West of downtown Helsinki, Jätkäsaari — once a cargo port — is being transformed over two decades into a ‘maritime urban center’ combining housing, offices, and waterfront parks. The twin chimneys of the neighboring Salmisaari power plant stand guard at the entrance.
Streets are narrow and most parking is hidden underground. The tram is the center of daily life, and high-density mixed-use housing with ground-floor retail lines the streets.
The Saukonlaituri artificial canal cuts through the heart of the district. Modern housing lines both banks, and stepped revetments with timber decking draw the sea into the city as a central public space.
Crusellsilta, a cable-stayed bridge, links the district to downtown. A residential boulevard carrying the tram runs through the new town.
The backbone of the new town is Hyväntoivonpuisto, a central linear park running between the housing blocks. About one-fifth of the total area is set aside as park and green space, with a blue-paved bicycle and pedestrian axis running through its center.
What sets it apart from Korean land development is that schools, daycare centers, parks, and the tram all arrived together from the start, completing the 'living area' first.
The edge of the new town meets the still-operating former West Harbour. Red-brick warehouses and port cranes form the 'front line' of regeneration.
| Category | Jätkäsaari | Seoul/Korea equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Background | Regeneration of a former idle cargo port site | Yongsan Rail Yard, North Port, Magok |
| Transport | Tram, bicycle, and pedestrian priority | Rail-centered, with continued emphasis on car access |
| Public space | Central linear park placed first | Tendency to convert leftover land into parks after buildings are placed |
| Development approach | Public-led, phased development over 20 years | Tendency toward short-term, large-scale land development |
Like Korea, Jätkäsaari converts a large idle site into a mixed-use urban district, but rather than starting from 'how much to build,' it first decided 'what kind of city to make.' The public sector first sets the streets, parks, blocks, and building heights, and private developers build within that framework.
Placing the central linear park (Green Spine) first and turning the waterfront into living space offers an important reference for realizing a public-space-centered urban form, pedestrian priority, and phased development in Seoul's Yongsan International Business District, Han River waterfront, and Seongsu regeneration projects.