Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2011 | Page 56
Urban Makeover
For years now, the City of Turku
has been going through a selfimposed “fitness programme”
which is addressing many different sides of the community.
‘Better centre for people’
is an investment venture geared
towards providing downtown
Turku a nice beauty treatment.
In 2009, the upgrade of Vähätori (Minor Square) area was finalised, giving way to fresh city
environment where the focus in
on light traffic. Next up, there
was a high-profile competition
for light traffic bridge that will
link the core downtown cultural areas together.
The winner was finally
announced in December: engineering agency Pontek won
the contest with its subtle, statuesque Crescendo. The bridge
curves slightly in the shape of
an ‘S’, taking its cue from the
River Aura itself. The jury of
the race commended the winning entry for its “soft geometry” which plays well with the
flow of the river.
“There is also a light system under the bridge, with lights
reflecting back from the surface
of the water. This should really
be something to see, especial-
ly during dark,” says City architect Mika Rajala who was a
member of the jury along with
Jouko Turto.
The city plan already has
a site reservation for the bridge,
and it should be confirmed by
the summer. The documents for
construction ought to be ready
by the end of the year.
“In 2012 we will start
building the bridge,” Turto believes.
Softer Touch
After Vähätori and Crescendo,
next in line for development
is Vanha Suurtori (Old Grand
Square). The idea here is to
make the square more inviting
by adding some trees and greenery and polishing up the neighbourhood. Here, too, preference
is given to light traffic and solutions that fit well into the environment.
Yet another target for development is Linnanfältti which
promises to showcase plenty of
ambitious Finnish wood construction. In fact, the Linnanfältti area is one of the national
pilots in the wood construction
promotion programme. The City
wants to realise a high-quality
residential area in the vicinity
of the legendary Turku Castle:
a neighbourhood that is visually appealing and fully conscious
of history and tradition. A planning competition was utilised to
stir up inspiration and imagination a couple of years ago, and
now the City is just waiting for
the right time to move forward
with the project.
Beyond strictly urban
planning, Turku is also launching an ambitious [