You can read article in Finnish: Data auttaa parantamaan keskustan vetovoimaa
The vitality of urban centers is measured by various indicators, such as the number of passengers in private and public transport, company sales, and property rental levels. Urban planning and business decision-making are now aided by more advanced measurement and analysis tools. One such tool has been developed by the real estate consultancy Nortecon, whose ”Center Vitality Index” report provides analyzed data on the number of visitors to city centers. The time spent in the area can also be measured per visitor while maintaining anonymity.
“Until now, the challenge has been to obtain accurate information on people’s movements in city centers at different times. There hasn’t been readily available data that cities and businesses could directly utilize,” says Nortecon’s CEO, Tero Lassila.
Mobile Data Reveals People’s Movements
According to Lassila, the idea of measuring the attractiveness of city centers in a new way emerged during the coronavirus period when the pandemic emptied Helsinki’s central core. The company’s experts began to consider how to get solid data on changes in visitor numbers rather than relying on visual estimates. The solution was found in the anonymous location data collected by Telia from mobile devices. With this, the flow of people entering and leaving the center can be monitored, but individual movements are not tracked.
“The Vitality Index shows how many people move in the center, how long they spend there, and where they come from. The data also reveals at what time people are on the move and how the days of the week differ from each other,” Lassila explains.
Central Core Visitor Numbers Plummeted
For the Vitality Index, Nortecon and the City of Helsinki have defined the central core as the area roughly extending from Katajanokka’s Allas Sea Pool to Finlandia Hall. The area covers Kamppi to the west and the blocks adjacent to the center in Kruununhaka to the east.
According to Tero Lassila, it is crucial to monitor changes in visitor numbers rather than absolute annual figures. Compared to a few years ago, the number of visitors to Helsinki’s central area has dropped by nearly one third. In 2019, there were 98 million visitors, and last year there were only 67 million.
“This is a dramatic change,” emphasizes Lassila.
However, he quickly points out that, in absolute terms, the visitor numbers to the central core are still overwhelmingly higher compared to shopping centers along Ring Road I and other commercial hubs in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.
“The development trend of the central core is good. According to the latest information, visitor numbers are continuing to recover this year, but there is still a long way to go before reaching the pre-pandemic level. It may be that this is a permanent decrease in level,” speculates Lassila.
Helsinki Lagging Behind Competitors
Nortecon has also measured the vitality of city centers elsewhere in Finland. According to Lassila, among the large cities, Helsinki experienced the biggest drop during the pandemic period.
“For example, in the centers of Tampere and Turku, there were roughly the same number of people last year as in 2019. Nortecon has compiled annual reports on visitor numbers to city centers but, due to requests from cities, monthly reporting is now also being developed,” says Lassila.
“Monitoring can be done in smaller geographical areas as well. For example, for the City of Helsinki, we have provided information on the effects of a temporary experiment in the Esplanadi area. The City of Helsinki has also commissioned Nortecon to compare Helsinki’s central development with Stockholm, Oslo, and Copenhagen from 2019 to 2023,” he continues.
The results were not flattering for Helsinki. Visitor numbers in the centers of Stockholm and Oslo were nearly 40 per cent higher than in 2019. Even in Copenhagen, there was growth of a couple of percent.
According to Lassila, the drop in Helsinki would have been even steeper if foreign tourists had been included in the data. For example, the disappearance of Russian and Asian tourists is not reflected in the analysis.
“In the future, the goal is to report the numbers and foreign tourists and the amount time they spend there,” says Lassila.
New Tools for Measuring People Flow
New technologies that utilize data from various sensors, smart cameras, and radar technology also provide more accurate information about people’s movements in public spaces and individual buildings.
AI and analytics tools that analyze data in real time are playing a central role in new solutions.
Elevator and escalator company Kone has long been developing methods to measure and plan people flow in buildings, based on data from various sensors, information modeling, and data analytics.
As an elevator manufacturer, Kone has delved particularly deeply into vertical movement. The company’s digital innovation specialist, Juha-Matti Kuusinen, says that movement in elevators can be calculated using built-in sensors.
“The weight sensor in an elevator car can estimate the number of passengers. The data collected from elevator calls provides useful information, for example, about waiting times,” notes Kuusinen.
AI Aids in Analyzing Movement
Similar measurement and analysis methods can also be utilized in public spaces like railway stations, where movement occurs mainly horizontally.
Kuusinen explains that people flows are counted in public space escalators using various sensors. In the latest applications, AI cameras are also being utilized.
“AI is used in software that recognizes different shapes from video footage and differentiates between, for example, human figures, bicycles, or baby carriages,” says Kuusinen. He emphasizes that the collected data is always processed ethically and legally. In Kone’s solution, AI cameras do not perform facial recognition.
“Data security is also ensured by not storing the image; instead, it is automatically destroyed half a second after processing,” he continues.
