Munkkiniemi-Haaga and Greater Helsinki - Urban Planning Studies and Proposals By Eliel Saarinen

Saarinen’s Munkkiniemi-Haaga (1910–15), was commissioned by businessman Julius Tallberg. His masterplan bears the influences of urban thinkers like Camillo Sitte, Raymond Unwin, as well as Georges-Eugène Haussmann. Saarinen provided urban and building typologies, which included terraced houses (a new development in Finland), and blocks with apartments centered around courtyards. The unrealised plan was published in book form as well as a model. As part of Tallberg’s Pro Helsingfors project (1918), Saarinen’s future vision for Helsinki envisaged a decentralised but radial organisation linking various nodes to the urban centre by an ample hierarchy of streets. Saarinen’s social vision included accommodating citizens with a a mix of various income levels.