Construction has started at Mäkikaivo

The runner-up was the Finnish architect Pentti Kareoja. The jury's opinion of Kareoja´s entry is: "The bastion-like composition and the outdoor-indoor rhythm are unique and create an interesting, appealing scale and atmosphere. There are some details that must be studied, such as the living trees in the buildings, and the parking, but they are easily solved without losing sight of the architectural aims. The general touch and the interiors are refreshing." 
The city plan of the area has been adjusted in accordance with the runnerup entry. Construction has started and first inhabitants will be moving to the area in the summer of 2000.

During the last few years old industrial areas in the city centre of Vaasa have been re-planned for housing. One example is the former industrial area, Mäkikaivo that participated in four European architectural competitions. 
The competition area is a former industrial block close to the city centre. The ground of the area is fairly even. The old warehouses in the area will be torn down. In the master plan for Central Vaasa the competition area has been reserved for multi-storey residential use. The site covers 2.4 hectares. It is to be used for living and for activities supporting residential use. 10 % of the floor area may be used for other construction, which also supports residential use.
The aim of the competitions was to find a design which outlines the

Vaasa - Mäkikaivo

goals of living in the 21st century and possesses high environmental quality. The solution is meant to serve as the starting point for a new town plan for the area. It has been stated as a wish that the design should promote the birth of a safe and balanced residential community, and that attention should be paid to the mediating role of the area between the adjoining areas of low-rise housing and public buildings. 
The floor area shall be, according to the competition rules, between 15.000 m˛ and 20.000 m˛. The lower limit admits onelevel parking; the upper limit requires multi-level parking. Depending on the solution, the highest number of storeys can vary between 2 and 5. 
The jury has paid special attention to the quality of city space, to the functioning of the dwellings, to innovative forms of living, and to the multi-functionality of outdoor spaces. The entries shall have been feasible with respect to building and maintenance costs and they shall be suited for the climate of Northern Europe. The winner of the competition was the Swiss architect Jean-Lou Rivier. 

planners etc. 350 persons participated in the meetings. The discussion was widely reported in the media. 86 remarks and proposals were raised during the meeting. Participants were also requested to take part in the questionnaire asking whether to keep the existing green areas or to rebuild historical houses. 140 answers were received, mostly supporting the proposals included in the plan. All remarks and proposals were forwarded to the City Board which approved several of them. The Mayor of Gdansk, Mr Paweł Adamowicz presented the results of the public debate on the Main Town master plan at a special press conference held in January 2000. 
In the future public debates may be organised also in other fields of public life - wherever the city authorities want to involve the public the discussion and cooperation.

For the past few years the Gdansk authorities are striving to involve public participation in the process of creating master plans for the respective city districts. The aim is to get the ideas from the citizens, not only involve them formally. 
That's why since the end of 1998 the city introduced the program of public debates. This is a unique program aimed at involving the citizens in the planning of their city development. The citizens have an opportunity to work on the local master plans, together with the city authorities and planners. This method has been introduced jointly by the city authorities, NGOs and Gijbels Institute from Rotterdam, acting on behalf of Dutch governmental fund MATRA. 
The public debates:
· disseminate information about the local master plans 
· give all citizens interested in city development a chance to express their opinions, and at the same time, the city authorities may verify 

their concepts preliminarily adopted in the projected master plans 
· allow the city authorities to present their arguments in controversial cases 
· create a way for citizens to be involved in the city decision making process 
· foster the democratisation of public life Until now two public debates have taken place. The first one concerning the Ołowianka island was described as very positive by participants. It was run by the Dutch guests along with Gdansk NGOs and city clerks. The debate resulted in moving all technical infrastructure from the island and reserving the whole island for tourism and culture purposes. 
The second debate carried out by the City Hall clerks and NGOs was devoted to the plan of the Main Town. Five meetings have been held with the citizens, NGOs and opinion-makers such as architects,