Tallinn announces a 13.5 kilometre green corridor

The capital of Estonia, Tallinn, has announced a plan to create a 13.5 kilometre green corridor, with an investment of €1.3 million. 

The project is part of a wider effort from Tallinn’s government to develop green infrastructure, which is one aspect that is relevant for the city's bid to win the European Green Capital Award. Tallinn is working with the competition's jury's expectations in mind: the winning city should set an example to others. Tallinn’s decision to make all public transport free is another ground-breaking initiative that the city wishes to build upon. One of the aims of the green corridor is to offset the negative environmental effects caused by urban mobility.

The Deputy Mayor of Tallinn, Andrei Novikov, said that procurement will be organised to commission innovative green infrastructure solutions for a pilot area. These solutions include prototypes for lighting, pavements, crossings and signage, the functioning and effectiveness of which will also be tested. Novikov added that "the best prototypes can then also be used in Tallinn's other public spaces in the future".

The pilot green corridor will connect six city districts: Central Tallinn, North Tallinn, Kristiine, Haabersti, Mustamae and Nomme. City residents have praised the initiative and are excited to reap the benefits of having a direct non-motorised traffic route to the city centre. The project area already contains pollinators of city-wide importance, which will be retained with the help of landscaping solutions.

The project has several partners, including Forum Virium Helsinki, the innovation enterprise of Helsinki and the Stockholm Environment Institute. The project is being co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, with around €500,000 coming from EU sources. The city of Tallinn will contribute the remainder of the budget, which comes from both public and private sources.

Article first published first at The Baltic Times on the 26th of June 2020