The ABCs of Urban Maintenance The ABCs of Urban Maintenance 1 The ABCs of Urban Maintenance Preface The Tallinn Environment Department has consolidated all the information on urban maintenance in a brochure on “The ABCs of Urban Maintenance”. It addresses aspects like landscaping, gardening, playgrounds and cemeteries, outlines the rules for sorting waste, offers useful information for property and pet owners, and provides guidelines for handling birds and wild animals who either live in the city or happen to wander there. The last section of the brochure advises you who to contact with any issues related to urban maintenance. 3 The ABCs of Urban Maintenance Urban environment Landscaping One of the ideas of green areas is to offer Please contact the local City District Gov- citizens recreational opportunities, includ- ernment or the Tallinn Environment Depart- ing the chance to spend time in the open air. ment to inform about rotten trees or snags Urban landscaping like parks and boule- on municipal land or for other landscaping vards and flower beds, pots and towers are issues (see page 34). Please call the city considered self-evident and people don’t helpline at 1345 or the Tallinn Municipal think much about their value, development Police Department at 14 410 to inform of or maintenance. illegal cutting or acts of vandalism (steal- ing of flowers, breaking of tree branches or Everyone can help keep green areas in good shrubs). condition, for instance by not parking their cars or stacking construction materials right next to trees as doing so would compact the Urban gardening soil and compress tree roots, making it dif- ficult for trees to draw water and air from Growing food in urban environments is the soil and possibly causing them to die. increasingly popular. There are produc- See “Tree care and cutting” in “For property tive community gardens in Tallinn (Laagna owners” for information on how to assess Garden) and Tartu (Emajõe Garden), and the condition of trees (page 20). schools and nurseries have beds for vege- tables or spices prepared jointly by teachers Planting trees and shrubs in public areas and students. or other landscaping activities must be approved by the property owner, the entity Even though only a fraction of city residents in control of the land (Municipal Engineer- benefit directly from urban gardening, this ing Services Department), the City District trend has a positive affect on the entire city. Government, and the Tallinn Environment Benefits of urban gardening: Department. This should ensure the imple- • Promotes environmental mentation of common design principles and awareness and green thinking optimal growing conditions for the plants. • Provides an educational Planting in public areas should be planned learning environment and landscaping projects prepared accord- • Fosters health and active lifestyles ing to the rules for planting trees in public • Diversifies public urban spaces areas which set out the quality requirements • Promotes joint efforts, neighbourly for plants and planting and contain a list of relations and sense of community recommended plants. Further, said rules provide useful information about species Enthusiastic citizens, apartment associ- suitable for urban environments and estab- ations and real estate developers can all lishing optimal growth conditions for trees. contribute to the development of urban gar- 4 5 The ABCs of Urban Maintenance dening. You could plant more fruit trees and • Põhjala Community Garden on the ter- The Tallinn Environment Department is on playgrounds. Please report any acts of berry bushes and edible plants (like resilient ritory of the former rubber boot factory responsible for maintaining the good con- vandalism by calling either the police or the yet decorative kales and beets, flowering (lead developer MTÜ Põhjala tehas) dition of public playground equipment city helpline at 1345. Together we can make herbs like marigold, or spices) besides dec- • Pelgu Community Garden in Northern whereas City District Governments (con- sure that our playgrounds remain safe for orative plants around your apartment build- Tallinn between Puhangu Street and tact particulars at the end of the brochure) children. ing or house. Before doing so you should Ehte Street where the high-voltage are responsible for property maintenance consult with other residents of the building power lines will be placed under the and the apartment association to develop ground (lead developer City of Tallinn) a comprehensive solution and put in place • Community Garden on the territo- rules for maintaining such gardens. You can ry of the former Children’s Stadium set up a small urban garden on your balcony behind the so-called “super-minis- Building of fires and grilling or windowsill too. try” (lead developer City of Tallinn) Plus, enthusiastic gardeners can grow For further information on urban garden- In Tallinn, building of fires and grilling food Grilling is permitted at a safe distance