Last year there has been discussion in the Finnish media that people are not anymore spending time in the center of Helsinki. For example you can find empty comenrcial space in the previously busy shopping streets of Helsinki. Businesses have also reported about the shrinking amount of customers. After the pandemia many office workers can work at home and don't have a need to go their office in the center of Helsinki.
I have lived 4 years in the capital area and I had all the time easy access to the center as I have lived just 200 meters from a train stop that takes you to the center of Helsinki in about 25 minutes. I am not going to Helsinki center every month. I can easily do necessary shopping in the big shopping mals which are closer. Especially during the rainy days and cold winter months shopping mals are much more comfortable than streets of the center. The reason for me to go to the center of Helsinki is to eat in a special restaurant or attend culture activities. Many are saying that making parking and driving in the downtown of Helsinki difficult has made people not so keen on going to the center. As I don't own a car that has not been the reason for my seldom visits to the center.
