ABSTRACT
This description is from a city guide published in 1936. It shows the importance of greenness for the image of Helsinki even before the Second World War. But, how green was Helsinki in reality in this period? In this chapter, the changes in Helsinki’s open and green space from 1917 to the 1960s will be examined. The year 1917 has been chosen as the starting point not only because of Finland’s independence from Russia in December 1917, but more importantly because of the new law on equal municipal voting rights that came into force the following year. This marked an important change in the power structure of municipal government as the new voting system brought new decision makers to the civic forum.
