City of Helsinki Strategic Spatial Plan

Helsinki.City.Planning.Department.publications.2009:8

From Helsinki.City.Planning.Department.publications.2009:8 City to City-Region City of Helsinki Strategic Spatial Plan

1 2 From City to City-Region

City of Helsinki Strategic Spatial Plan

From City to City-Region City of Helsinki Strategic Spatial Plan

@ City Planning Department 2009 City of Helsinki

Edited by Douglas Gordon, Rikhard Manninen & Olavi Veltheim (note: see Organisation page for all contributors from the original Finnish edition) Design & layout: Douglas Gordon Graphic design: Heikki Jantunen

Printing: Edita Prima Oy, 2009, Helsinki ISSN 0787-9024 ISBN 978-952-223-495-7 (paperback) ISBN 978-952-223-496-4 (PDF)

CONTENTS

From City to City-region: Helsinki Strategic Spatial Plan ...... 5 Setting the Vision...... 5 Strategic spatial development strategy and the Master Plan...... 6 The Key Strategic Issues ...... 7

Towards a Metropolitan City-region...... 9 Integrating the Metropolitan area as a City-region...... 9 Key Policies:...... 10

City-region MAP: the metropolis becomes a City-region...... 12

Successful Business ...... 15 A diversified City-region with economic balance and clusters of specialisation...... 15 Key Policies:...... 16

Business MAP: enlarging the inner city and service clusters...... 18

Attractive housing – Making the City liveable ...... 23 Renaissance areas...... 24 Key Policies: ...... 24

Housing MAP: City Living – Regional identities...... 26

Dynamic Change in the Urban Landscape ...... 31 A Lively Cityscape...... 31 Improving the quality of the green network...... 32 Key Policies:...... 33

MAP: Lively Cityscape...... 34

Strategic Spatial Plan Implementation...... 37

3 From City to City- region: Helsinki Strategic Spatial Plan

4 From City to City-region: Helsinki Strategic Spatial Plan

Setting the Vision The City of Helsinki’s strategic spatial functionally, namely: plan is a spatial development strategy •. Successful Business, for the city-region and consists of a set •. City Living, of development policies and spatial plan- •. Dynamic Cityscape. ning framework. It is prepared once per Council term, i.e. once every four years. The fourth map – ‘Towards a metro- The spatial plan analyses the future of politan city-region’, represents an inte- the city-region and its development gration of the most important regional el- needs and presents a Vision of the city- ements from each of the three functional region’s future principles of spatial de- maps into a single metropolitan city-re- velopment over the next three decades. gion spatial development strategy plan. ‘From City to City-region’ contains This map forms the basis of the princi- policy statements which create the basis ples to be applied in the development of for Helsinki’s new spatial vision. For the the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, while the fi rst time in Helsinki’s history, the guid- previous three maps pertain to the princi- ing principles for future development go ples for the development of Helsinki and beyond the city boundaries and take ac- the areas directly connected to it. count of the region as a whole. The plan One of the main aims of Helsinki’s sets out the economic, social and envi- Strategic Spatial Plan is for Helsinki to ronmental relationships, and their im- incorporate the EU guidelines of Territo- pact physically upon metropolitan devel- rial Agenda on spatial planning into the opment for the next 30 years. The inte- city-regional objectives as well as the grated relationships are set out in a se- corresponding EU document on urban ries of policies grouped around key is- policy. The spatial plan ´Towards a met- sues of business activities, housing, city- ropolitan city-region´, provides strategic landscape and regional structure. These spatial guidance to the future metropolis form the strategic spatial framework to structure of the Helsinki region in a ho- guide future development. listic manner. The vision consists of key themes which are developed into a set of spa- Arabia Wired-City tial strategies. The spatial strategies then form a series of policies under each main heading of the key themes. The policies in turn show the physical demands of city growth and population needs upon the city-region structure. It is population and economic innovation which are the drivers of change. The policies translate into a programme of development proposals which are visualised by means of maps that represent the relationships between the key themes. To- gether, the maps indicate how the proposals are to be implemented over time to achieve Helsinki’s spatial vision. There are four key maps representing the key themes. Three of the maps are grouped around an integrated set of relationships, but for simplicity, are shown

5 Strategic spatial development strategy and the Master Plan the practice has been to prepare a new Helsinki’s Master Plan 2002 was ap- master plan about once every ten years. proved by the City Council on 26.11.2003 City planning in Helsinki is viewed and came legally into force for the entire as one of the key tools in the making city with the exception of the Helsinki- of many forward-looking decisions. The Malmi Airport area. The previous strate- City prepares plans and programmes for gic planning advice formed part of the the future. City planning plays a key role Master Plan 2002 together with the im- and is integrated together with the real plementation schedule. estate development process of the City. The changes occurring in the commu- The principles of economic development nity are fast and have an impact also on are defined in the business strategy. The the vitality and land use of the city. There- land use and housing implementation fore, the master plan must be ready to programme (LUH programme) contains react to the changes in order to main- the objectives and implementation prin- tain the vitality and competitiveness of ciples of the City’s housing policies. the city in a quicker way. The new strate- The regional programme for land gic spatial plan will guide the implemen- use, housing and transport (LUHT pro- tation of the Master Plan 2002. Further- gramme) defines the principles of re- more, it is important that the City Coun- gional cooperation between Helsinki and cil be able to assess, once per Council its neighbours. term, the modernity of the strategic spa- While the community changes and tial plan and whether or not the master the economy develops it is necessary to plan needs to be revised. assess the impact these changes may The preparation of the master plan is have on the city-region structure togeth- a long and complicated process. The City er with the environment (city landscape) Western Harbour future development area. 3D Render Council approves the master plan as the in order to keep the plans up to date and Oy basis for how the City will manage its de- be based upon current information on fu- velopment in the future and where new ture land use proposals. investment will be located. In Helsinki, The master plan has a long-term per-

6 spective, and is prepared without a tar- Helsinki is the country’s capital and main A metropolitan city-region grows when get year, although it is valid until a deci- city centre and includes the most impor- there is sufficient critical mass to enable sion to change it is made, normally, eve- tant business and administrative activi- better public transport connections be- ry ten years. In the course of time, the ties. A growing region needs more space tween the different parts of the region to guiding influence of the master plan may for the activities of the main centre. be improved. Transport projects have the weaken. However, according to the law, tendency to place greater emphasis on the municipality must have an up-to-date The main city-centre will be the districts of the metropolitan area that valid master plan that illustrates the main expanded. are located north of Helsinki and in doing practical characteristics of the areas in so, create an imbalance in attracting fu- the city. Economic growth increases the well-be- ture investment. This may hinder the de- The strategic spatial plan and the mas- ing of the residents, which is the founda- velopment of the city-region. In order to ter plan form a part of the overall City’s tion of urban life. provide better economic balance spatial- development strategy. The strategic ele- ly within the city-region, the aim will be ment acts as a broad guide and spatial Social unity is strengthened by for the urban structure to be developed framework for the master plan, which is satisfying people’s strongly towards the coast of the Gulf of a more detailed land-use specific plan. needs now and in the future. Finland along an east-west development corridor, and in doing so, will aim to curb Former areas of the city change and get urban sprawl. The Key Strategic Issues new buildings. This gives the city new Metropolitan areas are more international layers of development. Land use be- By building the region also than ever before and by working togeth- comes more effective and denser and towards the coast, the region er and competing with each other, they the environment more urban. At the will retain its vitality and the set the development direction. Helsinki same time, however, the city retains its balance of the regional influences the entire region and so must attractive characteristics such as the structure will be improved take more responsibility than previously in connection with nature. matters related to regional development. The city-region grows more The growth of Helsinki and its urban and improves the region is beneficial to the whole environment country.

