ABSTRACT
In contemporary urban politics, street naming policies regulate the contingency of naming. They contain procedures, authoritative agents, and criteria for the proposal and acceptance of street names. Regarding street naming as a political activity introduces different temporal layers to the polity. In particular, the chapter illustrates the practices and the possibilities of naming politics through a historical sketch of the politics of street naming in Helsinki, read in the broader European context. The authoritative act of street naming can also be a source of conflict, for example between career officials and naming experts, while the city council's parliamentary committees hardly have more than a veto power over decisions. The power in a naming polity relates directly to the right of the actual majorities in the city council to draw their own lines into the city-text, thereby contributing to the street naming profile of the city.
