ABSTRACT
Helsinki is the capital of Finland and a prototypical example of a 'primate city'. It is the clear centre of its country in a political, economic, cultural and demographic sense. The two most important regional administrative institutions are Uusimaa Regional Council and Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council (YTV). A third important, but less formally institutionalised regional body is the Helsinki Region. To increase this regional confusion even further, the Uusimaa Regional Council also uses 'Helsinki Region' as a brand name in its international marketing; however, Uusimaa is a much larger area than the 'actual' Helsinki Region. The principal duties of the YTV comprised transport system planning, regional public transport provision, waste management and air quality monitoring for its four member municipalities. The Helsinki region makes joint traffic plans, has joint waste treatment, air quality control, and shows other joint efforts in the field of the environment.