Towards a Metropolitan City-region

Integrating the Metropolitan area as a City-region The Helsinki region is characterised by nections of the region and areas north urban sprawl. There is too much con- of Helsinki in order to improve the over- struction outside the main urban struc- all public transport nature of the region. ture and most development on the pe- The direction of development of the riphery of the region is low in density. A urban structure emphasises the areas somewhat unrestrained regional struc- north of Helsinki and reminds of the ear- ture has become part of the urban con- lier phases of Helsinki’s planning history struction tradition. Lack of space has not during which development towards the been an issue before. This has resulted coast and development from the coast in the current energy-wasting region- inland were considered contradictory al structure of the Capital area, in which principles. The location of the city centre transportation costs are high and climate on a narrow peninsula was considered a impacts negative. problem and inland growth was consid- On the other hand, the city-region ered necessary. Also road and rail traffi c transportation system functions well and affected the urban structure in different the public transport share of the Helsin- ways as the city expanded. The impor- ki peninsula is high (currently 72%). The tance of the water areas varied depend- railway corridors offer development po- ing on the direction of growth and the tential for increasing densities to the sur- size of the urban area. rounding communities and at the same A similar urban growth trend appears time will benefi t from enhancing their lo- to be taking place and that the key direc- cation as well as creating new favoura- tion of metropolitan growth would con- bly located areas near to the city-centre. tinue to be concentrated along its north- In the rail traffi c arteries there will be a ern axis unless greater spatial and eco- number of new modern and dense urban nomic balance is provided through the areas being built that will easily be con- new spatial development priority along nected to the region by new public trans- the east-west coastal development axis. port connections. By doing so, the focus of attention will With the exception of the metro line ensure the main development directions that goes from Helsinki to the east of the will be contained within the city-region city, most of the non-built areas connect- proper, thereby ensuring its future vital- ed to the main rail corridors are in the ar- ity and at the same time, containing ur- ea north of Helsinki. The transport poli- ban sprawl. cy will emphasise better cross-town con-

Pikku Huopalahti: a dynamic new urban village

9 Key Policies:

European integration and Globalisation (1) The Helsinki city-region will be developed as a European city in relati- on to other large metropoles worldwide. (2) Public transport projects will be developed hand-in-hand with the development of the urban structure of the city-region and will be of national significance. (3) The development possibilities for the Helsinki city-region are closely connected to the development of the Helsinki – St.Petersburg – Tal- linn triangle. The requirements of a much stronger Saint Petersburg- Helsinki–Tallinn axis will be taken in- to account in spatial planning.

From monocultural to multicultural (4) Helsinki’s housing policies need to take into account the increase in im- migration as well as in the development of business activities. Active economic policy measures will be necessary. More training possibilities for newcomers will be required in order to aid the social development of the city. Greater Helsinki Regions Ideas Competition programme

A Nordic-welfare society (5) Nordic welfare policies will be a leading principle in the well-being sport networks. Despite the relati- be the key priority for new invest- of society, along with the develop- vely large building programme, all ment, including several new metro ment of administrative organisa- of which will be on brownfield si- lines. Energy-efficient and ecologi- tions in an integrated spatial, tran- tes, Helsinki will remain relatively cal construction and life cycle ap- sport planning, technical services spacious. This will give the possibi- proaches will be improved through and real estate solutions. lity to maintain the relationship bet- spatial planning. ween people and nature, which is (10) The impact of climate change is al- European city-identity a characteristic in the Nordic tradi- ready being integrated as a key fea- (6) Helsinki values tradition and history tion, and to foster the values of the ture of spatial planning and building as in the typical European city with built environment. control. Flood risks, caused by the its local traditions in building and rise in sea level and the increase in cultural landscapes. Climate Change the occurrence of heavy rains, to- (9) Helsinki’s objective for spatial plan- gether with the need to control ex- An international perspective ning will be to create a low-carbon cess storm water and groundwater (7) In the planning and the develop- city-regional urban structure, i.e. levels will be taken into account in ment of the city-region, Helsinki will low energy consumption will be the all new developments, as will the cultivate the local strengths, create aim for all communities. The future control of increased wind pressure. lively city neigbourhoods and, at the planning of new development are- (11) In Helsinki, provisions are being ma- same time, shape local and national as and activities will aim to encou- de through spatial planning to re- visions. rage patters of development that ceive ‘climate refugees’ directed to (8) Helsinki will continue to be a com- will reduce the need to travel, par- Finland. pact city spatially. New develop- ticularly by car. The aim will be to ment areas will be built dense- create a better unified and integ- The City never stops changing ly in order to create sufficient cri- rated urban structure throughout (12) Helsinki will continue to serve as the tical mass to improve public tran- the city-region. Public transport will country’s main centre of govern-

10 ment and contain the most important economic, cultural and administrative activities.

Governance (13) The spatial change from expanding the city to city-region will be cont- rolled through greater cooperation between the neighbouring municipalities and developing a more integrated approach to joint spatial planning as well as through exami- ning new forms of local governance

Mitigating against urban sprawl (14) Excessive urban sprawl will be pre- vented through building more in- tensely within the city-region’s development corridors and by a coor- Idea of Polycentric Structure dinated approach by each of the local authorities 15) Communities will be made more compact and new ones will be built in a spatially cohesive manner Radial and circular structure a new international rail connection throughout the entire region. (19) Helsinki city-region will develop as a from Helsinki to the East. cross-town and radial ring-road ur- Community development ban traffic structure and will be do- City Centre Vitality (16) Helsinki needs to improve commu- ne by ensuring it supports the ´fin- (24) The implementation of new deve- nity development to ensure that its ger shape´ model. lopment areas will expand the ci- services meet peoples’ needs. The ty centre to and for those areas to principle is to distribute well-being Towards a polycentric city-region become more specialised. The new in a balanced way to develop a sen- (20) Public investment in transport, hou- central tunnel, extension of pedest- se of community in the neighbour- sing, education and innovation as rian streets and parking facilities as hoods. Community strategies must well as support for business will be well as the private and public buil- be responsive to new needs, as for allocated in such a way as to benefit ding projects will improve the vitali- example, in housing policy where the development of the city-region ty of the city. the special needs of different immi- through a polycentric urban struc- (25) Cooperation with the surrounding grant groups should feature. ture. city-regional municipalities will help (21) Helsinki can improve the spatial to improve the overall international Infrastructure structure of the city-region by de- image of Helsinki and its metropoli- (17) The new infrastructure for the veloping a polycentric metropolitan tan area. city-region will help form a com- area, in so far that it will benefit the pact urban structure. The aim will whole city-region. International City Airport, city-harbours be to build new development are- (22) The future spatial structure of the and tourism as around the public transport in- city-region will be based upon (26) Helsinki will develop tourism by st- terchanges, to bring jobs and dwel- sound planning practices, using rengthening its position as Finland’s lings together in the same location international experiences, financial capital as well as improving its local and to make infrastructural chan- efficiency, productivity and the im- special characteristics, such as its ges as cost-effective and ecologi- pacts of local conditions taken into image as a maritime city. cally sustainable that work well in account. (27) The high-quality public transport everyday life. connections between Helsinki-Van- The city-region’s development strategy taa City-Airport and the city cent- City-region as an alternative to the City centres along the Gulf of Finland’s re of Helsinki will be an important (18) The city and the city-region will coastline foundation for the vitality of Helsin- be developed as a cohesive whole (23) The balancing of regional develop- ki and its region. from their diverse regional starting ment along the Gulf of Finland co- (28) The passenger harbours will be points in accordance with their spe- astline by new development corri- improved and developed further in cial local characteristics. dors will require the construction of terms of strengthening the urban environment.

