From the Spot

This year Helsinki tops Monocle magazine’s “most liveable cities” chart. The July/August issue is not out yet, but the preview (see here) says: “An unorthodox but well-deserving champion, the Finnish capital stands out for its fundamental courage to rethink its urban ambitions, and for possessing the talent, ideas and guts to pull it off.”.

While the whole city-ranking phenomenon is a slightly questionable trend, for some reason Monocle has become the authority figure in describing the life-style that does seem to reflect what the creative affluent urban populations are generally looking for. While I highly value Helsinki, I would still like say what is there not to love. After conquering the number one spot, there should also be room for some criticism.

So I love that there is talent in Helsinki, and sure, I love being able to buy potatoes, lingonberries and salmon. But here’s what I don’t like:

• Everything costs a lot. It’s ridiculous to eat pasta for 20€ in a chain food restaurant (instead of making a superior version at home for 2€)
• Everything is stupefyingly regulated, so much that it waters down most ideas.
• Many good, simple things don’t get support or attention. Many dubious things are approved with hasty decisions with no idea of the implications.
• There is racism and intolerance in the air. There are a lot of daily, unconfortable encounters with drunken people or drug addicts, or other displaced people (uncomfortable also because nobody seems to care).
• Public transport is expensive, no bike-lanes or city bikes. Cars do rule.
• The everyday places (supermarkets, metro stations) of many suburban areas are simply depressing. They don’t make the thousands of people who use them happier.
• New buildings lack soul, their materials don’t age well.
• Down town property development is neither tasteful nor daring.
• New public spaces lack purpose, they cater to commercial happenings, which are seen as “liveliness”.
• No really radical changes are made to the existing environment. Alternately, once radical designs are repaired beyond recognition.

I’m also aware that globally speaking, these are really problems of the creative affluent urban people. But I suppose that is the target audience of Monocle, too.