The concept of the ideal city: the case of Finnish orthogonal towns

Abstract

Most old towns in Finland are characterized by their orthogonal structure. During a period of about 300 years the architectural principles of the Renaissance were followed. The concept of the ideal city was applied to an environment with a building tradition totally different from that of the countries in which the concept was created. The ideal grid structure could be transferred into this part of the periphery of Europe without difficulty, but the resulting townscape with its wooden buildings was far from Renaissance ideals. There was a constant dialogue between the goals of fire safety and stateliness of the townscape, on the one hand, and the actual urban environment on the other. The battle against fires was waged by restructur-ing towns and by developing new guidelines for building. Even when town plans were restructured, characteristics of Renaissance ideals were preserved. Rows of deciduous trees, which were introduced as a new structural component in the late-eighteenth century, eventually proved decisive in creating an ambience suitable for wooden towns. A specific type of grid plan characteristic of Finnish wooden towns was created. The new block was divided into plots with wide fire streets which were planted with deciduous trees. Finland was able to create its own concept of the ideal city.