11 City-region MAP: The metropolis becomes a City-region

S1 East-West corridor of the metropolitan city-region S4 Cross-town connectivity at the city-regional level The main development corridor of the metropolitan city-region The current cross-town connections will be improved to bene- will connect the rest of the city-region together through the fit the city-regional structure and to meet the requirements of centre of Helsinki. future business and living activities.

Development corridor of National and regional S5 Maritime urban city-environment S2 significance New development areas will be mainly located around the bays The areas located near the current and planned rail and metro of Helsinki, creating the opportunity to make new urban shore- lines offer excellent opportunities for the construction of new lines that will provide a new type of city-landscape. mixed housing and business developments. There are also na- S6 tionally significant connections to the cities of inner Finland. New inner city The established structure of the city-region will be strength- The inner-city is to be expanded from the city-centre to Ring- ened and the connections to the central areas of the region Road 1. This will make Helsinki more compact and represents will be improved. a more efficient use of land. The urban land-uses are the most versatile of the city-region and, by making them more compact International East-West development corridor of the S3 and dense, will increase the versatility of the city and its region. city-region Special attention will be given to improving the public transport The development of the public transport network will enable connections to the high-quality urban parks and recreation ar- better connectivity between the development proposals on the eas. The characteristics that create the identity of local neigh- city-region periphery to the central areas of the Capital region. bourhoods will be preserved. The connection from the west coast of Finland to Saint Peters- ¿ burg will emphasise the international role of the new develop- International airport of the metropolitan city-region ment corridor. This will require the development of the city-re- The spatial significance of the international City-Airport will be gion towards the coast, which will provide better spatial bal- given top priority in respect of future development of the city- ance to the city-region’s structure. region.

Connection to the cities of the Bal- tic Sea & the EU The connections to the other cities of the Baltic Sea will be improved to enable better cooperation with those cities and other important city-regions of the EU.

New development areas There will be a significant number of new development areas in the near future overseen by the City of Helsinki. These new areas will aim to unify the urban structure of the city-region and im- plement a responsible housing policy.

Senate Square – at the heart of Helsinki. Suomen Ilmakuva Oy Vuosaari new canal & residential area. Arkkitehtuuritoimisto B&M Oy

Suburban Renaissance Connectivity to the city-centre As the city-region grows, the location The Strategic Plan recognises the need to improve the public of the suburbs will become more cen- transport connection between the Capital’s main centre and tral. The Strategic Spatial Plan aim will the international airport. The new connection will be imple- be to oversee the renaissance of the sub- mented taking into account the needs of business and tourism, urban areas, i.e. the comprehensive im- the movement needs within the city-region and the increasing provement of the older neighbourhoods importance of the City-Airport as a hub for the amount of traf- by constructing a more compact urban fic to and from the Far East. form of housing and providing better va- ë riety of housing on offer in order for it to Passenger harbour for the metropolitan city-region meet future requirements. The Strategic Plan aims to improve the connections of the city’s harbours to the Baltic Sea and the rest of Europe. The The prevention of urban sprawl: location of the harbours in the city centre is considered funda- S8 areas outside the development mental to the economic success of the city-region. corridors These areas mainly consist of low-den- ñ High-tech commercial harbour of the metropolitan city- sity, urban areas, village milieus and region sparsely populated areas. They also in- The connection of the new high-tech harbour to the harbours clude land used in agriculture or forest- of the Baltic Sea and the rest of Europe will have significant ry, outdoor and recreation areas and pro- economic benefit on the development of the business life and tected cultural environments. These are- logistics of the city-region as a whole. as are threatened by the excessive sprawl of sparsely populated areas and the un- S7 Core area of the natural forest environment acceptable expansion of urban sprawl. The metropolitan city-region will become more compact there- New development proposals for such ar- by furthering the need to preserve the natural forest areas for eas will require special evaluation in or- recreational use. der to prevent negative climate impacts.

13 Successful Business

14 Successful Business

A diversifi ed City-region with within the metropolitan area. This will economic balance strengthen, in particular, the develop- and clusters of specialisation. ment and expansion of the eastern parts of the main city centre as workplace ar- Extending the city-centre and areas of eas. specialised clusters The Helsinki-Vantaa International City- The bases for the future development Airport is important for the vitality of Hel- of business will be regional growth and sinki and its region and, therefore, the strengthening Helsinki’s role as Finland’s interaction and public transport connec- capital city. In addition, Helsinki’s city- tions between the main centre and the centre as an all-round area of commer- airport will be developed, either by a new cial activities and cultural institutions will direct metro connection, or via a new be of primary importance. The conditions ‘circle’ line connecting the existing com- for business development will be creat- muter rail services through the airport to ed by maximising the local strengths of the city centre. The business activities in each area. the city will become stronger because of The main centre will be developed, the expanding airport logistical hub and strengthened and expanded as a re- the added advantage of improved inter- gional and national centre. The city cen- national accessibility and fast connec- tre will ensure that services related to fi - tions within Finland. nance, culture, leisure and tourism will The ring motorways and railway lines be promoted, as well as the capability will act as a focus to improve business of organising large international events. accessibility, particularly at the busy rail The compact structure of the citycentre, interchanges, where the growing busi- with its all-round functions, high-quality ness clusters of the metropolitan area urban environment and good accessibil- seek their way. Each business area will ity will create the necessary conditions be built around different working pro- for the long-term placement of special- fi les in accordance with local require- ised and information-intensive business ments. Their common characteristic of services to the Capital’s centre. The busy good accessibility from the majority of passenger harbours connecting Helsinki the region, more fl exible operational re- to the other cities of the Baltic will con- quirements compared to the main centre tinue to bring signifi cant tourist fl ows to and slightly lower operational costs will the centre. be supported spatially, bringing greater The business areas near the main cen- cohesion and better economic balance. tre will help expand the role of the city The city centre is the most signifi - centre as well as physically. At the same cant centre for fi nance, culture and lei- time, business will be developed into dif- sure and will be given support to con- ferent areas, each in accordance with its tinue to do so. Other regional centres own special characteristics. The areas such as the regional shopping centres will specialise in science, art, digital serv- and the new business clusters expand- ices and fi nance. A compact construc- ing into the former industrial and ware- tion style, similar to that of the inner city, house areas will be supported and inte- will spread, little by little, to wider areas grated into the new development areas. outside the current inner city. The major rail connections will run There will be a new metro connecting parallel to the coast to improve Helsin- Espoo to the west and linking up with ki’s geographical position both regional- Helsinki’s eastern metro. This will make ly and nationally and to bring the Helsinki it even easier for people to move around region closer to Saint Petersburg.

