Vision competition starts for design of Tallinn's new main street
The Estonian Center of Architecture, the Association of Estonian Architects and the City of Tallinn have announced a vision competition for the new main street for Tallinn suitable for the 21st century in time for the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia.
The competition for the design of the new main street is the first phase of a project to develop the mobility environment between the Old City port and the city center, the eventual goal of which is to create a people-centered and contemporary urban space in the Tallinn city center and integrate the split local activity spaces of the city center into a whole, the Estonian Center of Architecture said.
The project embraces the section of Pärnu Road situated closest to the city center and the beginning of Narva Road. In the second phase the quarters adjacent to the central street would be brought in.
"Today we have a traffic thoroughfare on what is effectively the main street of Tallinn, which has been designed with only one thing in mind for five decades -- since there will be more and more cars, it's pedestrians that must make room. In this manner the Old Town is cut off from the Tallinn city center, the best places for bubbling cafe and street culture and pleasurable spending of leisure time stand unused because people moving on foot and by bike cannot get there comfortably and safely," the manager of the project, head of the Estonian Center of Architecture Raul Jarg said.
An analysis commissioned by the Estonian Center of Architecture confirms that with well thought-out changes to the organization of traffic a big portion of transit traffic can be directed away from the main street without creating significant problems to traffic.
The vision for Tallinn Main Street that is being sought in the competition must suit for Tallinn as a potential Green Capital of Europe both by its form and content.
Documents to take part and qualify for the competition must be submitted by February 10 and the deadline of entries is March 29.
Source: BNS