Viikki

Abstract

The Viikki section of Helsinki is still several years away from completion, but it already ranks, easily, as the largest and most ambitious green housing development in the world. Located in the geographical center of the city and about five miles northeast of downtown, it includes approximately 5,000 units as of this writing, with about 8,000 to come. It is home to a satellite campus of the University of Helsinki and a biotechnology incubator, as well as public schools scattered throughout its streets. Eventually it will accommodate 6,000 jobs and 6,000 students to go along with its 13,000 residents. Theoretically, it will be possible for a child born to a family living there to go through primary, secondary, and university education, and then begin working within its confines, all without having to leave the neighborhood.