15 City-centre of Helsinki: Market Square and City Hall. Helsingin kaupungin kuvapankki/ Harald Raebiger

Key Policies: the development of the region. Dif- ferent types of housing solutions Business growth for different needs will be built ac- (29) A prosperous and vital region will cording to demand and taking into result in an increase in the number account the possibilities the region of inhabitants and jobs. Also the ci- will offer. ty centre of the Helsinki region will grow. City centre (33) The compact structure of the inner Helsinki’s City-centre city and its multi-dimensional core (30) The centre of Helsinki and the areas activities will create a comfortable, around it will offer competitive spa- finished and high-quality urban ences for business activities. vironment with excellent accessibi- (31) The attractiveness of the city centre lity. The city centre will create the will be preserved by taking care of conditions for the long-term place- its image and promoting the centre ment of specialised and informati- as the key to the Capital’s success. on-intensive business services in the area. Workforce (34) The city centre will continue to be (32) From the point of view of business the leading business location for the activity development, it will be im- city-region, incorporating the uni- portant that the housing shortage versities and other educational in- should not become a bottleneck for stitutes, the main artistic and cultu-

16 Vuosaari, next hi-tech goods harbour. Arkkitehtityöhuone Arto Palo Rossi Tikka Oy

ral life of the city, together with the on and will maintain its responsibili- (40) The new logistical corridors of rail busy urban lifestyle business brings ties in its role as key provider. and Ring Road III to the new high- to the centre. tech harbour to the east of Helsinki Technological development (in Vuosaari) will constitute the fra- Connectivity (38) Technological innovations will make mework of the goods maintenan- (35) Cross-traffic connections and the control of movement to become ce service hub for the metropolitan goods traffic will be key investment automated in the future. Such cont- area. targets. rol may have a significant impact on (41) Industrial buildings of architectural minimizing traffic jams, which in it- and historic heritage surplus to re- Spatial planning innovations self will have positive spatial effects quirements will be preserved and (36) Spatial planning is a major factor in – space will be used more com- used for alternative uses, such as determining the future of the new pactly. cultural purposes, as and when mo- development areas. Helsinki has an re of them are needed in the gro- advanced (by EU standards) spatial Work places wing region. planning system and all efforts will (39) One-dimensional residential areas (42) Business opportunities for growth be made to ensure that it continues will be avoided by building residen- near and around the city centre will to deliver in the future, to remain ces and business premises side by be promoted, and changes of use successful and to manage change side, particularly around public tran- and greater intensity of building in a pro-active, plan-led manner for sport interchanges. The constructi- floorspace will be considered posi- the whole of the city-region. on of large office areas will be rest- tively. (37) Helsinki will take into use new ricted. It is the intention to create partnership-based procedures in mixed areas of residential and com- construction and service producti- mercial to enable more vitality.

17 Business MAP: enlarging the Inner City and service clusters

E1 New inner city The area will be developed as an inner city and will be built in a sured and the conditions for the long-term location of special- compact and dense way. The mixed metropolitan uses will be ised companies and knowledge-intensive business services diverse and the environment will be of a high quality. (KIBS) in the area will be improved.

E2 Main city-centre E3 City-centre expansion area I: digital media Helsinki’s city centre will be strengthened and expanded and The special characteristics of the area as part of the main city- will act as the main centre of the city-region and the capital of centre extension will be the development of digital services Finland. In doing so, special consideration will be given to re- and educational and business activities for the artistic sectors. serving additional space for the growth of business activities. E4 The city centre will be retained as the main shopping and busi- City-centre expansion area II: medicine ness character and support the diversified educational, cultur- The special characteristic of the area as part of the main city- al, leisure and tourism services that are of national and inter- centre extension will be the specialisation in medical research, national importance. The accessibility of the centre will be en- teaching and business activities.

18 E5 City-centre expansion area III: financial capital Connecting City-Airport and city centre The special characteristic of the area as part of the main city- There will be a special need to maintain and develop the in- centre extension will be the specialisation in banking and fi- teraction between the international airport, the city-centre and nance. The area will become the “Wall Street” of Helsinki. the public transport network whilst the city-region continues to grow and the role of the region changes. E6 City-centre expansion area IV: science-art axis E12 The special characteristic of the area as part of the main city- Commercial harbour centre extension will be the specialisation in teaching, research The new commercial harbour of Vuosaari will be a centre of and business activities related to arts and natural sciences. goods transport and logistics activities. Its local impacts in the neighbouring area and in the areas near Ring III and oth- E7 East-West corridor er main roads will be of great significance to the development A new development corridor, consisting of the different areas of the city-region. around the metro, will be a priority. It will connect the eastern E13 and western parts of the city-region together. Labour availabil- Tourism ity will increase and the business activities will aim to become The tourist industry has significant possibilities to grow in the more diversified. city-centre area and to enhance the maritime image of the city.

E8 Technology zone E14 Area around Ring II The area will be developed as a technological cluster in which Conditions for the development of business activities in this teaching, research and business activities will support each area will be improved, and will be dependent upon the acces- other. sibility of the area and its location with respect to the centre of Helsinki and the international airport. E9 Small-scale industrial park A small-scale industrial park development, for which regional Railway zone accessibility by road and project flexibility will be the key em- The railway zone outside the new inner city will develop local phasis. traffic into urban traffic. This is a good area to build new office premises. The business activities will be diversified within the E10 Ring III zone railway zones that have a growing significance. Zone for business activities, services and logistics activities, and international corridor for goods traffic, which will enable Consumer-goods centre the large city-region periphery to maximise the accessibility of These areas are represented by a regional centre or equiva- the City-Airport and logistics harbour to their advantage. lent retail shopping centre. The services of these centres will be profiled in different directions. This way, they can special- E11 Business area around the airport ise and complement each other. Additional space will be re- The business area around the airport will take advantage of served for leisure activities. the proximity of the international airport as well as securing better connectivity to the most important business clusters of the region.

Urban Development Key areas of change

New Innovative University Campus in Helsinki

Helsinki–St.Petersburg–Tallinn Spatial Vision

21 Attractive Housing – Making the City liveable

22 Attractive housing – Making the City liveable

Diversifi ed housing relationship between the built city and Helsinki’s role will be to function not on- the maritime nature of Helsinki will be ly as the capital city but also as a strong realised. This signifi cant special charac- international centre worldwide. This re- teristic has not yet been fully exploited quires a different kind of metropolis that and that is why the future coastal are- meets Finnish conditions. In such a me- as to be built will be based around mar- tropolis, the urban identity of the differ- itime themes. ent city neighbourhoods will consist of In addition, more signifi cant devel- fostering local traditions and at the same opment objectives will be defi ned for time, supporting their continuous devel- the most important development are- opment. In order for Helsinki to remain as. In this way, the new districts will not competitive internationally the City has be in competition with each other and to manage change successfully yet take will form alternative residential environ- account of the historical identity of dis- ments, thereby contributing to a wider tricts undergoing change. selection of housing. The development The metropolis will be character- objectives are important, for example, ised by a multicultural society, which when preparing the urban design guide- sets the requirements for a diverse and lines for these areas. It is also possible to wide-range of housing on offer. The City attract specifi c investment to each of the will cater for a host of different groups, areas by offering different kinds of devel- namely, current residents, future resi- opment guidelines and marketing of the dents, commuters, tourists and other in- areas. Although apartments will be the ternational actors. The attractive char- most important housing solution in the acteristics of the different housing are- future, possibilities will also be created as will be an important factor when peo- for dense, urban single-family housing ple make decisions related to where they and housing solutions that meet special- want to live and, especially, when they needs housing. look for a residential environment that However, if the local benefi ts for supports their own identity and lifestyle. these new development areas are not In Helsinki, there is a new kind of suffi cient in themselves to attract invest- awareness that represents the improve- ment, new ideas will be required to be ment of the social space as spatial plan- considered, such as creating a new ar- ning target. For the development of the chitectural style which is characteristic of cityscape, ten general identities have an area in question and for which the ar- been profi led on the Housing map. Each ea will be known in the future. An exam- district is represented by their identifying ple of an identity strongly based upon ar- colours, profi les and development goals. chitectural design is the old Katajanokka The objective will be the positive differ- neighbourhood in the centre. Its Jugend entiation for each individual area. Profi l- style blocks, which were built at the being in particular, will focus on the new ginning of the 1900s, were not based up- development areas. on the repetition of local aspects. How- The starting points for these hous- ever, the area is nowadays best known ing identities will be the attractive en- for that reason. vironmental characteristics from the One of the future main challenges will point of view of housing. These are that be the development of regional coopera- they function securely, will have beau- tion. From the point of view of future de- tiful landscapes, will be architecturally velopment, it will be essential that the strong, and close to recreational areas, existing city borders decrease in impor- and have a socio-cultural mix. A unique tance. In the Helsinki region the aim will

23 be to support development clusters that partially extend beyond the city borders. These clusters, which will be based upon science, art and innovation, will be supported by the spatial planning process. It will be fundamental that housing solutions meet the requirements for all stake- holders in the new development areas to be built in the future in connection with the clusters.

