The Vision for Tampere West+ Charrette

The Vision for Tampere West+ charrette was held over six days starting on Friday 25 September 2020 led by JTP and Von Zadow International (VZI) on behalf of Tampere City Council.

Aerial

A Vision for Tampere West+
Keskutori as the revitalised heart of West+ including a wintergarden, mobility hub, new footbridge links and exciting events all year round: establishment of a new vibrant mixed use urban quarter with a new ‘culture loop’ linking visitor attractions within West+; investment in parks and green spaces around West+ with new connections focussed on active travel, including pedestrianisation of Kauppakatu linking through to a rejuvenated Hameenpuisto; a review of new housing development opportunities, parking and building height policies in the central West+ area. These are just some of the ideas to emerge from the Vision for Tampere West+ charrette which was presented to the local community on Wednesday 30 September 2020.

Historic Kauppakatu transformed for citizens to enjoy the intimate space.

Tampere West+ City Concept

Community Planning
A range of stakeholder workshops, meetings, West+ walkabouts and cycle tours were held in the run up to the Tampere West+ charrette on Friday 25 September 2020. In the run up to the charrette the local community was invited to comment on the local area and give their dreams for the future using the online ‘Communities’ platform. The community was also invited in to participate over the first two days of the charrette in workshops at Suomalainen klubi. The design team then analysed and summarised the outcomes of the participation process and drew up a Vision for West+ which was presented back to the community to a physical and virtual audience of around 300 people. A copy of the presentation can be downloaded here part 1 and part 2 and the summary broadsheet here.

Tampere West+ charrette

Next Steps
The JTP/VZI team will prepare a final report of the process. Proposals for action will be taken forward by both private actors and the City of Tampere. The Vision will be presented to the City Board, after which the city’s shared Action Plan will be implemented as part of the Five Star Centre development program. Proposals based on the Action Plan will be selected and programmed based on how they can be integrated with ongoing projects.

Background
The city of Tampere invited an international team led by JTP and Von Zadow International (VZI) to undertake a nine-month, interactive charrette process, working with stakeholders and the wider community to create a Vision for the regeneration of the western part of the city centre, known as West+. In common with many city centres around Europe, the West+ area needs to respond to various forces and development pressures, including the changing face of retail and leisure, demand for affordable homes and workspace, sustainable transport initiatives and climate change, all set in the context of a post Covid-19 world.