Stereo cameras installed on ceilings are also used to monitor entire floors and other larger areas, accurately measuring the movement of people in the camera’s field of view. The same system uses lidar radar technology, familiar from car parking sensors.
Digital Twin of the Metro Station
Juha-Matti Kuusinen notes that monitoring and simulating people flows in different situations require visually user-friendly applications. The latest tools utilize 3D simulation and visualization.
For example, Kone has created a digital twin of the Helsinki Central Railway Station metro station, a virtual copy that collects real-time data from various sources and analyzes it. The computer model can predict future events and test scenarios, and optimizes ways to facilitate movement.
“The digital twin helps understand people’s routes and prevent congestion-causing bottlenecks along them,” says Kuusinen.
In addition, he believes that it is essential to understand where people come from to the railway station and where they continue from there. That way, smooth movement can also be ensured in the surrounding areas.
Smooth Movement in Hubs
Kuusinen of Kone believes that the attractiveness of city centers is crucially dependent on smooth movement at public transport hubs, allowing people to easily reach their desired destination.
“At railway, metro, and bus stations, routes must be planned to avoid the worst bottlenecks, even during rush hours for commuter traffic. For instance, the comfort of using the metro is significantly reduced if station platforms become congested. Crowding also increases the risk of accidents,” says Kuusinen.
“The popularity of public transport is significantly influenced by its reliability. Vehicles must stick to the schedule or, if unexpected changes occur, they must be communicated in real-time and preferably proactively,” he adds.
In practice, movement at public transport hubs is guided by information and guidance boards. Various light and sound signals also help navigate metro stations.
“There are also mobile applications available to facilitate smooth movement and its guidance, such as the HSL route planner in the Helsinki region,” notes Kuusinen.
A Shared Situational Awareness Based on Facts
HOK-Elanto’s Real Estate Manager, Jyrki Karjalainen, welcomes the new technologies and methods that help obtain reliable data on the vitality of Helsinki’s city center.
“Clear facts and universally accepted indicators are needed to form a shared situational awareness and build joint actions to enhance vitality based on them,” he says. Karjalainen believes it is unfortunate that a common view of Helsinki’s city center has not been achieved. Instead, individual perspectives may be bolstered by random observations or by deliberately misinterpreting measurement data.
Various metrics have been developed to measure the vitality of the city center, some of which are better than others, according to Karjalainen.
Useful information is provided, for example, by HSL’s figures on public transport usage, main road traffic measurements, and parking hall occupancy rates. HOK-Elanto also monitors the number of visitors and sales in shopping centers.
The Sound of the Cash Register is the Best Metric
The vitality of the city center is also reflected in the development of tourist numbers and hotel occupancy rates.
Additionally, Karjalainen monitors an index that tracks the development of the number of vacant street-level commercial spaces.
“It is, however, a slow metric, as companies that have abandoned their premises have usually been facing difficulties for some time,” he says. “Office space occupancy rates do not tell the whole truth, either, as there is hidden underuse due to people working remotely. The real situation will only become apparent when companies renew their leases and move to smaller premises.”
According to Karjalainen, location data from mobile operators and measurement devices installed at the entrances of shopping centers also provide useful information for an operator like HOK-Elanto.
“However, these metrics do not indicate how many paying customers were present, so the top metrics are the ringing of our stores’ cash registers and the development of average purchases. HOK-Elanto is not a significant property owner in Helsinki’s city center, as almost all stores, restaurants, and hotels are located in rented premises,” says Karjalainen.
“We look particularly closely at the data and metrics indicating the vitality of the city center when making decisions about new lease agreements or terminating them,” he concludes.
Reliable Data is Needed for Development Actions
Markku Lahtinen, Helsinki Chamber of Commerce’s Advocacy Director, is also pleased that more fact-based information about the situation in Helsinki’s city center is now available.
“The data can be used, for example, in redevelopment projects and experiments aimed at improving vitality,” notes Lahtinen.
The City of Helsinki has commissioned an external expert to conduct a ”Vitality Actions” study, focusing on the city’s activities in the central core. The city and business community’s joint HELY group is also working on a will-statement study. This study brings together different stakeholders’ views on what a vital city center means and how it can be achieved.
“It is essential that all studies are based on data rather than perceptions. It’s great that the city is investing in analyses based on facts. The Chamber of Commerce also wants to promote the use of objective indicators in data-driven leadership,” emphasizes Lahtinen.
He hopes that, in addition to individual studies, the city, businesses, and other stakeholders will also strengthen communication in developing the city center. For instance, at annual meetings, the situational picture could be updated and the necessary actions could be discussed together.
“In addition to various metrics and monitoring indicators, companies could also bring to the table information that is not publicly available, concludes Lahtinen.
The first version of this translation was done by AI, the translation was checked by a professional translator.