from plants in community gardens. Currently ing possibilities and grants please con- in public is only permitted on bonfire sites buildings, open premises where combus- the Laagna Garden in Lasnamäe, Tallinn, is tact Project Manager for Urban Gardening set up and marked as such by the city. Said tible materials are held, forests, dry vege- waiting for new urban gardeners (Võru tn Maria Derlõš at the Tallinn Environment sites are located on Stroomi and Pikakari tation and other flammable materials. For 11). Five other community gardens are being Department: [email protected], beaches, near the Narva mnt bridge on the example, safe distance is at least 5m if planned where you can join the develop- phone: 5333 3649. We are open to ideas banks of River Pirita in Lasnamäe, in the wood is burned in an open fire to make coal ment team already today: and proposals concerning the locations and Sütiste woods in Mustamäe, and on Aegna and at least 2m if charcoal is used. A coal or • Priisle Community Garden in Lasnamäe development of new community gardens. island. The locations of bonfire sites can be gas grill may only be used outdoors and it set up as part of the new Priisle Park found online at kaart.tallinn.ee by selecting must be placed on an even surface. Grilling (lead developer MTÜ Lasnaidee) You are welcome to join the public Facebook the map layer “Camp fire sites”. on beaches is permitted in designated and • Mustamäe Garden in the yard of group „Söödav linn TLN“ (“Edible City Tal- marked locations. Grilling in parks and other Mustamäe Open Youth Centre linn”) set up to expand the network of urban Elsewhere, bonfires may only be built with public places or on the balconies of apart- (lead developer MTÜ Must Mägi) gardening and share ideas and experience: a permit from the Tallinn Environment ment buildings is prohibited. facebook.com/groups/soodavlinn. Department. To obtain such permit a free- form request must be filed with the Tallinn Wind direction must be taken into account Environment Board by either regular or when building bonfires or grilling as the electronic mail. The request must contain smoke must not disturb people nearby. your contact details, the period when you Also, note information on fire hazard (see Public playgrounds intend to build a bonfire and a map indicat- ilmateenistus.ee). Only non-impregnated ing its location. The permit is usually issued wood may be burned whereas the use of in electronic format. That processing the tree leaves or waste is prohibited. A network of modernised playgrounds is proposals and reports about playgrounds to request may take up to 14 days from the essential to a contemporary living environ- the Environment Department through this date of its submission, however, we will Legislation that governs the building of fires ment promoting public health and the safe website. issue the permit as soon as possible if the and grilling: “Requirements for work involv- development of children. Tallinn has 295 request has been drawn up correctly. ing an open flame”, “Requirements for build- public playgrounds; others are either pri- Playground equipment is intended for chil- ing fires and grilling outside of a fireplace”, vately owned or located on the premises of dren and youngsters across various age You do not need to apply for a permit if and “Urban maintenance rules of the City of schools or nurseries. For more information groups which is why you should make sure the bonfire is made on private land or on Tallinn”. please visit tallinn.ee/manguvaljakud. that they are suitable for particular users designated and marked bonfire sites on so as to avoid damaging the equipment. Stroomi and Pikakari beaches, in Lasnamäe For more information please visit Public playgrounds are listed online at Please call 5770 3000, send an e-mail to or Mustamäe or on Aegna island. tallinn.ee/lokke-tegemise-luba or manguvaljakud.tallinn.ee along with their [email protected] or call the city help- call the city helpline at 1345. locations on the map as well as photos and line at 1345 to report broken playground any general information. You can submit any equipment. 6 7 The ABCs of Urban Maintenance • damaging buildings, gates, fences, Any work to be done at cemeteries, except water outlets, burial places, for maintenance carried out by burial plot grave markers or fences users, must be authorised by the munici- • driving or parking a motorised pal agency Tallinn Cemeteries. For works vehicle without the permission that alter the appearance of cemeteries you of the cemetery administrator need a design project approved by the Her- • making a fire, burning garbage itage Conservation Division of the Tallinn • walking an unleashed pet, allowing Urban Planning Department and the Tallinn pets on burial plots, leaving pet Environment Department droppings on the ground The offices ofSiselinna, Metsakalmistu You need to sign a contract with the ceme- and Hiiu-Rahu cemeteries are open Mon- tery administrator to use a burial plot.