The vitality of Riihimäki city center has declined – the transformation of retail is also challenging Riihimäki

28.5.2026 News Living in Riihimäki Culture and leisure Keskusta Vitality Trying

A cyclist is walking his bike away from the bike rack in a summery downtown pedestrian street. He is out of focus due to his movement. He is accompanied by a woman. There is also a terrace full of people on the pedestrian street. — The city enlivens the city center with events, such as the Aukiot events. Photo: Teo Cederqvist

The vitality of the Riihimäki city centre and the station area has been measured again using the calculation method used by the Association of Living City Centres (EKK). The vitality figure for the Riihimäki city centre has weakened by approximately 6 percent over a two-year period.

The vitality calculation is based on monitoring the occupancy rate of commercial premises and sectors, as well as monitoring the density of residential areas in the city centre. The share of vacant commercial premises in the centre of Riihimäki (13 percent) is higher than the average in city centres (11 percent).

"Lively city centers are based on services and experiences. The city center's street-level entrepreneurs play an important role in creating a pleasant and attractive city center. I encourage entrepreneurs to boldly spread out in front of their business premises by bringing resting places, flower plantings or other street space that invites people to linger and meet. We in Riihimäki also have great examples of this. It's worth going to the city center to see them, for example during the upcoming Wilderness Fair weekend," encourages vitality director Anna-Riitta Kujala.

According to the Vitality Census, between spring 2024 and 2026, the number of shops serving on Saturdays in the center of Riihimäki decreased by approximately 9 percent. The number of services serving on weekdays increased by 10 percent. The number of food outlets has remained the same – there are 32 restaurants and cafes in the center.

Positive signals

In February, Osuuskauppa Hämeenmaa announced that it would build a new S-market in the center of Riihimäki at Keskuskatu 15. The former Foorumi shopping center will soon be demolished at this address. The new S-market is scheduled to open in the fall of 2027.

"The S-market in the city center will become an anchor that will attract a steady stream of customers and, with it, other operators to locate nearby. A few commercial spaces for tenants are also planned for the S-market building," says Planning Manager Niina Matkala.

The proportion of shops open on Saturdays in the city center has already changed slightly since the calculation made in February.

"Some good things have happened during the first half of this year. We have got a new bar on Hämeenkatu and we just heard that we will get a new chain restaurant location in the city center. The demand for premises is fluctuating, but according to my own rental barometer, the first half of 2026 has been busier than 2025," says Reima Ojanen, Business Development Manager at Business Riihimäki.

The number of city center residents has increased

For the vitality of the city centre, it is important that as many people as possible live and work in the city centre.

The center of Riihimäki now has a population of approximately 9,500. The number of residents in the center has increased by over a thousand residents between 2000 and 2024 (an increase of approximately 12,5 percent).

The population density of the city centre is now 3,022 inhabitants per square kilometre, which is slightly higher than, for example, Hyvinkää. In the calculation, the city centre is defined within a kilometre radius of the commercial centre of the city centre (the intersection of Hämeenkatu and Keskuskatu).

A dense city center improves accessibility to services and mitigates climate change. The city's desire for a dense urban structure and determined work to preserve it are the reasons behind this.

The vitality calculation was commissioned by the City of Riihimäki and its subsidiary Business Riihimäki. Riihimäki has been monitoring the vitality of the city center and the station area since 2018.

The Association of Living City Centres (EKK) measures the vitality of city centres every two years. EKK published this year's results today, 28 May 2026.