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How will Tallinn's Old Town change in the future?

Tallinn wants to increase the population of its old town quarter

Tallinn wants to increase the population of its old town quarter

Shaping up the UNESCO-listed site for the future is part of the new development plan

Tallinn’s municipal website announced that the local government had started the preparation of the city’s “Old Town Development Plan 2023-2035”. The goal of the administration is to turn the UNESCO-listed medieval quarter into a pleasant living environment for locals and into an ‘active city heart’.

The purpose of the development plan is to find spatial and functional solutions suitable for the historically established environment of the Old Town of Tallinn, including financing opportunities, which would ensure the sustainable development of the settlement.

The concrete result is to push the idea of a historic centre as something that is not merely a museum to be visited. In fact, the idea is to boost the number of inhabitants living there.

Common development directions that meet everyone’s needs

"The Old Town is a very special location -there is a long history here, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but it is also a home and workplace for many people. In order for all these different interests to move in step, the conscious and comprehensive development of the old town is extremely important - both in terms of culture, business, traffic and various communal issues.” This is how Monika Haukanõmm, the mayor of the Tallinn City Centre district, defended the need for the new plan. 

She added some concrete details in terms of expectations: "Our big goal by 2035 will be to increase the permanent population of the old town from today's few thousand to 5,000 people! To that end, Tallinn must be a 15-minute city for the residents of the old town as well - both for young families and the elderly."

When thinking of the parameters of the future, both the effects of the health crisis that has hit the world and the growing expectations of society regarding the environmental protection of buildings and the accessibility of urban space were taken into account.

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