Urban planning: Katajanokka deserves plans worthy of it

Katajanokka deserves plans worthy of its historic and scenic character, not oversized projects justified by repeated talk of “vitality,” architect Riitta Soininen writes in an opinion piece published by Helsingin Sanomat.

Soininen argues that draft plans for Katajanokka's western and southern shores and its port area do not meet the legal standards expected of construction. New buildings should fit the existing urban environment and landscape, respect architectural quality and proportion, avoid harming neighbors, and protect natural, cultural and recreational values.

She also criticizes the public consultation process. Residents, she says, have not received enough information or opportunities to participate. Holding the presentation and comment period around Midsummer appears, in her view, to have minimized public involvement.

The proposed eastward expansion of the ferry terminal would create major problems, Soininen writes: traffic and parking pressures, noise, fine-particle emissions and damage to views across Katajanokka's valuable seascape and cityscape. It would also destroy the visual axis from the Uspenski Cathedral toward the sea. Ferry terminals in Stockholm and Tallinn have traditionally been placed farther from residential areas, she notes, and Helsinki should follow that approach. She proposes a park for Katajanokka's southern tip instead.

Soininen also says the temporary Allas Pool building does not suit its valuable surroundings and that loud rock concerts cause residential and environmental harm. The port and its buildings should remain on the historic western shore rather than expand eastward into the residential district. Investors and the Port of Helsinki, she concludes, should not determine Helsinki's cityscape. Planning should proceed democratically, taking the views and interests of all parties into account.