The City of Hämeenlinna is preparing a city-wide master plan to establish guidelines for what Hämeenlinna will be like in 2050. The City Board decided on the master plan guidelines and objectives at a meeting on 20 November 2023 (§ 409). The master plan contributes to the implementation of the city strategy “Attractive and Successful City of Growth 2030,” approved by the City Council on 6 October 2025 (§ 127), which requires economic, ecological, social, and cultural sustainability. The implementation of the city strategy is supported by various programmes relevat to land use and zoning: the Carbon Neutral Hämeenlinna 2035 target, the Hämeenlinna for Events and Tourism culture roadmap, and the Housing City Programme currently under preparation.
According to Section 9 of the Land Use and Building Act, a plan must be based on planning that assesses significant impacts and the necessary research and reports. The land use needs for built environment and nature are coordinated through zoning and reports on various themes. The goal is to create opportunities for a vibrant, sustainably developing, and pleasant home town. The necessary measures to address climate change are considered. The city’s historical values and architectural heritage are also part of the city’s future. In connection with the zoning process, reports are prepared on various topics, such as the transport network, the built cultural environment, and commercial services. Service network reports, the city centre vision, and the city’s biodiversity programme (LUMO) are also considered in the master plan.
The Blue-Green Network Report, part of the background studies, was completed in late 2025. The work consists of an analysis of the current state of the Blue-Green network, which works as the base of guidelines for its development in the area. The development of the Blue-Green network combines diverse and sometimes conflicting interests (unbuilt and built environments), the reconciliation of which will be resolved at the master plan level through the plan map. In addition to the report, the Blue-Green Network Report includes comprehensive map data.
You can participate in the preparation of the master plan, for example, at public events and by providing feedback to develop the plan solution at announced times. The background data and interaction for the master plan are described in the participation and assessment plan, which is updated as the planning process progresses.
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A commercial report is being prepared in 2026 to examine issues related to the city’s vitality and the current state and development needs of the retail service network. In addition, a built cultural environment report and an archaeological report related to the city’s history will be prepared, which will also include fieldwork during the summer season. The reports are published in late 2026.
The aim of the archaeological inventory is to identify previously unrecorded prehistoric relics to support the planning process. The fieldwork for the archaeological inventory is focused in June. Archaeologists and other inventory staff will be moving around the areas being checked during the fieldwork. The fieldwork is mainly focused on unbuilt areas in and around urban settlements. There is generally no need to enter or conduct inventories in the yards of residential building sites.
In connection with the preparation of the built cultural environment report, the building stock in Hämeenlinna is being inventoried to assess its cultural-historical, architectural, or landscape value. The inventory is being conducted because, according to Section 5 of the Land Use and Building Act, one of the objectives of land use planning must be to promote the preservation of the beauty and cultural values of the built environment. The building inventory data will be used in the master plan work when considering, for example, the conservation values of individual buildings or entire areas, and when assessing the impacts of the plan solution on built cultural environments.
In connection with the report, buildings and built areas will be photographed between June and September 2026, during weeks 25–40. The surveyor will travel around Hämeenlinna on roads and, if necessary, in yards to photograph buildings from the outside. The interiors of buildings will not be inventoried or photographed, and the surveyor will not enter any buildings. The report is being prepared by Ramboll on behalf of the city. Architect Kirsikka Siik is the project manager responsible for the inventory work, phone 050 324 5527, kirsikka.siik@ramboll.fi, and cultural environment specialist Liina Luoma is responsible for the practical fieldwork, phone 044 493 2938, liina.luoma@ramboll.fi. Any additional information regarding the buildings and their history can also be sent to Luoma.
