Tartu's Vabaduse puiestee currently has five lanes for motor traffic along with parking spots on both sides of the road. However, in the draft detailed plan for the city's downtown cultural center (SÜKU) plot and the surrounding area, which has been created by landscape architects Artes Tearrae, the number of lanes will be reduced.

Vabaduse puiestee will be revamped to include more pedestrianized areas and become part of the city's main cycle path network. Cars will be able to travel via one lane in each direction with traffic calming measures also in place.

Changes are also likely to be made to the intersection between Vabaduse puiestee and Uueturu tänav, with the number of parking spaces set to be reduced in the parking lot of the Tartu Market Hall building. At the Riia-Turu intersection however, the aim is to make it easier for light traffic to cross the street, which may also lead to a reduction in the number of lanes.

When it comes to car parking, one idea put forward in the draft is to connect the underground sections of the SÜKU building to the subterranean parking levels of the Kaubamaja shopping mall. This solution could also provide more space for light traffic on Uueturu tänav, which is where Kaubamaja's current underground parking lot is located.

According to the draft design, the intention is to grant building rights for the construction of service and catering buildings on a plot of land next to the parking lot of the Tartu Market Hall building, on the banks of the Emajõgi River.

The buildings could be integrated into the pedestrianized area, creating a new square. On one side, the square could extend all the way to the Emajõgi River, enabling pedestrians to have access to the river itself via a stairway, as opposed to the high embankment that is currently in place.

On the other side, the square would run along the SÜKU building up to Küüni tänav. There would also therefore be a crossing on Vabaduse puiestee, where cars will be required to give way to light traffic.

In order to create a more people-friendly space, the designers have outlined the need to pay more attention to additional landscaping features and street furniture, in Vabaduse puiestee.

According to Mart Hiob, spatial planning and heritage consultant and project manager at Tartu City government, the draft detailed plan has been put together based on the winning design of the architectural competition for SÜKU "Paabel" ("Babel"). However, Hiob said he would only be prepared to comment on the planned changes in more detail after the City of Tartu has done so.

According to Tartu Deputy Mayor Elo Kiivet, the planners have submitted the draft to the city, though it still needs to be reviewed and any comments made. For that reason, according to Kiivet, the city cannot provide any more detailed comments about the draft before next week.

Parking remains an issue

Aksel Part, an analyst at think tank Praxis, said the planned changes could indeed transform Tartu's city center into a more diverse public space.

"The current section of Vabaduse puiestee, which is there now, obviously everyone understands that it doesn't need to be as wide as it is now, the carriageway part. It should not just be for cars and people to pass through, but really so that people can also walk, cycle, spend time there, and have opportunities for socializing and playing," Part said.

According to Feliks Talpsepp, CEO of OÜ Cafe Chef, which currently runs the TOKO restaurant along the back of the Emajõgi, the riverside has become increasingly popular over the years.

"There have been a lot of guests. Personally, I think it's one of the best places in Tartu to have a restaurant or a café, in terms of the views and everything else," Talpsepp said.

Talpsepp responded positively to the plans to add more service and catering buildings near the TOKO restaurant, as he believes the space needs to be modernized and the Emajõgi River opened up to locals.

"What we have noticed a little bit in Tartu is that if certain places are a little bit out of the way, then somehow, even though Tartu is such a small city, people don't get there," he said.

"The section between the Arch Bridge (Kaarsild) and the second bridge is such a nice area where people move around a lot and if this SÜKU building is next to it, I think it will only encourage people from both sides [of the river] to go there for the cafés and also for SÜKU. I think that a kind of nice synergy can occur there, once everything gets done."

While Talpsepp expects the city, to also include TOKO, as an operating restaurant, in the development project, Part wants to look beyond the Vabaduse puiestee area to the Riia-Turu intersection, which is also in need of change. As things stand, the intersection is currently impassable for light traffic going in both directions.

"At the biggest, most central intersection in the city, it is actually quite unthinkable that a situation like this exists. So it's extremely welcome that there are these kinds of plans to make the junction more compact, and to create crossing facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. After all, surveys among the people of Tartu also show that people would actually like to get around without using a car to a large extent.

While the general response to the draft plans has been positive, Part identified parking as a potential issue. The detailed plan allows for a maximum of around 220 parking spaces under the SÜKU building. However, parking surveys have shown that there are already plenty of parking spaces in Tartu's old town, Part said.

"I think that's a bit poor, because the kind of space, the kind of conditions we create, is the kind of behavior we get. In other words, it is really easy and really convenient to drive a car down to the parking lot, people will start driving to SÜKU. This will in turn have an impact on the surrounding area, through which the cars have to take some kind of route to get there. This then makes the whole space less safe, less comfortable, less good for walking, creates noise, and so on. So, if we want people to move in a different way, we need to make these other modes of transport simple, convenient and logical," said Part.

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