The new ruling coalition in Tallinn should not waste time creating the institution of city architect in order to tap into the best urban construction policies of the Nordics. A new and modern set of rules is needed for allocating urban space between different user groups and functions. Outside display and screens need to benefit citizens in exchange for polluting urban spaces.

Of course, it is possible that the new city architect will be a populist politician throwing around populist slogans with no real focus, but the hope that they can make fundamental decisions remains high for the time being.

Too many traffic signs

Should the city architect prioritize a holistic rethink of urban spaces, it would help considerably improve life in the city at a relatively modest budget. The need for new bicycle paths has been discussed at length, while the city should also be more accommodating toward residents between the ages of eight and 80, meaning that more urban seating is in order. Boosting the quality of urban greenery should also be mentioned.

But at the expense of what should all of that happen?

Urban spaces are filled by four groups of road and street users: pedestrians, cyclists, public transport and cars. The ratio of the four changes over time, which is a good thing. That said, mechanically leaving cars with less space is not always the best solution. Streets that separate buildings also have room for greenery and urban infrastructure, such as street lighting, traffic control devices, information mediums and advertising.

While the share of greenery could rather grow, I see the most potential in rethinking these until recently untouchable technical solutions.

Why on Earth do we need so many traffic signs? Several recent studies suggest that cutting the number or even abolishing road signs can improve traffic safety. The reason is simple – fewer distractions.

Advertising pollution must be reined in

Taking a walk in nascent spring weather, one cannot help but notice that Tallinn's general advertising policy also needs to be addressed. It falls into the administrative area of the city architect and on its success depends, in addition to the aesthetical side of things, whether there will be any room left for citizens next all the ads.

In places, Tallinn seems to give the Piccadilly Circus in London or Times Square in New York a run for their money in terms of advertising spaces. The visual development of the capital, where the role of city architects was for a time assumed by politicians and officials, is falling behind Tartu and even Valga. Instead of surrendering to the Eastern European trend of screens, advertising posters and columns covering building facades, we should only allow outside display when it generates revenue for city infrastructure, such as bus pavilions or the like.

Compared to the Nordics, Tallinn's outside display landscape seems chaotic: advertising mediums of different sizes and designs are lining sidewalks, while giant screens hang off virtually every free facade. Too many of Tallinn's advertising spaces fail to amount to good taste in terms of their design, execution and choice of location. European Parliament elections campaigns are making the bleakness especially obvious.

The Hobujaama intersection is a true cacophony of advertising. The towers marking the entrance to the Foorum mall compete with a giant upright cylinder, with no mind paid to proportions and other elements of urban space. Why does a trashcan that allows for modern recycling in the Freedom Square (Vabaduse väljak) have to be pressed against an advertising medium? But then you notice that there's hardly anywhere else to put it as another giant cylinder rises up just meters from there.

Near Swissotel, which often hosts dignitaries visiting Estonia, on Tornimäe tänav, screens of random size and location have been installed on sides of buildings, often to the surprise of the architects who designed them. Round tin cans with posters on them, firmly part of the previous century's aesthetic, are separating lanes, while trashcans serving as poster bases attached to light posts are outdated in terms of their design and dilapidated physically. Using such monstrosities is not befitting a European green capital.

In the Nordics, outside display policy takes place through carefully considered plans. There are rules for advertising mediums in terms of their design, size and distance from other objects. Instead of surrendering such an important process to advertising businesses, the way our streets look needs to serve the interests of social and urban development.

Tallinn is set to reconstruct several streets in the coming years. The Liivalaia tänav design work is set to start in 2025, while the need to update Tallinn's main street vision has also been discussed. This affords the opportunity to take some time to come up with a proper outside display policy. Based on such a policy document, the city government could put together guidelines for decision-makers for when they're asked to accommodate advertising.

Presently, it seems that no clear expectations or requirements have been laid down for advertising policy. This makes life harder for officials in charge of outside display installation. Let us ask whether the streets belong to children, families and citizens going about their daily lives, as well as our guests, or whether they are owned by advertising money.

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