Abstract Narratives, visuality and symbolic representations are increasingly important in contemporary urban planning and development. This article seeks to understand how urbanity, one of the key goals of Helsinki's recent planning, has been constructed in the Kalasatama regeneration area. The construction of urban image and identity is viewed as soft planning, framing social space, and aiming to affect the socio‐economic future of the neighbourhood. The concept of place‐framing is used to analyse the contents of planning and development, and the findings reveal four place‐frames through which urbanity is constructed as well as the subtle political power invested in place‐framing. These place‐frames aim to present a narrative of a wealthy neighbourhood with authentic historical roots and plenty of possibilities for cultural consumption. Furthermore, this article complements the discussion on the role of discursive production of space and suggests place‐framing as an approach to better understand the socio‐economic implications and political meanings of soft planning.
Tuomas Ilmavirta (Sun,) studied this question.