Street and park planning glossary
This glossary contains terms used in street and park planning as well as their definitions. The purpose of the glossary is to make it easier to understand the city’s street and park plans and to facilitate communication.
A carriageway is the part of a street or road intended for vehicular traffic, consisting of one or more lanes.
The section of a carriageway designated for vehicular traffic, either marked with road markings or separated by structural means.
A detailed plan defines the boundaries and designated uses of the areas included in the plan, such as streets and parks. It also specifies aspects such as the volume of construction and the principles concerning the placement of buildings and, where necessary, construction methods. The detailed plan is an official document subject to an approval process in accordance with the Land Use and Building Act.
Baana is a high-quality main cycling route intended for smooth cycling (the cyclist’s ‘motorway’).
An ecological corridor allows wildlife to move between habitats. Maintaining ecological corridors is especially important as the city becomes more densely built and roads, residential areas and other construction create barriers to the movement of wildlife.
A margin strip is the section of a street area that separates different modes of traffic. Lights and traffic signs are often placed in the margin strip, and the strip can also serve as a snow storage area in the winter. Margin strips can be grass-covered or paved.
A street on which driving speed is reduced through traffic-calming measures to 30 km/h or less. Traffic-calming measures include speed bumps, winding street alignments, and surface materials.
The maintenance class defines, for example, how soon a street is ploughed after snowfall or how often the grass in a park is mowed.
Stormwater refers to rainwater, meltwater or runoff water that flows from impermeable surfaces such as rooftops in built-up areas into ditches, pipes or stormwater sewers, eventually reaching streams, rivers, lakes and the sea. If the sewers cannot handle all the stormwater, flooding can occur.
A stormwater depression is typically an excavated widening of an existing ditch where rainwater collects in the event of flooding. After the flooding subsides, the rainwater flows back into the ditch from the depression. The depression can also be designed so that rainwater is absorbed into the ground from its bottom. Usually, meadow vegetation is planted in stormwater depressions.
Service traffic refers to the movement of vehicles that provide essential services. In accordance with the Road Traffic Act, service vehicles have the right to drive in certain pedestrian areas, provided that this is indicated by an additional panel underneath a traffic sign. Service traffic is strictly regulated, and there must always be a legal basis for it.
A structure, either above ground or embedded at ground level, designed for plantings.
A pavement is an area designated for pedestrian use as defined in the Road Traffic Act.
The road surfacing is a structure made of frost-resistant material, such as crushed stone. The surfacing can also be referred to as the structural layers of the road.
Structural soil consists of crushed stone and mineral-rich soil mixed in a suitable ratio for the intended use. The crushed stone forms a strong structural foundation that supports the surrounding infrastructure and prevents the finer soil particles from compacting.
A street area is the area in a detailed plan designated for all the street functions.
A street plan is an official document that enables street construction and is prepared for all streets within a detailed plan area. A street plan must undergo the approval process defined in the Land Use and Building Act. A street plan proposal becomes a street plan once it has been approved by the Technical Services Committee.
After a draft street plan has been made and reviewed, a street plan proposal is drawn up. The proposal is made available for public review for a period of at least 14 days. After this period, the proposal is submitted to the Technical Services Committee for approval.
A draft street plan is a preliminary plan for a street area drawn up in interaction with interested parties.
Planting areas refer to the parts of the street designated for plants.
Cobblestone paving is a surface made of rounded natural stones set in stone dust, sand, or semi-dry concrete. Cobblestone paving is not intended for active pedestrian use.
A median strip is an area in the middle of a street, often raised, that separates opposing lanes of traffic.
KAVL is an abbreviation commonly used in Finnish street plans to describe the volume of average weekday traffic.
A collector road collects traffic from residential streets and carries it to main roads.
Elevation refers to the height of a surface in relation to sea level.
As defined in the Road Traffic Act, a pedestrian street is a street intended for pedestrian use but where bicycle traffic is also allowed. A pedestrian street is always marked with a traffic sign.
Nature and landscape management plans describe how forest areas and meadows are managed in different areas. The plans include information about the history and values of the planning area, as well as guidelines for management measures for the next ten years. Nature and landscape management plans serve as a handbook for those implementing the plans and as an information resource for local residents regarding planned forest management measures.
A smooth-surfaced, flat piece of natural stone, intended for paving pedestrian areas.
