Zoning review

The town plan projects and development and general plans of the following years will focus on supplementing the existing urban structure. Riihimäki is being developed on a human scale, as a large small town where services are close by.

The aim is to increase housing, services and jobs, especially in the station area and the city centre. In addition, new housing opportunities will be planned, carefully complementing the existing urban structure. Infill construction will take into account the characteristics of the environment, cherish local values ​​and focus on the amenity of the urban environment. Urban greenery and natural diversity will also not be forgotten. The aim of the planning is to create a starting point for an urban environment that encourages city residents to adopt climate-smart modes of transport and thus reduce the climate burden of Riihimäki residents.

The zoning of business areas will continue to focus on areas with good transport connections to complement existing workplace areas. The areas targeted for development are particularly the areas around Highway 3, Main Road 54 and Regional Road 130. The program also includes enabling the implementation of two industrial-class solar power plants through local zoning.

The development of the railway station environment continues by preparing a change in the local plan for the new campus of Häme University of Applied Sciences. Its location on the Liikerada of the Travel Center strengthens the vitality of the Riihimäki city center. Housing opportunities in the city center will be improved by completing the changes to the local plan on Kaivokatu and Pohjoisenna Rautatienkatu. The local plan for the city center of Herajoki is also under development. The aim is to plan new business premises for companies along regional road 130 and also create the basis for the construction of distinctive single-family houses that are appropriate to the location.

In addition, the goal is that the Riihimäki Master Plan 2050, approved by the council in May 2025, will enter into force in 2026.

In Riihimäki, master planning is carried out on the principle of continuous planning. The purpose of the Riihimäki Master Plan 2050 is to review, update and supplement the Master Plan 2035, which was prepared in 2013–2017. In addition, the aim is to resolve the master plan entries that were not approved in connection with the approval of the Master Plan 2035.

On 26 May 2025, the City Council approved the Riihimäki Master Plan 2050, with the exception of the agricultural and forestry-dominated area located on the border of the municipality of Loppe, insofar as it is a workplace area in the Riihimäki Master Plan 2035. One appeal has been filed with the Hämeenlinna Administrative Court against the master plan. The master plan will enter into force after legal proceedings if the appeal is rejected. When it enters into force, the Riihimäki Master Plan 2050 will replace the Riihimäki Master Plan 2035.

The Riihimäki Master Plan 2050 is a comprehensive, general land use and traffic plan for the entire city, aiming for the year 2050. The master plan has been prepared with legal effect, meaning it will guide local planning and other more detailed land use planning. However, the master plan will not affect areas that have already been zoned, unless the local plan is amended.

The general land use planning of the city of Riihimäki is a continuous process in which plans are revised, updated, supplemented and implemented on a rolling basis. In the future, the plan is to review the general plan every second council term.

More information about the preparation of the 2050 master plan.

Downtown master plan

The development of the city centre contributes to the implementation of the strategic goals of the City of Riihimäki. According to the Riihimäki Master Plan 2035, the city centre must prepare for the preparation of a development and master plan.

The master plan presents the target state of the city centre's mobility, architecture, urban greenery, business and services, and the cultural city as a whole. The master plan to be prepared will form a document guiding further planning for more detailed urban environmental planning and zoning in the city centre area.

The planning principles for developing the city center were defined in the vision for the station area and city center, which was approved by the city council in February 2019. The traffic requirements for the planning have been clarified in the city center and access road transport system plan 2040.

Learn about the vision work for the station area and the city center. 
Check out the city center and access roads transportation system plan 2040. (PDF file.)

The preparation of the city center's master plan will begin in early 2026 and is expected to be completed in spring 2027.

In the 2026 zoning review, the planning of 14 station zoning objects is programmed. Station plan projects are mainly located within the existing urban structure, complementing the center and the station area. The zoning of business areas is focused on good traffic routes to complement the already existing workplace areas. The development targets are especially the surroundings of highway 3, national road 54 and regional road 130.

You can find more information about planning projects in the planning overview and program. You can find pending urban planning projects on the urban planning website.

In addition to the projects programmed in the zoning review, urgent projects outside the review may appear, which change the presented schedule of the projects.