Raide-Jokeri pääkaupunkiseudun verkottajana

The Jokeri-Rail is a circular public transport line planned for the Helsinki area. According to the plan the route of this modern light rail goes between Tapiola-Leppävaara-Oulunkylä-Itäkeskus. The route is similar to the current Jokeri-bus line number 550 but the light rail would bring more capacity and reliability. The aim of this study was to determine the land use on the sphere of Jokeri's influence at the present moment and in the future when the rail line is operating. The main research questions are how the Jokeri-Rail would chance the land use in the area and which are the most important nodes and targets for development. One of the questions is will Jokeri-Rail have effect on the urban structure in the metropolitan area of Helsinki. The main data used for the study has been the SeutuCD'10, which is made by Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority. From this geographical data population and employment levels, building stock as well as green area placement was studied. In addition to these spatial analyses discussions and expert interviews were also used. The literature review and a number of articles suggest that light rail transport systems have impact on both the structure and the economy of the city. On the impact area of the rail the value of the land will rise and the city structure will become denser. The geographical spatial analyses lead to a conclusion that the Jokeri-Rail will connect e.g. recreational areas with each other as well as residential areas to commercial areas. The interviews give more support for the conclusions found in the theory. Joker-Rail would make the urban structure denser and it would improve the public transport system by making it easier to perceive, as well as making it more reliable. The most important nodes and development areas along Joker-line would be Oulunkylä, Leppävaara, Huopalahti and Itäkeskus. The negative side effects of the light rail would be mainly affecting the residents who do not want the route on their back yard or the residents who's stop arrangements would be disadvantageous. Based on the interviews made for this study it can be stated that Jokeri-Rail has a broad support among experts. Because the impact of the Jokeri-Rail on the land use is significant, it would be important to strengthen the co-operation of different organizations so that the transport and urban land use planning would be done together. The implementation of Jokeri-Rail would support the urban structure and development of the metropolitan area. It would bring a new zone where the tramway would be competitive with a private car. The findings of this study support the Jokeri-Rail realization from planning to implementation as soon as possible.