Parking spaces will be transformed into oases from June to September

If the number of cars in urban areas were to decrease in the future due to an increase in sustainable mobility, what other uses could parking spaces have in cities? This is being tested at Pyynikintori square and Hallituskatu, which will feature green oases in place of parking spaces from June to September. The oases are intended to be pleasant places to relax in for all citizens.

The goal of the parking space experiments is to make young people’s visions for future urban spaces visible, increase their opportunities to influence urban planning, and create more communal and pleasant spaces in the city.

The trials combine art with young people’s ideas about the future

The Pyynikintori oasis is the size of six parking spaces and is located on the west side of the square. The oasis will feature ten wooden boxes serving as benches and large plant pots. The Hallituskatu pilot is located at the intersection of Hallituskatu and Aleksis Kiven katu, replacing two parking spaces. It will feature two concrete benches and medium-sized plant pots. In both areas, painted furniture will add color and art, and on Hallituskatu, the asphalt will also be painted.

The parking space pilot is based on ideas from Tampere’s high school students, which were collected through the “Come Up with Other Uses for Parking Space” idea competition in 2025. The ideas emphasized greenery, street art, and comfortable seating areas.

– We want to encourage young people to participate in urban planning and think about how they move around the city. The importance of urban space use will become even more pronounced in the future as the city grows and extreme weather events, such as heat waves, become more frequent. Parking trials and our previous workshops with young people have shown that young people are capable of taking a critical approach to current spatial solutions. In their visions, public space in Tampere is often green and adorned with art, and it enables community activities and sustainable mobility, says Maiju Juntunen, Project Manager of the Mobility Mindshift project.

Young people get to participate in the implementation

Tampere residents aged 15–29 are invited to participate in the implementation of the pilot sites and create urban spaces that reflect their own vision. Painting events will be held in the areas on June 15 and 17 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., where young people can paint the asphalt and street furniture. If it rains, the events will be postponed by one week. The alternate dates are June 22 and June 24 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

You can choose one of the locations or visit both to paint. The painting is organized in collaboration with the Street Art Office Tampere. The office will provide painting supplies and offer guidance on painting with a visual artist. The project will conclude in September, when the street furniture will be dismantled and the area cleaned up.

– At the painting events, young people can leave their mark on the city with minimal effort. Art created together fosters a sense of community and makes the environment more interesting, says Piritta Suominen of the Street Art Office.

The trials are part of the Mobility Mindshift project, which aims to inspire young people to move sustainably now and in the future, as well as to come up with ideas for new types of urban spaces using creative and playful methods. The Mobility Mindshift project is being implemented by the City of Tampere, Tredu, high schools, and the University of Tampere. The project is funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe program.