Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2012 | Page 13

is convinced that the nomination of Helsinki as the World
Design Capital 2012, with its focus on service design, is an
honour well deserved:
“Helsinki is a forerunner in service design and this special year provides a great opportunity to showcase to the
world what innovations can emerge from this field.”
Worthington is especially taken by the atmosphere of
downtown Helsinki – there are many young, international, talented people residing in the artsy districts of the city,
and this bodes well for the urban development of the pocket-size metropolis.
“There is a certain creative buzz, whether you’re talking about Kaapelitehdas or Kamppi or some other downtown neighbourhood. I’m always very impressed with Helsinki every time I visit there.”

Connectivity Perfected
Kamppi, for one, is a textbook example of how logistics
and retail join forces to create something great. Worthington points out that the Kamppi Centre is a success story, because it is a true place – the people make it happen, every day.
“We can build districts quickly, making them dynamic,
enjoyable places takes far longer,” he says. In Worthington’s
mind, a place is organic – it keeps growing, adapting. The urban environment is driven onwards by hotspots of activity.
The funny thing with urban planning is that sometimes
the best laid plans of consultants go awry, and the citizens do
something unexpected instead. Worthington says that there
is no point in trying to predict the future, but it is wise to
recognise the various stakeholders that hold power in urban
communities.
“It takes proactive, responsible people to make a place
– people who are passionate about the community they are
living in,” Worthington says, adding that a lot of the time
too much attention is given to the nay-sayers, nimbys who
are against something or everything, while there are citizens
who are very much saying “yes”.

Vertical Dreams
Looking beyond downtown, Worthington observes good
things taking place in various locations. While the metroline reaches to Espoo in the west and the Ring Rail Line heads
north for the Airport, connectivity is clearly on the rise. Also on the rise are the buildings, it seems: there are about 50
high-rise construction projects at least in the planning phase
in Helsinki right now.
Worthington is a noted expert also on the subject of
skyscrapers, having e.g. advised on the high building strategies for the cities of Rotterdam and Dublin. In his opinion,
Helsinki should look into high-rise construction – but do it
only with utmost care.
“The most important question here is, why do you want
it?” he says, running down the usual reasons. Some cities
feel that a skyscraper would give the community some sense
of identity, some view it as an urban marker. Then there are
those who speak of compact city structure and added density, and those who feel tall buildings could give a boost to
the residential side.
“In Helsinki, the danger lies in making towers that are
too tall or bulky, dominating their environment. High densities can be achieved with 8-10 storeys, retaining the excitement of street life with more space on the top for distinctive
penthouse floors and memorable skyscapes.”
Sami J. Anteroinen