Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2011 | Page 29

Imagine All the
People
Development of creative neighbourhoods – or entire creative
cities, even – is a trend which
has really taken off in Western
countries. Such cities as Sydney, Toronto and Barcelona
have invested a lot of resources
in their quest for a more imaginative community. In Toronto,
for instance, the plan revolves
around zoning and infrastructure which allows for e.g. more
pedestrian areas.
‘Imagine a Toronto’ strategy seems to be working, too –
even Richard Florida, the father
of Creative Class, has chosen
the Canadian city as his home.
In a 2007 NORDICUM interview, Professor Florida found
many similarities between Toronto and Helsinki, applauding
the Finnish capital for a number of things – ranging from the
nightlife to the safe streets. Florida also credited Finnish architecture and design for their extremely high quality – which
goes a long way in creating a
stimulating environment for the
bourgeois bohemian.
High-profile architect and
master strategist Daniel Libeskind echoed the same sentiments in this issue’s interview.
But while Florida had no knowl-

edge of the plan to turn former
harbour and industrial areas for
creative class havens, Libeskind
has been following the waterfront renaissance with growing
interest.
According to Libeskind,
architecture does have a very
big role in the making of new
type of creative communities.
He also recognises that the seaside sites have a certain tradition and legacy to uphold. Yet,
he warned against relying on
nostalgia alone – he would like
to see bold architectural concepts and solutions which introduce totally new kind of energy to the mix.

Keeping It Real
According to one of Florida’s
mantras, the Creative Class requires authenticity from its environment. The creative types
shun copycat construction and
standard solutions. Massive office complexes or conference
centres are often conceived to
lack personality, and the talent
flock to neighbourhoods that
have a certain type of vibe or
aura.
In Helsinki, there is a lot of
untapped potential in loft construction. Taking former industrial buildings and turning them
into spacious loft apartments is,

of course, reminiscent of New
York’s SoHo or the Meatpacking District. In Helsinki, such
areas as Vattuniemi, Pitäjänmäki, Herttoniemi and Vallila
offer intriguing possibilities in
this arena.
Of these four, Vallila occupies the strongest position – taking into consideration that the
intense development phase of
the neighbouring Pasila is likely to push also Vallila into higher gear.
Helsinki is not the only metropolitan area player attempting to lure in legions of
creative people through inspiring environments. Espoo is trying its hand in seaside high-rise
residential apartments and also
building an ambitious “Community 2.0” in Suurpelto. Vantaa woos bobos with green-edge
construction in Marja-Vantaa.
Florida’s theories are wellread also outside the capital region, with such cities as Tampere and Turku honing their own
concepts for ideal living. Both
cities have a strong waterfront
identity and a proud industrial
past which offer plenty of imaginative building blocks for ambitious planners.

Culture Vulture
Rising
Internationally, one of the lat-

est trends in this arena is cultural construction which has been
spearheaded by such American cities as Boston and Baltimore. This type of a “culture oasis” can feature boardwalks or
pedestrian boulevards, cultural
centres, night clubs and other
concert venues and all-around
rich event offering. However,
this concept has been criticised
for benefiting constructors more
than the actual culture producers
– and, eventually, pleasing tourists more than natives.
In Europe, it has been noted that even a single operator
can transform the profile of the
area – Bilbao’s Guggenheim
Museum is probably the most
cited example of this. Also London’s Southwark has benefited a
great deal from Tate Modern art
museum, and Dublin has an entire “bohemian quarter” in Temple Bar.
What is the next step in the
evolution of the creative community? Another Toronto-based
guru, Mark Kuznicki, is guessing that Open Creative Community is the way of the future. These hybrids of physical
and virtual space combine both
global and local aspects.
There is a message there,
too: even the most fervent social
media user can not actually live
in Facebook. b

Photo: City of Helsinki

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