Plans have been drafted to cover a section of the downtown Helsinki street Mikonkatu between Aleksanterinkatu and Pohjoisesplanadi with a glass roof. Once the covered space is heated, year-round use of street cafés and restaurant terraces can be introduced.
The idea of a glass roof was put forward by the adjacent Kämp Galleria shopping centre, and the Helsinki City Planning Department and the city leaders have embraced it.
"In the future the downtown city blocks can become houses with streets within. Each covered block will have a story and a flavour of its own", enthuses Tuomas Rajajärvi, head of the City Planning Department.
The costs of the project will be borne by the properties along the covered street section.
The notion of making central Helsinki more interesting and welcoming to people is aimed as an antidote to the plans to erect adventure and entertainment attractions of various kinds in the neighbouring cities of Espoo and Vantaa.
"The competition is fierce and we must hurry", admits Mayor of Helsinki Jussi Pajunen.
Even though Helsinki lacks a medieval city centre of the sort found in Tallinn or in Stockholm's Gamla Stan, its downtown city squares still have the potential to be transformed into a cosy and yet internationally interesting street milieu, claims Helsinki business development director Eero Holstila.
"It just takes a lot of hard work", Holstila emphasises.
