Density without Delight: Vermonniitty’s Lessons for Urban Planners
From Rurban to Urban | Reinventing the Finnish City
by Timo H.
8M ago
The metamorphosis of suburban landscapes has lit up debates in Finland’s urban centers. Continuing urbanization, evolving lifestyles, and the growing appetite for sustainability have steered cities to rapidly open parcels of the ample space the ‘burbs offer as new construction land. Over the past decade, as construction volume has steadily increased to accommodate the burgeoning urban population, areas ranging from transit station surroundings to pockets of brownfield, grayfield, and greenfield sites have emerged as prime hotspots for housing projects. And it hasn’t happened without turmoil. P ..read more
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What Is the Future for Helsinki’s ‘Mini Deserts’?
From Rurban to Urban | Reinventing the Finnish City
by Timo H.
11M ago
The pandemic years have been fruitful times for public spaces in cities across Finland. People have spent more time enjoying their local parks, cities have allowed large new terraces on city squares, and more on-street parking has been allocated for people-friendly use than ever before. Another enjoyable development was to see a small beer garden breathe life into the odd and always empty corner of Karhupuisto, one of my neighborhood parks. Normally, you’d find a triangular gravel field at the corner that is empty for around 90 percent of the time—a kind of miniature desert in the middle of th ..read more
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Seven Takeaways from the Urban Future Conference
From Rurban to Urban | Reinventing the Finnish City
by Timo H.
11M ago
After two years of webinars and online meetings, 2022 is building up to be the year of reconnecting in 3D. In early June, I joined in on the fun and participated in the Urban Future Conference, which staged their comeback in Helsingborg, Sweden. An extra pull to attend was that the urbanist rally coincided with the citywide H22 Expo showcasing Helsingborg’s achievements in sustainable urban development. The experience of exchanging ideas with fellow urbanites was such a treat that I decided to write a conference edition of my rarely—but occasionally—appearing “lessons from” blog series. Here a ..read more
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Collaborative learning and an updated toolbox: two ideas for cities to make a U-turn on car-centric planning
From Rurban to Urban | Reinventing the Finnish City
by Timo H.
11M ago
Helsinki’s feistiest urban policy debate in a while occurred last fall when the city’s councilors were faced with the question of whether or not to clear the way for the 1.6 kilometer, €180 million Sörnäinen car tunnel. The project seeks to make it easier for drivers to bypass the center of Kalasatama, a developing district on the eastern edge of the inner city. Its proponents argued that the tunnel was needed because it would grant more space for a planned tram line and calm traffic in the heart of the district. Of course, the tunnel would, as an additional bonus, also facilitate car traffic ..read more
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The Rise of the Parklet
From Rurban to Urban | Reinventing the Finnish City
by Timo H.
11M ago
The provided momentum for rethinking how to make more room for public life in our public spaces and streets is one of the few positive impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. The grandiose experiments to transform iconic squares, like Helsinki’s Senate Square, into vast pop-up terraces have hardly gone unnoticed by anyone. The interventions have quickly turned often-empty plazas into places where there are constantly people about to socialize, dine, and enjoy life. The conversion of on-street parking spaces into outdoor seating areas for bars and restaurants – the spread of parklets – has, in co ..read more
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Inspiration for a “15-Minute City” Action Plan
From Rurban to Urban | Reinventing the Finnish City
by Timo H.
11M ago
A possible legacy of the coronavirus pandemic is the accelerated advancement of sustainability goals, which are mostly things we should have been addressing before the ongoing societal disruptions. One chapter in this story is increasing interest in the “15-minute city” or “neighborhood” as the next urban development agenda. This idea hit the headlines after the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, made it part of her re-election campaign in early 2020. Since then, policymakers and experts in a growing number of countries, Finland included, have started to explore the potential of the concept as a st ..read more
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Kallion noutolounaat – Take-Out Lunch Options in Kallio
From Rurban to Urban | Reinventing the Finnish City
by Timo H.
11M ago
Koronaviruksen aiheuttaman poikkeustilan takia moni viettää nyt aikaansa pääasiassa kotona. Niin teen minäkin. Näinä sosiaalista etäisyyttä täynnä olevien päivien yhtenä ilonpilkkuna on toiminut mahdollisuus pitää tauko etäpuurtamisesta ja rientää noutamaan lounasta jostain lukuisista lähiravintoloista. Samalla tulee hieman sosialisoitua ja tietysti tuettua paikallisia yrittäjiä, joiden ahdingon suuruutta en ala edes arvailla. Mitä kauemmin poikkeusolot ovat jatkuneet ja enemmän palveluja koskevia määräyksiä on tiukennettu, sitä useampi noutoruokaa tarjoava ravintola on päätynyt sulkemaan oven ..read more
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The Power of DIY Urbanism: How a Group of Skateboarders Changed the City
From Rurban to Urban | Reinventing the Finnish City
by Timo H.
11M ago
There’s a lot of talk nowadays (this blog included) about how bottom up movements have become more important in shaping and solving problems of the 21st century city. The drivers behind the trend include the rise of the internet and social media: It has become very easy to mobilize people around any issue. In addition, access to information has been democratized, making top-down governance models seem outdated and inefficient in their responses to today’s urban challenges. People are taking the initiative to improve their surroundings themselves. While we’re experiencing all kinds of fascinati ..read more
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Tervetuloa kierrokselle tulevaisuuden Kallion “Luuppia” pitkin
From Rurban to Urban | Reinventing the Finnish City
by Timo H.
1y ago
Esittelin viime vuonna vision tehdä rakastamastani Kallion alueesta aiempaakin mukavamman paikan asua. Poikkeusaikojen puristuksessa kirkastui ajatus muokata alueen vilkkaimmat kadut Porthaninkatu, Fleminginkatu, Vaasankatu ja Hämeentie sekä niiden väliset aukiot selkeämmin kaikille avoimiksi kaupunkitiloiksi. Kävely- ja ihmisystävällisempinä kaduista ja aukioista muodostuisi rengasmainen vyöhyke, jolla olisi valtava potentiaali toimia ihmisiä ja kaupunkikulttuuria yhteen tuovana valtasuonena. Alue kattaisi useita asioinnin ja arkiliikkumisen kannalta tärkeitä kadunpätkiä. Tämän lisäksi se ky ..read more
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What Is the Future for Helsinki’s ‘Mini Deserts’?
From Rurban to Urban | Reinventing the Finnish City
by Timo H.
1y ago
The pandemic years have been fruitful times for public spaces in cities across Finland. People have spent more time enjoying their local parks, cities have allowed large new terraces on city squares, and more on-street parking has been allocated for people-friendly use than ever before. Another enjoyable development was to see a small beer garden breathe life into the odd and always empty corner of Karhupuisto, one of my neighborhood parks. Normally, you’d find a triangular gravel field at the corner that is empty for around 90 percent of the time—a kind of miniature desert in the middle of th ..read more
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