The Northern Esplanade of Helsinki and the Bolshaya Konyushennaya of St Petersburg: An Analyses of Street Life in Two Central Historical Streets

The analyses focuses on the history of the two strees and several stages in their commeriscal activities. As a theoretical aid the article uses Michael Dears and Steven Flusty´s text on Cultural mapping (1999) where the keys to the development are to be found in the entrepreneurs of different establishments and property estates of the streets. Thus special importance is made bothe to resistance to change, but also to flexibility especially in the late modern era. Also resilience in adopting new patternas of street life is in focus. An intersting parallellity of the streets is to be found in their commercial outlook, extravagant and at the same time highly consious ot their history.