This afternoon the family and I went to grab a coffee at a little cafe that has taken up summer residence in a mansion that was used as the head office of a paper factory. It is a few kilometers from where we live and the area is undergoing a massive redevelopment that will last quite a few years.
The plan is to turn it into a large residential area that will house around 10,000 families as well as continued upgrades to a run down shopping area as well as a new tram line. There are plans to also build out onto the lake in a kind of mini-Dubai leaf idea that will have townhouses with waterfront as gardens.
The mansion is located next to the now mostly disused factory and is undergoing its own renovations. The factory itself is mostly going to be demolished but for now, is housing some alternative businesses and hosts a range of events during the summers, including a week of graffiti art with international artists taking part. They use cranes to reach the top points and because of the long summer nights, paint well into the evening.
Since the afternoon was quite pleasant, we took a walk around the area after eating in the cafe taking some photos. A lot of talented artists took part this year and these murals are huge, the photos don't do them justice.
The mansion where the cafe is also houses a few art exhibits and has some alternative work for sale although, it is neither of mine or my wife's taste. What was on display there was the kind of art that was trying much to hard to be unusual without any real thought going into it.
I took a lot of images but I thought I would show a few here so that you can get a feel of the contrast between th outside displays and what type of building the mansion is. When it is all renovated and the surrounds are cleaned up and new housing comes in, this area is going to be a fantastic place to spend an afternoon and if one has enough money, a very nice area to live. It looks out across the lake toward the main city and it is a beautiful view in every season.
Finland is slowly starting to understand that suburbs and the way housing is organised is ore than just a place to live, there are lifestyle opportunities and benefits in how to live. The design is changing to think more about the residents needs and, how they spend their time so more and more parks and playgrounds with much better facilities are starting to pop up in different areas. All of it comes at a significant cost though, as does everything these days.
The culture is quickly changing and I am hoping that it will have positive effects on people's minds and, the communities they inhabit. Finns tend to be private people who live a lot of their social lives behind walls and perhaps redesigning neighborhoods will help people interact and build a more integrated community. It is going to take time though as nothing in culture moves very fast as people love to hold onto traditions, even as the world changes about them making the habits less relevant to keep.
Taraz
[ a Steem original ]