Renaissance areas Neighbourhood identity will also be applied to the renovation and re-generation of existing neighbourhoods built mainly in the 1960’ and 70’s. Larger housing units will be built in neighbourhoods where there are a lot of small housing Key Policies: also be suitable for families with units. This will ensure that people will be children. This will include the type able to change their housing unit and/or Housing Quality and size of housing units to be ma- house type within an area according to (43) Investment growth and the trend to- de available as well as services, the different situations in life-style and life- wards smaller households will likely residential environment and its sa- cycle. The aim will be to renovate these increase the living space and impro- fety. areas in a socially sustainable way. The ve the level of housing. The need for (48) The City will take care of its elder- social environment (e.g. schools) will housing construction will never end ly and those in need of care. At the not change even if the housing unit will and the average size of the housing same time, the so-called “third age” be changed. The aim will be to target units to be built will need to be inc- means a new city user that will inc- these less well-off areas with new fi nan- reased. rease the versatility of the city. cial resources, thereby making them in- (44) Apartments will need to be more di- (49) Helsinki will develop its new hou- to stronger communities. Any stigma at- versifi ed in keeping with the variety sing taking into account the needs tached to the targeted ‘renaissance’ ar- of housing solutions on offer. The of students and young people. eas will be reduced through upgrading need for greater choice in accom- (50) Helsinki will improve the housing them to meet tomorrow’s standards and modation will need to improve sub- production of rental housing units. giving these areas a new vitality to match stantially if fl ats will be as compe- (51) Helsinki will develop new methods their new identities. titive an alternative to single-family for the construction of affordable Helsinki’s existing suburbs will require housing and terraces. housing and the minimizing of any to improve their attractiveness. This will negative effects deriving from the be done through integrating purpose- economic recession. ful development combined with bringing housing and workplace activity clos- Services er together. Their position within the re- (52) The availability of basic services gion will become more central in the fu- will be mainly ensured by maximi- ture and the role of the suburbs will be- sing the existing service structures. come less important. The areas will be In the new development areas, the harnessed to a new kind of local devel- aim being to ensure the high quali- opment (renaissance) that supports and ty and availability of basic services strengthens their vitality and attractive- will continue. Underutilised premi- ness. Complementary building will be an ses that are surplus to requirements essential activity. Malminkartano terraces can be put to new uses provided that the level of service provision is (45) The future emphasis on single-fami- not undermined. ly housing will be to create better (53) The aim of spatial planning in the fu- and more compact urban milieus. ture will be to strengthen the com- (46) The local design milieu will be taken munity spirit of city living. into account in the planning of new housing stock, the size of housing Leisure and culture units and housing policy overall. (54) Helsinki will aim to improve access (47) The new development areas will be to leisure and cultural facilities in re- planned in such a way that they will sidential areas.

24 Architectural Heritage and Conservation them more compact in order that Safety and Security (55) Helsinki’s own identity originates they will strengthen their vitality (65) The principles governing the devel- from the variety of ages and styles and offer greater diversifi cation in opment of the city will be safety and in its neighbourhoods. Each area is the housing stock. security for all. different in its own way and contri- (59) Within the modernisation of the su- butes liveliness to the overall func- burbs, all vacant and surplus land Nature tioning of the city. The city environ- will be taken into active use, and in (66) Helsinki will maintain and develop ment will be encouraged to conti- particular, for the construction of the city-region’s ecological corri- nue to create different architectu- new housing units. dors. ral and design characteristics for its (67) Nuuksio and Sipoonkorpi are the new neighbourhoods, and in doing Social Justice closest large outdoor and natural so, will assist residents to settle (60) In land use development, the ae- areas to Helsinki and are among the down and make their roots in the sthetic, social, operational and most important nature areas which city. technical points of view will aim to will be protected for the benefi t of complement one other. the city-region as a whole. New Urban Renaissance Project (61) Public urban spaces will be open to (68) Experiencing a comfortable and (56) The protection of buildings and en- the general public throughout the beautiful environment in the city- vironments will not just be attri- city. region’s nature, parks and cultural buted to aesthetic factors but also (62) Segregation, i.e. negative social di- environments substantially affect their use, as the aim will be to ma- vision, is unknown in Finnish cities. the quality of life. In Helsinki, the ci- ke cultural environments serve as li- This principle will be adhered to in ty dwellers will be offered an envi- ving proof of history. all developments. ronment in which it is possible to (57) The architectural and historic buil- (63) The City will promote positive disc- lead a physically and mentally healt- ding heritage will be taken into ac- rimination where necessary in order hy life. count while developing the city in to achieve its overall aims and will order that a culturally rich and struc- do so at its own expense. Daughter of the Baltic: Maritime turally healthy environment will be (64) To achieve a high standard of urban development maintained. design through the control of deve- (69) The new development areas will lopment. This will improve the phy- mainly expand the inner city to- Infi ll Development sical and natural environment and wards the coast that will enable the (58) Spatial planning will take into ac- strengthen communities. By inves- shoreline to be opened up more for count new building opportunities ting in the environment will benefi t everybody to use. The maritime op- to modernise the older apartment the future development of the city- portunities will aim to benefi t and block neighbourhoods through app- region. It will also be important to improve the use of being in close lying higher densities and to make protect cultural and historic values proximity to the sea. in neighbourhoods.

Renaissance areas in Helsinki

25 Housing MAP: City Living – Regional identities

Housing Map

26 A1 Kuninkaankolmio A5 Communities along the main railway line Identity: regionalism as well as work, housing and different Identity: accessibility, “something for everybody” types of houses side by side Development: development of station districts and public Development: services beyond municipal borders, develop- spaces, history visible ment cooperation with Espoo and Vantaa, compact single- Fish Harbour - future development area family housing A6 Metropolis A2 Vanhankaupunginlahti Identity: urbanistic, media and culture services, industrial his- Identity: university chain, science and art, east section of cen- tory, ethnic diversity, food culture tral park, birds, reeds, rapids. Development: metropolis symbolism, loft housing, housing Development: connecting sectors to each other and mak- with a view ing the link whole by building a clear boundary with respect A7 to nature Piimäki-Leppävaara Identity: housing, studying and working strongly mixed to- A3 East-West corridor gether Identity: accessibility, metro, fifties and sixties neighbourhood Development: development cooperation with Espoo and housing development companies, merging of old and new Development: improving everyday life comfort, ensuring the A8 conditions for family housing, emphasising the best aspects of Southern coastal areas of Helsinki the fifties and sixties by renovating the areas Identity: opening to the Baltic Sea, railway connections, common symbols A4 Development area of the old Porvoo road Development: integration of harbour memories into new Identity: informality, small entrepreneurship, on the way to the ones, connections to the cities of the Baltic Sea city, roadside construction Development: roadside single-family housing, development cooperation with Vantaa

Fish Harbour: part of the new Metropolis identity for the Helsinki City-region. Arkkitehtitoimisto ALA Oy

