SAVE SUVILAHTI DIY
PRESS
Save the Suvilahti DIY skatepark!
The Suvilahti skatepark is under the threat of being demolished in the remake of the Suvilahti area – we must prevent this from happening!
Specialities like Suvilahti DIY skatepark make the city much more interesting and exciting than a generic environment. The sense of community, stories and craftsmanship are worth a lot nowadays and they create cultural value: all of these aspects are abundantly present in the Suvilahti skatepark compared to traditional services provided by public funding. The park is a resource that should definitely not be demolished but instead be preserved as a central monument of Helsinki. It should also be strongly promoted as the vital part of the services and image of Helsinki that it already is.
Suvilahti represents the same freedom and spontaneity of skateboarding that made these people want to start skateboarding in the first place. In addition to skateboarding, Suvilahti has set the stage for several advertising campaigns, music videos, fashion shows and movies. This indicates what people look for and what they value. They want something with an edge, something real – not a clean and homogenous city.
Even Tony Hawk has visited Suvilahti twice. We asked for his view on the uniqueness of Suvilahti skatepark and its importance to Helsinki:
“The park has a unique design and challenging features like no other park I’ve been to. It is built out of pure passion, at a time when there were very few facilities and I believe the Suvilahti project is as important as Burnside is to Portland, or FDR is to Philadelphia. I think it could be the first stop for any skater visiting Helsinki, and could become a destination skatepark with some more expansion.”
Originally, it was stated that the contaminated land has to be cleaned and the height differences have to be evened. There are alternative solutions to these problems that would enable saving the main part of the existing skatepark. With this petition, we wish to find a common standpoint with the decision makers in Helsinki, in order to save the skatepark.
Places and cultural hotspots like this can’t be bought or create overnight. Demolishing the Suvilahti DIY skatepark would be a devastating loss for it’s builders, skaters, the city of Helsinki and to many who has grown to enjoy the cultural diversity around it.
Please sign the petition and show your support on saving the park.
Kind regards,
The friends and supporters of the skatepark of Suvilahti and it’s surrounding areas Association.
SIGN Here
