A highway for pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, or an insect-friendly green corridor. Depending on who is speaking and the enthusiasm of the interlocutor, the definition may vary, but the substance does not change: urban planning becomes insect-friendly. At least in Tallinn, where the city administration has presented a €7 million project to build such infrastructure, to help pollinating insects thrive even in urban environments. The future is nature-friendly.

The project, once it landed in the city council, was not without controversy, especially for the budget necessary for its implementation. However, European funding is expected to help the municipal coffers and, as reported by the ERR broadcaster, next year the initial phase of the plan will start implementation.

The route dedicated to pollinators, in Estonian Putukaväil, literally “passage of insects”, will follow a strip of green area previously used for a corridor of high-voltage power lines, in the north of Tallinn. It will run for several kilometers, will occupy a total area of almost five hectares, and will become a city park, therefore a public space that will connect different green areas of the capital, crossing six neighborhoods, with the possibility of carrying out recreational and sports activities.

The green corridor for insects is the result of a participatory project that involved citizens in the choice of spaces where to build it, while the design put around a table several professionals, both from the municipality and private individuals, and among the partners, there are also the universities of Tallinn, Helsinki and Stockholm.