Finns are likely seen around the world as pragmatic and practical people. At least, that’s what I think—but even this perception has changed in recent years.
This can be inferred, at the very least, from the comment made by Helsinki’s mayoral candidate, Wille Rydman (Finns Party), regarding recent events in Finland’s capital.
According to him, “Urban planning in Helsinki has long ceased to be guided by the needs of residents, smooth traffic flow, downtown accessibility, or the livability of neighborhoods. Instead, it has been driven by an ideological opposition to cars and a narrow urban-green vision of cramped, hyper-dense housing.”
As examples, he cited the following points: “The city is pouring hundreds of millions of euros into a bridge over a single kilometer in length that isn’t even open to car traffic. This city sees cyclists as so helpless that it wants to spend millions building separate cycling bridges over the sea to ensure that no one has to pedal uphill.”
He also reminded residents that “the city is spending millions to pave cobblestone streets with asphalt, only to rip the asphalt back off later. This city closes streets in the center and clogs its main entryways, then wonders why downtown is withering and businesses are shutting down.”
Unfortunately, I have to conclude by saying that none of Rydman’s examples are products of imagination—they reflect Helsinki’s reality in recent years, as described in the following links: a car-free bridge, a cycling bridge, paving and then tearing up cobblestones, blocking streets and blocking major entryways.
Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Healthcare Services for Undocumented Immigrants are a Pull Factor for Harmful Immigration
University of Helsinki gained an anti-Semitic reputation
The change in the demographic structure of Helsinki
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