European Plan
Marja Piimies, Master Plan Architect, Head of Master Plan Unit, comments that the new city plan is very much in tune with present European and global city development:
“ The city plan emphasises the kind of a sustainable city that is becoming the standard internationally,” Piimies says.
The other key issue is safeguarding growth: Helsinki wants to welcome new residents and new companies( and to make sure they enjoy themselves).“ Growth is the starting point for everything else,” she says, adding that proper“ urban framework” for growth is a big priority, also in the eyes of international investors.
30 Nordicum
The solutions of the city plan are based on a vision of Helsinki as a modern“ network city”. According to this Vision 2050, Helsinki will be a decidedly international city, and the robust urban centre of the metropolitan area. Urban life is born out of encounters between people, for which the city offers spaces and opportunities. In the Helsinki-tobe, the city and urban space are given much more weight.
Ride the Rails
The targeted urban structure model revolves around extensive rail transport network. All parts of the city have become more compact by 2050 – but, especially, this development will hit the areas around rail transport stations, junctions and important stops. Suburban centres of today will have become urban centres. These compact, urban conglomerations of services, jobs and housing feature a variety of functions.
According to the Vision 2050, the dynamic rail network will generate also new centres in the years and decades to come. This network city has both regional and international dimensions: in addition to being the number one city in the region, Helsinki is also a part of the network of major European cities.
The network city will rely on commuter trains and the metro to offer fast rail connections between the central areas and