Earthworks involves modifying the natural surface of the environment through excavation, filling or quarrying.
The alignment line and station numbers indicate distances on a street and its total length. They function like a ruler placed on top of the street.
A cube-shaped paving block made of natural stone.
A rectangular paving block made of natural stone.
A station is a number on the alignment line that indicates the distance from the start of the planning area (station 0) in metres. Stations are marked with short lines perpendicular to the alignment line at intervals of 10 or 20 metres and numbered at intervals of 50 or 100 meters.
A pile cap is a concrete slab cast on the ground on top of piles. Pile caps are used when the load-bearing capacity of the soil is poor.
Station interval refers to the space between two stations. Example: “Shrubs will be planted on the median strip between stations 60 and 90.” This means that shrubs will be planted in the area between 60 and 90 metres from the start of the planning area (left edge), i.e. over a 30-meter stretch.
Timber edging is a supportive edging structure made of pressure-treated wood.
A residential zone is marked with a traffic sign and intended for pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles. When driving a vehicle on a residential street, pedestrians must be given unobstructed passage and the speed limit is 20 km/h.
The longitudinal gradient indicates how steep a street is. The gradient is expressed as a percentage.
Soil reinforcement refers to improving the load-bearing capacity of the soil using various methods.
A cross section refers to a representation of a street area as if the street is cut in half. A cross section shows otherwise hidden details, such as underground pipes and structures, lane widths, and road gradients.
A bollard is a post or barrier used for traffic control.
A park area is an area designated for recreational activities in the detailed plan (marked as a V, VP, VL or EV area).
A park plan is an administrative plan for a park area (marked as a V, VP, VL or EV area in the detailed plan), according to which the park is built. Park plans are approved by the Street Manager or the Technical Services Committee, depending on the size of the park and the project budget. Park plans do not include details, and park construction requires more detailed building plans.
A cycle lane is a marked one-way section along the side of a road reserved for cyclists.
A cycle zone is a street marked with a traffic sign and used by both cyclists and motor vehicles. In a cycle zone, cyclists have the right of way.
A cycle path is an area designated for cycling under the Road Traffic Act.
A main street serves regional traffic and traffic between city districts.
A structural layer refers to a structure made of frost-resistant stone material in street construction.
A construction plan defines in detail all construction work, materials and methods.
A kerb is usually placed between two surface layers that are built at different levels. It can be made of natural stone or concrete, and it supports the materials and gives the structure a neat appearance. Kerbs can also be used to channel stormwater into drains.
A culvert is a pipe that runs under a street, intersection or pedestrian path and allows water to flow from one side to the other.
See Kenttäkiveys – Cobblestone paving.
Crossfall describes the slope of a road surface perpendicular to the centreline. The surface of a street is designed to be laterally sloping, for example for drainage purposes. In a cross section, crossfall can be expressed as a number. For example, 0.03 means a three per cent slope.
Stabilisation refers to the reinforcing of the soil and increasing its load-bearing capacity by adding cement or lime. Stabilisation is a method of soil reinforcement.
Special structures refer to structures made of steel, concrete or wood, such as bridges and walls, that require a special design process.
A budget or financial plan is a document approved by the City Council that determines in what order projects are carried out.
A needs assessment is carried out to examine the feasibility and costs of a project. A needs assessment reduces risks and surprises associated with a project.
A residential street only serves properties along the street, such as residential areas.
A retaining wall is designed to hold the surrounding soil in place, prevent the sliding of the soil, and provide additional support for the soil. There are various types of retaining walls, such as terraced and cantilever walls. A retaining wall can be built of different materials, such as concrete and stone.
A flood relief route, or flood relief channel, is a route to which stormwater is directed when the capacity of rainwater sewers has been exceeded.
A flood plain is often built next to a ditch but at a lower level than the surrounding environment. It acts as an additional space where water can flow in a controlled manner in the event of flooding.
A retention basin collects water during heavy rainfall, and the water then slowly flows from the basin into the stormwater system. This helps manage the burden on the stormwater system during heavy rain.
Interaction refers to the stages of a planning project during which comments are requested from interested parties affected by the project.
A separating strip is a collective term for both a margin strip and a median strip. See Margin strip (erotuskaista) and Median strip (keskikaista).
A general plan is prepared for a street and/or park area during detailed planning or once the detailed plan for the area has entered into force.