A pre-study on whether the Ranta-Kartano area next to Lahti’s city centre could host a new higher education campus recommends continuing preparation and setting up a development company to start planning. The City of Lahti, LUT University and LAB University of Applied Sciences launched the study at the end of 2025. Its completion does not mean a decision to build the campus.
What the study found
The study’s central conclusion is that a campus succeeds when it is connected to the city centre and the wider urban structure. Ranta-Kartano links the centre, the Vesijärvi waterfront, Kisapuisto and the sports centre into one functional whole. The area is within walking distance of the centre, the harbour and the travel centre. The pre-study estimates the first phase of the campus at about 30,000 square metres of floor area. Besides teaching and research, the site could host cafés, restaurants, sports and wellbeing services, public services, and work and event spaces open to all. “A city-centre campus would bring students, researchers, companies and residents closer to each other,” said Mayor Niko Kyynäräinen.
A joint development company
The study recommends that the city and the higher education institutions set up a joint development company to prepare the project. The company would coordinate planning, studies and development, and prepare the next phase. The project is recommended to be carried out in phases. More detailed assessments would start at the same time, including on developing properties in the Niemi area and on Ståhlberginkatu, and on whether public services could move to the new campus. The Isku Center property in the Niemi area is currently the main site of LUT and LAB in Lahti. Decision-makers will be presented with a comparison of options for organising the preparation of the campus project.
Timeline
The campus’s scale, delivery model and costs would be refined during the planning phase. Under a preliminary schedule:
| Step | Timing |
|---|---|
| Pre-study launched | end of 2025 |
| Zoning and project planning | 2027–2029 |
| Possible construction decisions | 2028–2029 |
| Start of construction | early 2030s |
| Target completion | 2034 |
Before any construction, zoning, more detailed planning, and further preparation and decisions by the city and the institutions are still needed. Residents will be able to take part through resident events, zoning hearings and other forms of engagement.