Anna Dzebliuk — PALJASSAARE

HOPE (LESS/FULL) PLACE

I was born in the early 2000s in Ukraine, so the garage area is still familiar to me, even though it is not my personal story. The garage was a place where my grandfather held his car and belongings, a place where he took small me with him to pick up some work tools and say “hi” to his old friend.

Garages appeared in areas between planned developments, which were deemed marginal and left aside. That created unique favorable conditions to develop a vernacular landscape where it was possible to express people’s everyday needs rather than state ideology. A garage was considered a surplus and a luxury thing, while housing was a necessity. Not everyone had an opportunity to be a garage owner, which made it the object of desire and pride. However, due to changes in political regimes and the transformation of society, the perception of garages radically changed. Now their presence is seen mostly as remains of the past that do not correspond to people's modern needs.

Garages initially were planned on the periphery of the city, far from the main urban areas. However, with rapid urbanization, these areas have been absorbed into the city’s fabric, creating new challenges for their survival. As Tauri Tuvikene explains in Shifting Political Regimes and Urban Landscapes, “Functions of some of these landscapes have changed, reflecting societal conditions, as other elements may have preserved their previous function.”

Modern market forces and development pressure make it almost impossible for such areas to perceive their original form and function. Those that still remain face endless challenges that raise the question of their further existence in general.

GARAAŽILINNAK contains approximately 1,400 garages. However, none of the garage owners own the land beneath their garages. The entire area, spanning more than 7.5 hectares, is a single land unit.

In the 1970s, the city of Tallinn permitted the temporary installation of metal garages on this site. The land use rights for garage owners expired before 1990, making it impossible for them to privatize the land. As a result, the land remains under state ownership. The state has not required the garage users to vacate the property over the years.

Currently, all the garages are part of a cooperative that rents the land from the state for €10,000 per year under a 10-year contract. However, there is a significant possibility that the city will not renew this contract when it expires.

This garage area is located between two huge planned residential developments, which makes this area significantly important for future urban expansion. The city of Tallinn has already shared its vision for this property through the North Tallinn General Plan. The area is set to serve public purposes, with plans to transform it into sports facilities and a green corridor.

However, this perspective assumes that the garage village is "dysfunctional" and no longer meets modern social needs. But is it really like that?

Some people still use this space. Who are they? Do they accept this inevitable future, or do they still hold onto hope?

Nowadays the function of garage areas does not correspond to the driving forces of the current formation (Tuvikene, Tauri)

Some people still use their garages
Who are they?

© Paulina Gilsbach

This area is generally considered unwelcoming. Garage owners are often wary of strangers, as the uncertainty surrounding the area keeps them on constant alert. This sense of inaccessibility creates space for biases and negative perceptions, as the true nature of what happens inside Garazilinnak remains hidden. At the same time, this social closure of the area keeps the real functioning invisible which allows assume that it is unfunctional.

Through my project, I wanted to open up the garage doors and show what is really happening inside. Without guests, second thoughts, or judgment.

During my garage journey, I was lucky to meet people who were kind enough to share their stories with me and open up about their worries and hopes tied to this area. According to these interviews, I created a set of audios that reveal six different personal stories of garage owners.

While the narratives are based on real interviews, the text has been adapted for storytelling purposes and is not a direct transcript. To respect the privacy of those involved, names and identifying details have been changed.

the place where hope meets reality

Despite legal ambiguities, redevelopment pressures, and shifting societal needs, the people of this area continue to resist. The mere existence of this space challenges the growing trend of turning urban areas into commodities, where market forces largely determine who can access the land.
Paljassaare has relatively few inhabitants, making the garage community the most clearly defined group in the area. Although they don’t have legitimate rights for this land which is not allowing them to influence significantly on the ongoing negotiations and plans for the future. They are still making use of whatever borrowed time they have left to do their activities. This ongoing use keeps the area in a liminal, interim stage.

As Tauri Tuvikene notes, the garage area is a reflection of socio-spatial reordering as kiosks, for example. But kiosks disappear after this process. However, garages have managed to retain their physical form. The key difference is the users’ willingness to preserve their space.

"They have kept some former practices alive which have helped to preserve the physical forms of garage areas." Tuvikene, Tauri

However, practices are not enough to preserve this area for a long period. "They can only hinder the processes of society as the process of liberalization will probably further reduce the need for garage boxes," he adds.
So hope that’s the only thing that is left for them.

But can hope survive when the end is already known?

References
Ritter, L. L. (2021). Entangled Imaginaries of Time: Paljassaare through Time Capsules. Retrieved from https://paljassaaretimecapsules.cargo.site/Entangled-Imaginaries-of-Time.

Cadorin, I. J. (n.d.). Paljassaare Kaleidoscope. Retrieved from https://paljassaarekaleidoscope.cargo.site/Isabela-de-Jesus-Cadorin.

Tallinna planeeringute registris. (2023, April). Põhja-Tallinna linnaosa üldplaneering. Retrieved from https://www.tallinn.ee/et/ruumiloome/pohja-tallinna-linnaosa-uldplaneering.

Tuvikene, T. (2010). From Soviet to Post-Soviet with Transformation of the Fragmented Urban Landscape: The Case of Garage Areas in Estonia.Landscape Research, 35(5), 509–528.

Vill, A. (2013, September 6). Tundmatu linnaosa Paljassaare ja Kopli poolsaare vahel. Õhtuleht. Retrieved from https://www.ohtuleht.ee/572992/tundmatu-linnaosa-paljassaare-ja-kopli-poolsaare-vahel. (Accessed October 28, 2024).

Kopli liinide viimane elanik meenutab elu kurikuulsas piirkonnas. Reporter Kanal 2. Retrieved from https://reporter.kanal2.ee/3580055/vaata-kopli-liinide-viimane-elanik-meenutab-elu-kurikuulsas-piirkonnas.
Tallinna planeeringute registris. (n.d.). General Planning for Põhja-Tallinna District. Retrieved from https://tpr.tallinn.ee/GeneralPlanning/Details/YP000060#tab31.

Tuvikene, T. (2011). Nõukogude garaažikultuur. Soviet Garage Culture.Methis. Studia humaniora Estonica, 5(7), 99–108. https://doi.org/10.7592/methis.v5i7.539.

Tuglas Society. (n.d.). Veel kord garaažidest. Retrieved from https://www.tuglas.fi/veelkord-garaazidest.

2024

URBAN STUDIES - EKA

PALJASSAARE TALLINN, ESTONIA.