The city is growing west

“SMALL-SCALE CONSTRUCTION –not big, monstrous building blocks. Spaces for community activities, such as a library and youth facilities. Diverse commercial services.” These are some of the wishes expressed by the residents of Gammelbacka during the discussion sessions arranged in the preparation phase of the district's development plan. According to Jarkko Lyytinen, Head of the Urban Planning at Porvoo, residents' views and wishes are well aligned with the development plan.

We are planning to build terraced houses, semi-detached houses and small apartment buildings in the area, favouring low and close structures. We also aim to increase the apartment sizes in the new buildings, to better meet the requirements of modern family apartments," Lyytinen says.

The Gammelbacka development project is part of the broader development of West Porvoo. Due to the proximity of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, it is natural that Porvoo grows to the west. The first visible steps will be taken in Gammelbacka by the end of the year. First, temporary facilities for the library and youth services will be built behind the current multi-purpose space.

"The multipurpose space and the school building have reached the end of their service life and will be demolished and replaced by building new facilities for the school, library, and youth services. The construction and demolition projects are progressing in stages to avoid interruptions to the services," says Minna Särelä, Director of the Recreation Division.

Urban planning is carried out with residents in focus, so that the area remains attractive for commercial services and private operators as the population of Gammelbacka increases.