow. Also, there are many unique ideas to make winter living enjoyable and comfortable for all residents of the cities. This sub-theme is to share and study such know-how and ideas.
Working Group Topics
Topic A: Tourism Development in Winter Cities
Winter cities have many attractive tourist resources due to their distinctive climate and environment. In addition, “Eco-Tourism” adopting sustainable approaches -such as global environmental protection- that the WWCAM has been working on have been drawing more attention. This working group will share information and studies on tourism development utilizing winter city resources including Eco-Tourism.
Topic B: Planning in Winter Cities
Many winter cities are designed and planned like their southern counterparts, without regard for the climatic conditions. When we acknowledge and design for our winter contexts, we create better cities for all. In this working group, we will review universal winter design principles: block wind, capture sunshine, create visual interest with color and light, and provide infrastructure to support winter life. We will also investigate challenges that we share, learn how to build on our unique winter assets, and explore ways to build our winter cities better for all ages and abilities.
Subcommittee Report
Subcommittees conduct technical research and exchange information on technology among administrators of municipal governments and technocrats of the member cities. Since the fourth conference held in Tromso, Norway in 1990, many subcommittees had been formed in the past focusing on various topics such as “Winter Recreation and Tourism,” “Economic Expansion,” “Snow Management”, and “Sustainable Winter Cities Planning”. In the 19th Mayors Conference, the Arctic Design Subcommittee, established in February 2015, presented the final report of their research on how to apply design as a method of solving problems in urban planning.
Voting on Rovaniemi Declaration and Rovaniemi Mayors Conference Resolutions
The Rovaniemi Declaration outlining the conference and the Rovaniemi Mayors Conference Resolutions for the future activities of the Association were unanimously approved by the member cities.
For more details, see the March 2022 issue of our newsletter.
