A TROPICAL NIGHT RIDE

By Hella Hernberg | Published: 29/07/2011

Photography: Johannes Romppanen

Bicycle brunches, free concerts, independent art exhibitions, hammocks, swimming and night movies. This summer Kalasatama has proved to be the perfect location to spend warm days and nights in the city.

Last wednesday, the We Love Helsinki community celebrated a Bicycle Day in Kalasatama in an almost tropical summer night. The event, created together with a number of voluntary urban activists, started at Bermuda Helsinki’s container with live music, bicycle repair and brunch for a voluntary fee, freshly roasted coffee by Kaffa, drinks from the bicycle bar, and radler (traditional cyclists’ drink) from a bicycle tank by Pelago. At 10pm, over 300 cyclists started a night ride around the centre of Helsinki. The almost endless line of riders ringing their bells and curving through the streets was a spectacular sight. » more

Posted in Community, DIY, Events / Exhibitions, Helsinki Beyond Dreams, Kalasatama Temporary, Participation, Unfinished City | Tagged | Leave a comment

A FANTASTIC CAFE

By Hella Hernberg | Published: 08/06/2011

Ihana Cafe is now open in the Kalasatama harbour in uptown Helsinki, and well worth a visit. The new container cafe celebrated its opening party last week, blessed with a warm evening sun, hot air balloons and crowds of relaxed people enjoying one of the first warm summer evenings this year in Helsinki. The place is a welcome, refreshing oasis in the middle of the harbour’s large asphalt planes, and like a small piece of Berlin in Helsinki. It is like its name promises: ‘Ihana’ meaning wonderful, lovely, or fantastic in Finnish. » more

Posted in Community, Helsinki Beyond Dreams, Kalasatama Temporary, News, Unfinished City | Tagged | Leave a comment

FOR THE LOVE OF FOOD

By Hella Hernberg | Published: 24/05/2011

Wild herb pizzas queuing for the oven in Kalasatama

Last Saturday 21 May was a historical day in Helsinki. For one day, anyone could start their own pop-up restaurant, anywhere, and regardless of what the rules say. The first ever Ravintolapäivä (Restaudant Day) was a carneval-like celebration in favour of richer food cultures and against rules that sometimes make food such a complicated question. Organised through a Facebook event, small and original restaurants popped up just for a few hours – on the streets, parks, clothing shops or homes, offering tapas, drinks, smoothies, popsicles and even fancy dinners served at home in the evening. » more

Posted in Community, DIY, Events / Exhibitions, Helsinki Beyond Dreams, Participation, Unfinished City | Tagged | 1 Comment

JUGAAD – PRACTICE OF MAKING DO

By Hella Hernberg | Published: 03/05/2011

Jugaad canopy by Sanjeev Shankar. Photograph by Sundeep Bali

Recently, I have been collecting information about low-resource innovations in developing countries. During my stay in New York, I ran across a very insightful exhibition at the AIA center for architecture: “Jugaad Urbanism”. The show presents creative strategies of making do  - solutions to survival with a lack of resources by people living in the big cities of India. » more

Posted in Brief Notes from New York, Community, DIY, Events / Exhibitions, Rethinking Design, Sustainability | Leave a comment

ARCHITECTURAL SURGERY

By Hella Hernberg | Published: 25/04/2011

Haus 6 in Leinefelde - after the transformation

Haus 6 - before the transformation

The latest issue of Mark magazine features a very interesting article about ingenious transformation of social housing blocks, many of them in the town of Leinefelde in former East Germany. Architect Stefan Forster has dedicated about ten years to developing creative ideas on how to totally rebuild the architecture of poorly performing pre-fab concrete housing blocks – which are an increasingly greater problem in many countries throughout Europe. Having just a week ago read in Helsingin Sanomat about the plans to demolish two housing blocks in the northern Helsinki suburb of Jakomäki, makes one curious about the other potential alternatives to demolition. » more

Posted in Rethinking Design, Sustainability, Unfinished City | Tagged | Leave a comment

  • Urban Dream Management explores (con)temporary urban phenomena, innovative uses of space and new collective ways for creating more attractive and inspiring environments.

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