Current information technology brings world events to people in their living rooms. The crucial issue in today's information society is the ability to learn. In this sort of situation, strategic thinking from above is no longer possible for the planners of the city's educational authority. Our news bulletin this time announces the publication of a thematic survey on street names in Helsinki. It appears that national and typically rural themes are well represented in the street names, as are men of great national importance.
Names referring to industrialisation, urbanism and women are unusual.
The bulletin also provides a summary of studies and publications made in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area using the 1994 living condition survey as its material. A total of ten publications have been issued. Comparative City Statistics is a recent issue of our centre. It presents statistsics on such basic phenomena as population, housing, transport etc. from 16 Scandinavian major city regions, and from Tallinn and St Petersburg. The book is the result of, one one hand, the traditional and consolidated statistical cooperation between Scandinavian cities, and on the other, the City of Helsinki's policy of cooperation with its neighbours in Estonia and Russia.