Tallinn has begun drafting a new comprehensive plan and city residents can submit proposals for it through the end of August.

"A comprehensive plan allows us to plan the city as a whole and look at where housing could be located, where businesses could be located and where there should be green space," said Martin Karro, head of the Tallinn Urban Planning Department. "Naturally, it also helps the city plan the infrastructure needed for it to function, including roads, utility networks and more."

Karro said the plan covers both undeveloped sites with building rights and areas that have already been developed. This could include, for example, office properties that owners want to convert to housing.

"The comprehensive plan is the skeleton on which we will build the city's development over the next couple of decades. All detailed plans must be based on the comprehensive plan and ultimately all construction projects are based on detailed plans," he said.

Tallinn Chief Architect Andro Mänd said the city's last comprehensive plan was drawn up 25 years ago and that both the city and the principles of urban planning have changed significantly since then.

"The comprehensive plan establishes a framework and does not require a landowner to immediately make changes to their property," Mänd said. "If the landowner is satisfied with the current situation, it can remain as it is. But if they want to plan a new use or new development there, then the comprehensive plan comes into play."

Mänd said previously granted development rights, such as those established by detailed plans, will remain in force and will not be superseded by the comprehensive plan.

Under the Constitution, local governments have autonomy in land-use decisions, including the preparation of plans.

"We certainly aren't doing this alone; we're doing it together with the state. Just as we're involving all private-sector partners, landowners and real estate industry associations — they're all involved in this process," Mänd said.

Karro said the city plans to avoid drawing up the comprehensive plan at the level of individual properties.

"It's certainly impossible to predict exactly what could or could not be done on every street corner 25 years from now," Karro said. "What we can do, however, is establish principles for how these areas could generally be used."

Tallinn looking for greater flexibility

The comprehensive plan will use a pixel-based approach similar to the one used in Helsinki.

"They have a 100-by-100 grid, with all functions designated by pixel. This provides a degree of procedural flexibility later on because, as Martin said, we can't predict every process 25 years in advance," Mänd added.

He said this type of planning has brought significant benefits to Helsinki.

"If you go to Länsiterminaali, there's a large new neighborhood right next to it with a broad green corridor running through it. It's certainly a very pleasant living environment," Mänd said.

At the same time, Mänd acknowledged that major structural decisions of this kind, set out in advance in comprehensive plans, take years to implement.

Mänd said the City of Helsinki intervenes very actively in urban planning and has required many private landowners to change the designated use of their properties.

In Helsinki, the public sector owns 80 percent of the land, compared with 20 percent in Tallinn. Mänd said this makes it much easier for Helsinki to adopt a comprehensive plan, while in Estonia greater consideration must be given to the views of private landowners.

"If someone submits proposals or objections, we have to explain why we've made the decision we have. The city's role is to weigh the different considerations because there is often significant conflict between the interests of local residents and developers," Mänd said.

The chief architect said a balance must be found during the process.

"All of this is documented and, ultimately, the plan goes to the state for oversight. The state assesses whether the procedure and public engagement processes were carried out properly and whether the reasoning behind the decisions was properly considered," Mänd said. "If the state finds that everything is in order, it comes back to us and we can adopt the comprehensive plan."

Mänd said the comprehensive plan must incorporate flexibility to maintain a balance between commercial and residential space.

"If someone wants to open, for example, a cafe or small workshop on the first floor of their home, they'll have that option. Right now, an area may be designated 100 percent residential, but the comprehensive plan allows us to create a different option," he said.

Mänd said the comprehensive plan for Põhja-Tallinn is being used to test a flexible approach to ground-floor uses for the first time in Estonia.

Subway, cable cars and a water taxi

Karro said residents have submitted proposals including a subway, cable car and water taxi. Mänd said various options will be discussed, but that the process will take time.

"Helsinki began planning its metro when its population was 400,000. We're already at 460,000," Mänd said. "It took Helsinki another 20 years to build the metro and open its first line."

Karro said the comprehensive plan could provide a basis for applying for European Union structural funds if Tallinn can demonstrate a long-term goal of connecting parts of the city underground. He said securing funding for rail service would be more realistic than funding the development of a subway system.

Mänd added that a subway system may not ultimately be included in the comprehensive plan at all. The city will first wait until the deadline for submitting ideas has passed. Mänd said more than 1,700 people have submitted proposals.

"First, we'll start grouping and analyzing them and reviewing what we've actually received. National and city authorities, professional organizations, universities and other stakeholders are involved in the process," he said.

More greenery, less focus on cars

Mänd said residents' proposals show a desire for better connections and faster ways to get from one place to another. People also identified traffic noise as a problem.

"In the bigger picture, many solutions are political decisions, such as lowering speed limits," Mänd said. "That's not something we can include in the comprehensive plan. It's done through other legislation and political decisions."

Mänd said another major issue raised by residents is green space.

"Tallinn is actually very green compared with other cities, but people don't perceive it that way. One reason is that we have islands of green space, but they aren't connected into a network," Mänd said, adding that the issue will be addressed as part of the comprehensive plan.

Many young people said in their proposals that they want the city to be less car-centric.

"I'm not saying everyone has to switch to bicycles. What's important is having a choice," Karro said.

Mänd said Tallinn's development has historically been heavily centered on the city center, but there is a growing recognition of the need for multiple local centers in different city districts, allowing people to access the services and activities they need close to home.

Mänd cited Nõmme as an example where such a local center already exists to some extent. The city wants to apply a similar approach more widely in other districts. The number of such centers has yet to be determined.

Mänd said Tallinn's biggest shortcoming is that it has not focused on networks, such as networks of green spaces and transportation.

"Twenty-five years ago, this wasn't an important principle in urban planning. Small parks were simply created here and there," Mänd said.

He identified transportation networks, including urban rail services, as another important issue.

"It's very common in other cities, but here it's been extremely difficult," Mänd said. "We've tried to launch pilot projects, but they always get held up for one reason or another."

Mänd said Tallinn and its surrounding areas have underused rail infrastructure that could be put to better use in developing urban public transportation.

He cited rail lines in Kopli and the Järvevana area as examples that could improve connections between different parts of the city. He also pointed to the large number of commuters traveling between Maardu and Tallinn and the possibility of building a short rail connection that could bring thousands of people onto public transportation.

"But we can't drive that process. It's something the state should take the lead on," Mänd said.

Martin Karro encouraged people of all ages to participate, stressing that residents' proposals are taken seriously and will be used in future discussions and planning. Both urged residents to take part in the Tallinn Comprehensive Plan 2050 survey to help shape the city's future.

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