27 Central Pasila – a new Central Business District of the future. Cino Zucchi Architetti-toimisto A9 Inner Helsinki structures will form a peculiar roofscape. The central location, Identity: display window to the world, shopping streets, em- the sea, the harbour and its connections to the past, such as pire, Jugend style, design, central campus, common symbols cranes, and the new housing solutions, such as townhouses, Development: diverse housing in the city centre, housing for will be used to build upon the image. visitors, fostering urban values Kruunuvuorenranta A10 Helsinki’s archipelago This area will be developed as a maritime district whose identi- Identity: villa gardens, boating, winter sports activities, nature ty will consist of urban, maritime and close-to-nature housing Development: maritime housing as well as the all-round recreational possibilities offered to the inhabitants of Helsinki. The marketing of the area will be based A11 Renaissance area of the suburbs upon different apartment housing and single-family housing The current housing offer in the areas will be diversified by in- solutions as well as maritime solutions such as floating house creasing the size and variety of the housing units. Also com- units. The wide views opening from the new neighbourhood to pletely new housing options will be built in the areas. The qual- the sea and the historical centre of Helsinki as well as the man- ity experienced in the urban space will be improved by means or culture and that housing will be right next to nature will be of purposeful development measures. an important factor in the creation of the image.

Fish Harbour, Konepaja Development objectives of significant construction Metropolis symbolism will be used in the development of the projects: area. The identity consists of industrial and labour history and the positive image factors of the neighbouring area of Kallio, Kuninkaankolmio, Helsinki-Malmi Airport, Northern Vuosaari which are, for example, urban life, tolerance and urbanity. The These areas will be developed for single-family houses that will area will be marketed as an area of cultural heritage in which be designed in an urban style, especially for the needs of fam- families, single persons, students, professionals and foreign- ilies with children. The objective will be to create a continuous ers live. The image will be created by multiform housing solu- urban structure and different public street and urban spac- tions such as housing with a view, lofts and separate housing es. The identity can be found in history and past construction enclaves. The coastal buildings reflect on the water surface and styles. The cityscape should be relaxed and colourful. ‘Helsink- give the image of a lively city. iness’ will be emphasised in profiling. However, so is the central location in the region and the proximity of recreational op- Central Pasila portunities. The identity of the area will consist of continuous movement and the location at an intersection of the railway network from Myllypuro, Roihupelto, Kivikko, Itäkeskus which there are fast connections to the other parts of the re- These areas will be diversified by building varied and comfort- gion. The area will be developed as a residential place in which able public spaces, large housing units, owner-occupied flats a dynamic, mobile and global way of life can be realised. Serv- and single-family housing. Good accessibility and green areas ice housing for active workers will be developed. as well as the metro and the abundance of sports services will be exploited in marketing. Viikinmäki The area will be developed into a hill city characterised by big Jätkäsaari, Hernesaari differences in altitude as well as bedrock and rocks used as A distinctive image is created for the area by means of new construction materials. The border between the built and non- construction styles typical of inner cities. Urban design themes built areas will be clearly defined. Different forms of hillside de- create continuity and the terraces above the roofline or other velopment will be recommended.

28 29 Dynamic Change in the Urban Landscape

30 Dynamic Change in the Urban Landscape

A Lively Cityscape fortress have adapted, despite their reg- The creation of a high quality urban envi- ularity, to the predominant ground struc- ronment together with the protection of ture and, by doing so, they have empha- the existing city landscape is one of the sised it. key challenges of metropolitan growth. The intensive cityscape places itself Urban planning traditions ensure that in the environment and local structure the city should be easily understood and in such a way that the built environment comprised of clearly identifi able places. and the free space form create a contin- In Finland, construction of cities has uous landscape. A cityscape full of in- traditionally been supported by nature tense experiences should be compact and landscape. Fringe areas have been and dense. The vitality of the cityscapes avoided and the most favourable envi- is strengthened by developing the built ronmental areas have been integrated in- and non-built urban space and exploit- to the city structure. Cities have created ing the valuable characteristics of the en- their own landscapes, employing the in- vironment. tersections between water, terrain and A cityscape profi le provides a point natural paths. The earliest centres of the of view on how the green areas of the metropolitan area, from a city landscape city are considered as elements integrat- point of view, are at the intersection of ed into the urban structure. Considering roads and waterways. The small-scale the landscape as a sculptural space dif- landscape typical of the region also infl u- fers from the current dominant practices ences the form of the built environment. of urban planning. For example, the grid plan of the inner In Finland, people have got used to city and the fortifi cations of Suomenlinna understanding that the cityscape con-

Eco-Viikki: a new ecological city landscape in Helsinki

31 Helsinki Green Structure: 38% of total land area

sists of buildings that have been built as tural-historical point of view. Improving the quality of the green a compact cluster and are surrounded The bay inlets are a valuable special network by unprocessed nature. The green are- characteristic of Helsinki’s cityscape and The green areas inside Ring I will be well- as of the city and the cultural environ- a visual relief in the increasingly compact cared for and a priority will be given to ments are, however, much more diverse urban structure. In terms of new devel- maintaining the high-quality parks. The environments for recreational activities, opment areas, each landscape will be special nature reserves will be preserved. sports and urban culture and offer hid- developed in a different way. The rela- This city area includes historical urban den possibilities to produce a genuine ur- tionship of the built environment, nature parks as well as modern parks of inter- ban space in Helsinki. and traffic with landscape will be differ- national quality, beach promenades and The natural areas protected by law ent in each maritime environment and other public outdoor spaces. create strict boundary conditions for ur- the different relationships complement In the immediate vicinity of the city, ban planning. The landscape values are each other. there is an area of recreational islands. at least as important in the urban envi- In the suburbs, it is more difficult to The level of care and service of the is- ronment. However, they cannot be pro- perceive the city-landscape because the lands and their ferry connections will be tected with equivalent means. The land- visual environment consists of elements improved. Helsinki will obtain closed mil- scape continuously changes in a built en- of different scale, shape and lines and itary islands that will be developed for vironment. In this way, the cityscapes ex- the landscape structure offers less of an recreational use respecting cultural his- tend beyond the administrative borders urban cityscape. Landscape planning tory. The conditions for boating, summer and are used to emphasise the special can be used to create and build easily activities, hiking and tourism will be im- characteristics of the city-region and the identifiable places and connections and, proved. need to develop areas as a whole. The on the other hand, can highlight more In the metropolitan area, the majori- characteristics and possibilities upon clearly the elements of the landscape ty of the residential areas are in the sub- which future development can be based within the cityscape. urbs. In these areas, the level of care and are identified in area profiling. Large cultural and natural environ- usage of the green areas will improve. In the landscape around the bays, the ments are located in the city-region and The possibilities to carry out sports and built environment bordering open space the aim of their development is to make outdoor activities are many and diverse. forms a strong contrast with the natural them usable by the city dwellers for di- The mutual relationship between the environments. The landscapes can easily verse outdoor and recreational activities built environment and the green areas be visualised and are extremely rich en- and to foster the multiform uses of na- will become clearer and the urban land- vironments from a development and culture and cultural-historical heritage. scape will look sharper.

32 Key Policies: City Landscape (70) The continuous cityscapes extend beyond the administrative borders. The special characteristics of the cityscapes will be emphasised and the areas will be developed as a whole. The characteristics, values and possibilities upon which development will be based will be identified in area profiling.

Green networks (71) Accessibility to the green city network and recreational areas of the city-region will be guaranteed. The- re will be sufficient recreation areas for all residents. The preservation of natural diversity and landscape culture will be a key feature of the Plan. (72) As the urban structure becomes more compact, greater emphasis than before will be placed on the quality of public outdoor areas. Green areas will be used in a more effective way and provide a clearer outline to the urban structure.

