This article was orginally published on 01/06/2017 by Leena Karppi here.

Nestled on the shore of Lake Näsijärvi, Hiedanranta is a future city district that is being developed with a new concept in collaboration with city residents, businesses and organisations. The plan is to build homes for 25 000 residents and facilities for 10 000 jobs in Hiedanranta. The Tampere tramway will pass through the area in the future. Hiedanranta is located some four kilometres from the city centre.

The new city district and the changing Lielahti area

The new city district will comprise three subareas: the historical factory area, the Lake Näsijärvi shore zone and a part of the Lielahti commercial area. The planning of the district was launched in 2016 with an international ideas competition. The jury selected two entries as the winners of the competition, and the planning of the area is continuing based on the winning proposals

The preparation of a master plan for the area commenced in the spring of 2017 with a process involving the city residents and dubbed the ideas competition “after party”. In public workshops, the participants joined forces in developing, among other aspects, block structures, housing solutions, as well as a sense of community and new ways of working to suit a city of the future. The master plan will be completed in 2018, after which the local detailed planning will commence.

Väliaikainen Hiedanranta – Temporary Hiedanranta

The former Lielahti industrial area was opened to the public in 2016. The City is enabling various events and activities in the area by, for example, renting out facilities for temporary use and supporting the organisation of events.

Already operating in Hiedanranta is Kulttuuritila Kuivaamo, a venue built into an old drying plant that can be rented for various events. A community of craftsmen and artists has formed in Paja building. During the summer of 2017, Kenneli DIY, an indoor skateboarding hall meeting Olympic standards, will also open in connection with Kuivaamo.

A new circus activities centre, Sirkus Faktori, opened its doors in Kuivaamo in the spring of 2017. The Kartano-kahvila Mielihyvin café at the Lielahti Manor House is open to customers every day. In addition to the floating garden established in 2016, a floating sauna is now also in the makings in Hiedanranta – the building and design work is being carried out by city residents. You can read more about upcoming events here.

Väliaikainen Hiedanranta, or “temporary Hiedanranta”, has proven to be a successful experiment that we are continuing as a part of the area’s development. We also encourage new organisations and people to join the endeavour. Please contact us if you are interested in developing activities or events in Hiedanranta.

Development platform for smart and sustainable solutions

The Hiedanranta area serves as a piloting platform for new technologies and methods. We invite businesses whose R&D efforts focus on digitalisation, sustainability, circular economy, energy solutions or food production to join us. There are currently some 20 different development projects ongoing in Hiedanranta.

The sanitation solution for the Kulttuuritila Kuivaamo venue has been implemented entirely by means of a dry toilet system with a total of 13 toilets and, additionally, five dry urinals in the men’s room. The system is a significant pilot project on a Finnish and Nordic scale. During the summer of 2017, an algae growing plant will be built in Hiedanranta to be used by Tampere University of Technology to study the cultivation of microalgae from the urine collected from the dry toilet system.

Due to the industrial history of the area, there is an abundance of waste fibre at the bottom of Lake Näsijärvi, and its utilisation in earth construction and as an energy source is currently under investigation. A closed-cycle-based farming plant growing strawberries is also operating in Hiedanranta.