Helsinki at a historic juncture Helsinki has entered the biggest
construction boom in the city’s history, following the move of
former freight port operations away from central city sites to a
new harbour in Vuosaari in eastern Helsinki. The move has
vacated large areas for redevelopment to include housing,
services and commerce. The new development will create compact
city sections. The development is carried out on the “mixed-use
principle” – jobs are mixed with many types of housing for
different income groups, to avoid segregation along income lines
and long commutes. Helsinki seeks to strengthen the city’s
concentrations of excellence in arts and sciences by creating
specialized districts, such as Viikki built around the
University of Helsinki’s biosciences departments and Finland’s
largest biosciences concentration. City planning plays a crucial
role as Helsinki redefines its future. City according to plan
City planning has traditionally been a strong force in the
development of Helsinki. As early as 18