City of Helsinki accessibility guidelines for outdoor areas 

Urban space guidelines

Kaupunkitilaohje (‘Urban space guidelines’) takes accessibility into account in products and arrangements, i.e. accessibility is an integral element of the guidelines.

City of Helsinki accessibility guidelines for street areas

Accessibility during temporary traffic arrangements

Resident-centred worksites: a guide for roadwork planners, clients and contractors.

Permits for public areas

Organising an outdoor event, opening a terrace, excavation work, advertising in public city spaces, maintaining a mobile food kiosk, placing a demountable container on the street – these and many other operations in public areas require a permit from the City.

If you wish to rent space on a street or in a plaza or park, please refer to the information provided on this website and contact the Land Use and Monitoring unit of the Urban Environment Division.

Building and landscaping permits can be applied for via Building Control Services.

Principles of audio guidance at intersections with traffic lights

Principles and instructions for audio guidance have been drafted for intersections with traffic lights and separate pedestrian crossings. According to the planning principles, in an intersection with traffic lights, audio guidance is always installed on pedestrian crossings crossing the main street and regional feeder roads. In addition, audio guidance is installed on all pedestrian crossings on routes of special level of accessibility. On basic routes, the prerequisites for audio guidance are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

City of Helsinki accessibility guidelines for green areas 

Accessibility must be accounted for in the designs of all play areas. A play area must have an accessible entry, and children with reduced mobility or functional impairment must be able to join in the playing. 

• Play parks that aim for special-level accessibility have been determined on a map that covers the whole of Helsinki.
• Design guidelines for accessible play parks can be found on SuRaKu card No 6 (pdf). 
• The City has created criteria for special and basic-level play areas (pdf, in Finnish) to help with the design work. 
• Contrasting colours refer to the differences in shade between colours. The colours themselves do not matter, but their perceived differences on a black-and-white scale do. An adequate contrast is achieved when the difference matches that between medium grey and black or medium grey and white.