Östersundom area to be developed for up to 70,000

The first master-plan draft for Östersundom and adjacent districts in eastern Helsinki, Vantaa and Sipoo places housing for 65,000 to 70,000 people and jobs for 10,000 to 15,000 in the area. The plan envisions a dense town-like area dominated by townhouses and relying heavily on public transport.

The urban structure of the area with the main housing type is fairly new to Finland. Multi-story apartment buildings would only be zoned at metro stations. The draft places six metro stations in the area.

The planning of the area is heavily impacted by the Sipoonkorpi green areas to the north and the Natura 2000 nature reserve, a bird nesting area, to the south. Housing is focused on the south side of the Porvoo highway close to the shoreline, and a lesser emphasis is placed on the northern sections and the waterfront. 

At the projected level of housing, the new area would be close to the size of the Finnish cities of Hämeenlinna and Lappeenranta. Östersundom was annexed to the city of Helsinki from the municipality of Sipoo in 2009.

The master-plan draft is joint to Helsinki, Vantaa and Sipoo. The draft will be reviewed by the cities’ Boards, and the feedback will be used to prepare a master-plan proposal for approval by the cities’ Councils.