Kannelmäki is a developing green residential area close to nature with a population of 13,000 and offering various outdoor and cultural services. It is located next to the Ring Rail Line, which is only about 14 minutes by train from the centre of Helsinki.
Malminkartano-Kannelmäki is one of the three suburban regeneration areas. Suburban regeneration means the long-term development of Kannelmäki through, for example, infill development and the development of services but also smaller short-term measures to improve the urban environment, for instance, in the station region and other public places.
Kannelmäki Station and Sitratori Square form a dense centre for the area where blocks of flats, terraced houses and detached houses have been built over multiple decades. The theatre and concert hall Kanneltalo is located in the immediate vicinity of the Kannelmäki train station. Kanneltalo Hall hosts several premieres and a diverse visiting programme each year.
The vast green area of Kartanonhaka opens up on both sides of the Mätäjoki River, which meanders between Malminkartano and Kannelmäki. Its park and river landscapes provide a great setting for walks and all kinds of outdoor activities. A basin with a large pier has been dug in the bend of the river, which is popular amongst various bird species.
There are plenty of great outdoor activities in the Kannelmäki area. A short walk south of Ring I is the Lassila sports park, which has, among other things, a trampoline and motor coordination course and, in winter, an artificial ice rink. North of Kannelmäki is also Malminkartanonhuippu with its fitness stairs.
In the planning, the aim is to develop the surroundings of the station and the Kaari shopping centre into versatile service environments.
The Vihdintie light rail is planned to extend via Lassila to the Kaari shopping centre up to Kantelettarentie.
New housing and commercial premises will be built on the site of the old Kannelmäki shopping centre in accordance with the detailed plan approved in 2016.
Local detailed plans determine the land use of an area, for example, where apartments, offices, parks, streets and other roads will be built.
Kannelmäki is located near excellent public traffic connections. Via the Ring Rail Line, it only takes 20 minutes by train to the airport and 14 minutes to the city centre. In the future, Kannelmäki will be a part of the tram city as the new Vihdintie light rail connection, which is part of the general plan for tramways in Western Helsinki, will run from the city centre via Munkkiniemi to the terminus of the line at Kantelettarentie in Kannelmäki.
The commercial services in Kannelmäki are concentrated in the Kaari shopping centre, the area of the Kannelmäki shopping centre and the Kannelmäki station area.
There are several day-care centres, schools, retirement homes and a health centre in Kannelmäki and its vicinity. New day-care centres are also under construction. Kanneltalo offers cultural services, a library and a youth centre.