Areas of Change (73) Changing areas into housing will be recommended when it is financial- ly sensible for the community and when the political points of view related to both housing and business support the direction of development.

Traffic and Transport (74) Access to green networks and recreational areas will take into account the choice between different modes of transport, but in particular, preference will be given to wal- king and cycling and public transport. In doing so, the diversity of an area will be respected. (75) The importance of bicycle and pe- destrian traffic as a form of getting around the green areas will gain precedence over other forms of traffic.(76) An efficient public transport system, especially rail traffic, will continue to be emphasised in the choices of transportation system in the future. The new mixed areas for housing and workplaces will be addressed accordingly, with the aim being to direct traffic away from the strategic central areas.

33 MAP: Lively cityscape

V1 Inner-city V3 Suburbs The silhouette of the historical centre is a strongly identifying The cityscape consists of the sparse housing development factor in the landscape of the inner city. The new sea fronts projects of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s and traffic route land- will change the landscape that welcomes those who arrive by scapes that strongly differentiate them from one another. sea by extending the landscape of the inner city to the former V4 harbour areas. Single-family housing areas These areas contain valuable villas and single-family housing. V2 Outer edge of the inner city Closeness to nature, originality and peacefulness are the most The cityscape consists of, firstly, former industrial, logistics and qualitative factors. The stratification of the built environment office areas and, secondly, garden-like villa districts. The out- and its placement respecting the shapes of the ground give er edge of the inner city is becoming like the inner city and the form to the built environment and provide the principles for in- cityscape is becoming more harmonious. fill development.

34 V5 Recreational islands A developing zone increases recreational use and means of phasised in the cityscape by handling the riverscape and the communication, not forgetting the important ecological corri- borders of the blocks as well as by planning parks and improv- dor parallel to the coast. The landscape of the recreational is- ing connections. lands will be marked by the national park tradition of Helsin- M4 ki, military history and the landscape created by boating and Road to Vihti outdoor activities. The development target will be a representative of an urban workscape in which efficient construction is closely restricted V6 Outer archipelago by traffic routes and the transversal green corridors flow with The outer archipelago is a fragile core area of marine nature, their connections across the route. which will be respected. M5 Malmi V7 Broad natural landscape The area will be built as large landscape spaces around high- The Nuuksio National Park and Sipoonkorpi are core areas of quality green areas. forest nature. The Vantaa River creates the connections to the M6 cultural environment. Large and continuous outdoor and recre- Itäväylä motorway ation areas will be easily accessible through radial public trans- The Itäväylä motorway offers the possibility to exploit the aes- port and along the green corridors. thetics of transport in the cityscape by, for example, increasing the visibility of the metro and delimiting the motorway within M1 Bay city-landscape the urban structure in a stricter way. The strengths of the area Helsinki is growing and the city is built on the shores of the will be the high-quality residential environments and the con- Gulf of Finland. The objective will be to create a new cityscape nections to recreation areas. formed by buildings and bays in which the open space is mainly delimited by the clear border created by the buildings. Rec- M7 Viikki-Sipoonkorpi reational activities are an essential and visible part of the land- The green areas to the south and north of Ring I will be devel- scape. oped as parks that strengthen the regional identity of their en- M2 vironment. The connections between the parks will be region- Central park al recreational links. The aim of the park will be to connect the different sectors and merge them into the built environment. Intense experiences Built sea front and a tidy and groomed park-like look of the fringe areas are When arriving from the sea, the buildings, the shapes of the also objectives. The functional areas of the park will be devel- ground and the silhouette of the trees will emphasise the form oped as part of the districts that border it. of the city. An integrated cityscape will provide urban spaces in which the relationship between the built environment and the landscape and ground structure will be better defined. The objective of cityscape development will be to strengthen the vitality of the landscape and the built and non-built urban spaces and to exploit the valuable characteristics of the environment.

Töölönlahti bay future development, bringing the environment into the heart of the city. Arkkitehtityöhuone Arto Palo Rossi Tikka Oy

M3 Vantaa River valley The functionality and recreational value of the area will be improved. The objective will be to direct the focus of the districts that border the river towards the river valley. The significance Fish Harbour – a new development with an strong urban environment & easy of the river and cultural-historically valuable sites will be em- access to green areas. Arkkitehtitoimisto Davidsson Oy

35 Strategic Spatial Plan Implementation

36 Strategic Spatial Plan Implementation

All districts and neighbourhoods in Hel- the city’s shoreline, the question is how sinki will be developed in a purpose- the suburbs built after the war will be de- ful way. The city will always be going veloped in the future. through change. It can never be said that This new Strategic Spatial Plan offers the city is ´ready´. The construction of the platform for a more spatially cohe- new signifi cant development areas will sive city-regional development and the not mean that the other districts will be improved coordination of development forgotten. Equal precedence will be giv- programmes. en throughout the city to provide a spa- The Strategic Spatial Plan objectives tial balance. and policies aim to provide high quality The needs and requirements of the planning environment for the future city- city dwellers change in the course of region. The aim is to carry out these ob- time. The housing standards according jectives in practice. There may be some to the ideals of the past decades no long- discrepancies between the objectives; er meet future requirements. On the oth- nevertheless, the necessary coordination er hand, regionalisation of the city will will be carried out in the detailed devel- change the mutual relationships be- opment programmes and plans. tween Helsinki and the other city-region- Social, economic and environmental al municipalities. It is no longer suffi cient relationships come together in a set of to plan ‘the city’, but to look towards the maps spatial planning of the city-region. The city-region Strategic Spatial Plan In respect of the socio-economic re- represents the combination of the three lationships of the city-region, Helsinki, in ‘functional’ maps brought together into a terms of housing and job opportunities single plan. The plan specifi es the strate- represents the best kind available in Fin- gically important key issues affecting the land. Single-family housing areas of Hel- future development of Helsinki. sinki are being renewed and their status The key issues in respect of the imple- is high. If the resources of the city are di- mentation of the Strategic Spatial Plan rected to new high-quality districts along will be as follows:

Strategic Spatial Plan

Implementation Social, economic and environmental relationships come together in a set of maps

37 • Helsinki may have its own objectives • In Espoo and Vantaa, there are plans interests. Local expertise and dis- as well as sharing common objectives for the areas near the border with Hel- cussions with the different planning with the other municipalities of the sinki. The impacts of those plans ex- agencies will be needed. The Spa- metropolitan city-region. For exam- tend to both neighbouring municipali- tial Plan provides the basis for city-re- ple, the traffic and transport projects ties and have been taken into account gional programmes and for the defini- will be important from the point of in the Plan. tion of metropolitan objectives as well view of the vitality and competitive- • The Strategic Spatial Plan provides as of the agreements related to them. ness of Helsinki and the metropolitan the bases for the economic devel- • The development of the city aims to city-region. The Strategic Spatial Plan opment strategy related to city plans involve private, public partnership will offer the possibility to discuss the and real estate property policy as an projects. The Spatial Plan provides likely impacts and consequences of integrated plan-led spatial planning the grounds for such development the proposals. process. Additionally, it serves as well projects as well as providing the an- • The ongoing cooperation between as for the development, implementa- alytical framework and ´platform´ for fourteen municipalities within the Ad- tion and marketing of the implemen- their further development. visory Board of the Helsinki region tation proposals of the Plan. (LUHT cooperation) will take into ac- • Housing production and the imple- The overall objective of the Strategic count the policies of the Spatial Plan. mentation proposals of the Spatial Spatial Plan will be to complement the • The policies of the Plan pertain to a Plan aim to complement the LUH Master Plan 2002 currently in force. The wider area than the LUHT coopera- programme. Indeed, some of the key aim will be to work with both planning tion; in this respect, the Spatial Plan starting points of the Housing and tools in showing the future development will give the possibility to discuss the spatial strategy have been developed guidelines for the city-region. Further- requirements for the development of from this Strategic Spatial Plan. more, the Strategic Spatial Plan will pro- the wider metropolitan city-region. • The construction of the new devel- vide further debate in connection with • The cooperation in the area of the Hel- opment areas, the preparation of the the Master plan, which is a legally ap- sinki Metropolitan Area Council will City master plan, local master plans proved statutory plan by the City Coun- continue to be carried out using es- and detailed plans, the complemen- cil, as to whether or not it is still up to tablished methods. The Spatial Plan tary building activities and the imple- date with respect to land use control or gives the possibility to assess wheth- mentation of the other plans of the needs to be modified in the near future. er or not the cooperation needs to be City often require city-regional coor- expanded. dination to take account of various

