The aim of the Kallio summer streets is to improve the pleasantness of the streets and thus encourage people to walk and spend time in public spaces. The summer streets have provided a setting for activities such as soaking up the sun on the hammocks of Franzéninaukio Square, enjoying play and games in Karhupuisto Park and resting on benches in the lush greenery of the hilly terrain of Kallio.
The summer streets will be rebuilt in the summer of 2026. The implementation will be developed further based on feedback and observations from the first summer, but the concept will remain largely unchanged. Throughout the summer, the Karhupuisto Park event stage was used for holding dance events, yoga retreats and outdoor film screenings in the darkening autumn evenings. The rules for the use of the event stage were also breached during the summer by having music events continue for too long and be too loud. The plans will be updated over the winter to find a better balance between liveability and the vitality of the streets.
Work to dismantle the summer street structures will start in early October and continue in stages until the end of the month. 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 dismantling work will start on Fleminginkatu by Karhupuisto Park, where the terminus for buses 73 and 74 and the taxi station will be restored. HSL will provide more detailed information on changes to public transport through its own information channels. The dismantling work will proceed from Fleminginkatu to the other main summer streets and smaller summer squares. The parking spaces added to parking permit J in Vilhonvuori, Vallila and Torkkelinmäki will not be removed in this project and will remain in force for the duration of the 2026 summer streets.
Make a bouquet of summer street flowers or decorate your balcony
The plan is to reuse the perennial tree and shrub vegetation on the Kallio summer streets next summer. 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 and Vaasankatu. Plants can be collected on the last days of September and as the dismantling work progresses. The plants by Hämeentie and on the smaller summer squares will not be available to residents, as they will be overwintered as they are and brought back for the 2026 season.
You can identify the trees and shrubs being preserved by their wooden 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 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.
Results to be published later this year
People’s experiences with and the impacts of the summer streets are currently being assessed. The preliminary results show that people spent more time on all of the streets converted into summer streets compared to the summer of 2024. The number of pedestrians increased compared to the previous year, particularly on Fleminginkatu. The results of the first summer and further plans will be reported in more detail during the late autumn and winter. During the summer, street interviews were carried out on the streets and observations were made on people’s leisure time habits and movements, as well as maintenance traffic. Traffic counting and noise, air quality and biodiversity monitoring were also carried out in the area. During the autumn, we will conduct a survey with entrepreneurs operating in the area to chart their experiences from the summer.
