Work to dismantle the summer street structures will start in early October and continue in stages until the end of the month. The dismantling of the summer square in front of Kallio Church already began in September due to roadworks starting at the site.
The summer street structures will be completely dismantled for the winter, and the traffic arrangements will be restored to the way that they were before the summer streets. The work will be carried out in such a way that the routes to be restored remain clearly marked throughout the work. The dismantling work will start on Fleminginkatu by Karhupuisto Park, from where it will proceed to the other main summer streets. The parking spaces added to parking permit J in Vilhonvuori, Vallila and Torkkelinmäki will not be removed during this work; instead, most of them will remain in force on a permanent basis.
Make a bouquet of summer street flowers or decorate your balcony
Seasonal vegetation will be removed from the street plantings as part of the dismantling work. Residents and visitors can come pick up flowers and plants freely for their own use from the planting boxes by the driving lanes on Porthaninkatu, Fleminginkatu, Agricolankatu and Vaasankatu. The plants can be collected for personal use as the dismantling work progresses.
The trees and shrubs in the planters, as well as the plants on Hämeentie and in the smaller summer squares, will not be available to residents, as they will be overwintered and reused in other City projects.
You can identify the trees and shrubs being preserved by their woody stems and support posts, and they often rise above the rest of the vegetation. Please do not damage the perennial vegetation when picking up other plants. You can pick up the plants on your own, and no separate distribution or guidance will be arranged.
Prepare by bringing a small shovel, gloves and a plastic bag for the plants. Try to take as much of the root ball as you can and replant it as soon as possible. When replanting, the plant should be watered thoroughly. Some species are very resistant to light frost and can, with good care, continue to give joy for several months. If you do not have a place to plant them, you can also enjoy them in a vase.
More information on the future of the summer streets coming in the autumn
The Kallio summer streets have been a project spanning two summers. In line with the City of Helsinki’s operating model for piloting pedestrian environments, the aim of the summer street project has been to assess the suitability of permanent pedestrian environment measures for each location. The summer streets have become an effective tool for developing pedestrian environments.
The City will announce whether the summer streets will continue into future summer seasons as soon as possible this autumn, once the experiences from these two summers in the Kallio and Harju areas have been carefully evaluated. The most successful summer street solutions will lead to permanent improvements to the urban environment through the interaction and political decision-making typical of street planning.