ORGANISATION: From City to City-Region City of Helsinki Strategic Spatial Plan

Background Report: 'Four Books' Jan Olin and Future Scenarios Peik Salonen Sirkka Sädevirta 1. International Helsinki Elina Tuominen Satu Tarula (coordinator) Marketta Kännö Workgroup Coordination Maria Lindblom Pertti Kare Tero Santaoja Eija Kivilaakso Mari Siivola Markku Lahti Ilmari Tawaststjerna Timo Vuolanto

2. City Living: the conditions for a quality life City Planning Committee Seminar Rikhard Manninen (coordinator) 31.8–1.9. 2006 Kaarina Laakso The City Planning Committee held a Esko Lauronen seminar in the Autumn of 2006 to con- Jan Olin sider the key issues for the forthcoming Mari Siivola Spatial Plan, the results of which have Maria Lindblom been published in the Strategic Planning Tero Santaoja Division's report 2007:1 (in Finnish only). Sirkka Sädevirta Seija Narvi Jukka Tarkkala Strategic Spatial Plan: draft, statements and final proposal 3. Helsinki as the heart of the City-region Aimo Huhdanmäki (coordinator) Strategic Spatial Plan draft Douglas Gordon Timo Vuolanto (coordinator) Teemu Holopainen Douglas Gordon Kati Immonen Teemu Holopainen Jouni Kilpinen Aimo Huhdanmäki Marketta Kännö Jouni Kilpinen Matti Neuvonen Rikhard Manninen Peik Salonen Kaisa Rodriquez Ilmari Tawaststjerna Alpo Tani Elina Tuominen Statements from public and private 4. Regional Dimension authorities, third parties; Summary Jouni Kilpinen (coordinator) & Replies Aimo Huhdanmäki Timo Vuolanto (coordinator) Satu Tarula Douglas Gordon Rikhard Manninen Teemu Holopainen Risto Joensuu Aimo Huhdanmäki Teemu Holopainen Salla Kaaronen Sirpa Kolu Future Scenarios Rikhard Manninen Douglas Gordon (coordinator) Kaisa Rodriquez Jaakko Kaarala Anne Saastamoinen Esko Lauronen Tero Santaoja Mikko Marttila Anna-Maija Sohn Matti Neuvonen Alpo Tani Elina Tuominen

Coordination Group for Final Proposal to the City Planning Committee Timo Vuolanto (coordinator) Douglas Gordon Teemu Holopainen Aimo Huhdanmäki Rikhard Manninen Kaisa Rodriquez Alpo Tani

City Planning Committee The City of Helsinki's City Planning Com- mittee approved the Finnish version of the Strategic Spatial Plan on the 7th Feb- ruary, 2008.

Publications From City to City-Region background work, reasons and analysis: Helsinki City Planning Department Strategic Planning Division report 2007:1 (in Finnish only)

From City to City-Region draft report: Helsinki City Planning Department Stra- tegic Planning Division 2007:2 (in Finn- ish only)

From City to City-Region: The City of Hel- sinki Strategic Spatial Plan. Helsinki City Planning Department, Strategic Planning Division report 2008:4

40 Documentation Page

Authors English Edition: Douglas Gordon, Rikhard Manninen and Olavi Veltheim (see ’Organisation’ pages for original Finnish team members)

Title From City to City-region: City of Helsinki Strategic Spatial Plan

Series Title Helsinki City Planning Department publications

Series number 2009:8 Date September 2009

Pages 41 ISBN 978-952-223-495-7 (paperback) 978-952-223-496-4 (PDF)

Language...... ENG ISSN 0787-9024

Abstract The City of Helsinki’s Strategic Spatial Plan is a spatial development strategy for the city-region and consists of a set of development policies and spatial planning framework. It was approved in 2008.

It is prepared once per Council term, i.e. once every four years. The spatial plan analyses the future of the city-region and its development needs and presents a Vision of the city-region’s future principles of spatial development over the next three decades.

The new Strategic Spatial Plan guides the implementation of the Master Plan 2002. The City development plan, or Master Plan, was approved in 2003. The City Council approves the master plan as the basis for how the City will manage its development in the future and where new investment will be located.

The Strategic Spatial Plan and the Master plan form a part of the overall City’s development strategy. The strategic element acts as a broad guide and spatial framework for the master plan, which is a more detailed land-use specific plan.

‘From City to City-region’ contains policy statements which create the basis for Helsinki’s new spatial vision. For the first time in Helsinki’s history, the guiding principles for future development go beyond the city boundaries and take account of the region as a whole. The plan sets out the economic, social and environmental relationships and their impact physically upon metropolitan development for the next 30 years. The integrated relationships are set out in a series of policies grouped around key issues of business activities, housing, city-landscape and regional structure. These form the strategic spatial framework to guide future development.

The Spatial vision consists of key themes which are developed into a set of spa tial strategies. The spatial strategies then form a series of policies under each main heading of the key themes, which in turn form the physical demands of city-regional growth. These are defined by a series of maps representing the main strategic principles of development. The main map – the metropolitan city-region – is an integration of the most important elements of the spatial strategies. This map forms the basis of the principles to be applied in the development of the Helsinki Metropo- litan Area and contains the Key strategic issues as to how the City manages change in the future.

Keywords: HELSINKI, STRATEGIC SPATIAL PLAN, MASTER PLAN, CITY-REGION, BUSINESS, HOUSING, LANDSCAPE

41 Helsinki.City.Planning.Department.publications.2009:8

Published.2009:

2009:1. Kaupunkisuunnitteluviraston.. . . toimintasuunnitelma.2009–2011,..toimintasuunnitelma.2009..–2011,.. . Toiminnan.perusta.ja.keskeiset.. . . tehtävät 2009:2. Helsinki.Zoo.Ideas.Competition.–.. . Evaluation.Report 2009:3. Siltamäen.kontaktikaupunki 2009:4. Jätkäsaari.–.Asemakaavan.ja.. . . asemakaavan.muutoksen.selostus 2009:5. Lähiöprojektin.toimintakertomus.2008.. . –.Lähiöistä.kaupunginosiksi,.joissa.. . tapahtuu! 2009:6. Kuninkaantammi.–.Osayleiskaavan.. . selostus 2009:7. Liikenteen.sujuvuus.Helsingissä

ISSN.0787-9024 ISBN.978-952-223-495-7.(paperback)ISSN.0787-9024 ISBN.978-952-223-496-4.(PDF)ISBN.978-952-223-495-7.(paperback) ISBN.978-952-223-496-4.(PDF) Helsinki.City.Planning.Department.publications.2009:8