Kokkola undergoes significant transformation

The Finnish town of Kokkola, with a population of 50,000, is experiencing a major transformation that is already visible in its streetscape.

Milla Viirret, a Helsinki resident who visits her hometown Kokkola about 10 times a year, no longer sees the dreary bus station with a few buses and a large asphalt area when she arrives by train. Instead, she sees a hotel under construction in the city center.

“Suddenly, it has risen to that level. Every time I come to the train station, there has been a different view waiting,” Viirret said.

The town square is planned to become a block with a hotel, at least one apartment building, and a courtyard. The library, which once seemed large, now looks small next to the rising hotel. The sports park has gained a practice ice rink, a huge Kokkola Arena, and a football stadium whose light towers are visible from afar. A large health and social services center is being built next to the central hospital.

In recent years, the town has also built a new fire station, several schools, parks, and residential areas. The recently completed Piispanmäen school is one of Kokkola’s largest. The Kokkola Arena has undergone several planning phases.

In the coming years, the town square in the heart of the town and the Länsipuisto park, dating back to the 19th century, will be renovated. A significant change for the locals is the transformation of the central sports field from a football sanctuary to a residential area.

Optimism at every level

Jouni Laitinen, who has been involved in Kokkola’s urban planning for decades, says that Kokkola is a typical example of a smaller regional center where construction is ongoing. According to Laitinen, change requires a lot of planning, bold financing decisions, and faith in the future.

“It’s not enough to be satisfied with what we have; we want to develop at every level,” Laitinen said. He believes, however, that the timing of the construction boom in the center is partly coincidental.

“Many things fell into place: financing schemes, plot issues, and many others, so the projects are now being implemented at the same time. However, they have been planned for a long time,” Laitinen reminded.

Beautiful Kokkola, beautiful Pietarsaari

Veli-Pekka Koivu, a retired urban planner from Kokkola, remembers how Kokkola was like a war zone in the 1980s. All the large blocks in the center were either poorly built or empty. The difference to the neighboring town of Pietarsaari was significant.

“Pietarsaari used to be the beautiful town and Kokkola the ugly one. Now it has leveled out, except that the building stock shows that Pietarsaari was prosperous in the 1920s-1930s and Kokkola was poor,” Koivu said.

Kokkola’s problem was a general plan that was out of proportion to the size of the town. The old plan had been drawn up by Birger Brunila, who had worked as a city planner in Helsinki, and was intended for a larger town.

“There were only a few sufficiently large buildings in Kokkola, so a new general plan was needed that took into account the slow development and supported the cohesion of the town. Now it has begun to be implemented to a considerable extent,” Koivu said.

According to Koivu, urban planning is often about waiting for the right moment. You need to have an idea of what is happening and create the conditions for it.

“Then, when the money is found, the final plans are made,” Koivu said.

The sports park is one of the largest investments in Kokkola’s history and costs over 75 million euros. The Piispanmäen school and daycare center cost 44 million euros. Kokkola has financed the investments with loans and leasing. For the town, this means indebtedness, a high tax rate, and tight finances.

Often, the momentum is lost due to complaints. In Kokkola, three large apartment buildings were wanted to be built in the Atom block 15 years ago, but the plan was appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court, and the construction boom passed. Now there is only one apartment building in the area.

There are also empty plots elsewhere.

Shops to be replaced

Laitinen and Koivu believe that Kokkola’s focus will shift in the future from the town square to the shopping center and the train station. The KPO hotel brings more people to the center, and the square in front of it expands the pedestrian center. The railway underpass, which connects the neighboring Kosila area to