Renewing city

Together with Lielahti, Hiedanranta forms an attractive centre in the west of Tampere: a good place to live, work and spend leisure time. The future waterfront district is well-connected and within easy reach of the city centre by tram. The City of Tampere bought the former factory site in 2014. The Hiedanranta master plan area will be developed into a district for 18 500 residents.

The renovation and extension of the Tampere City Central Office Building will begin in spring 2023, and the construction work will be completed in summer 2026. The part of the Central Office Building that is on the Puutarhakatu side will be demolished, and a new five-storey extension will be built in its place. The property on the Aleksis Kiven katu side will be renovated.

Puutarhakatu will be renovated between the parks Vanhankirkonpuisto and Hämeenpuisto. The renovation started in March 2025 and continues until 2026. The renovation is being carried out because the water and sewer pipes have reached the end of their useful life and need to be replaced. District cooling pipes will also be built on the street.

After the renovation, the street will have a wider two-way cycle track on the northern edge, pavements on both sides and a one-way carriageway for motor vehicles. The renovation will improve walking and cycling conditions and road safety, and make the street a more pleasant environment. The management of stormwater, i.e. rainwater and meltwater, will also be improved.

The Station District is the most significant development area in central Tampere. The new city district will take shape above the current passenger railway yard and will densify and add cohesion to the city centre, bringing thousands of new residents and jobs to the Railway Station’s surroundings. At the same time, the development will transform the station itself into a travel hub that combines all modes of transport. The objective in the development work is to transform this area, which is allocated in the plans as a tall construction zone, into a pleasant, greener, visually striking and original architectural whole in which high-rises are interwoven in an organic fashion into the existing urban fabric surrounding the heritage-listed Railway Station and its cultural and historical environment.

The Station District is comprised of three deck structures constructed above the Tampere passenger railway yard and of the high-rises to be built in connection with these structures. The first of the three decks, the south deck to the south of Kalevantie Road, was completed in 2020, and two high-rises and the Nokia Arena have already been constructed on top of it. Next in line are the north deck with its high-rise development to be built on the north side of Kalevantie, as well as the station deck and the high-rises that are to be built in connection with the station.

The Särkänniemi area comprises the land occupied by the Särkänniemi Amusement Park, as well as the Mustalahti and Kortelahti harbour areas, the former factory complex of Onkiniemi and the northern section of Näsinsilta Bridge. Since motor traffic through the area has been rerouted through the Rantaväylä road tunnel, the Särkänniemi area, with its beautiful lakeside scenery, can finally take its rightful place as part of central Tampere. The aim of the development is to introduce an all-year travel, leisure and events hub to the area, to improve the walking and cycling connections and to bring more residents to the area.

Takonraitti is a scenic route in the plans for the western bank of Tammerkoski Rapids, running along the Tako factory waterfront. This pedestrian connection will complement the network of waterfront routes in the city centre, and it is projected to run above the rapids from the Mokkapuisto park to Kehräsaari, opening up a stretch of the Tammerkoski waterfront that was previously closed to the public to be used by Tampere residents and tourists.

Tampere’s city centre is being developed as an integrated whole, with key emphasis on promoting solutions for a network of underground traffic, parking and maintenance connections. Among the first measures in the underground development scheme was the construction of the Rantaväylä tunnel and the P-Hämppi parking facility. The objective is to continue the development by means of a phased relocation of the street-level parking capacity to a network of underground facilities that are conveniently accessible when arriving from outside the city centre.

The Viinikanlahti area on the Lake Pyhäjärvi waterfront will undergo a complete transformation over the coming years. The wastewater treatment plant that currently dominates the landscape will soon relocate to new underground facilities in Sulkavuori, and a new lakefront city district for some 3,000 residents will begin to take shape in the vacated area. The new district will be implemented in phases over a span of approximately ten years.

Urban residential blocks will rise in the area, in addition to a school, daycare centre, indoor exercise venue, grocery shop, hotel and other commercial premises. The park-like waterfront zone is set to become a recreational hotspot for all Tampere residents and tourists alike. The lakeside will boast a harbour, rowing and canoeing centre, beach, sauna, playground and seating areas with amenities and services amidst the finest lake views in all of central Tampere. The public squares, parks and residential block courtyards will be leafy and pleasant.

Viinikanlahti will be connected to the city centre and its ample services by two new pedestrian and bicycle bridges. The walking and cycling routes will continue in all directions along the shoreline. Parking will be centralised into two indoor parking facilities, and the streets within the area will be free from all unnecessary motor traffic. The upcoming Tampere–Pirkkala tramline is to be built on Hatanpään valtatie, and there will be two stops at Viinikanlahti.