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 [