Tallinn Mayor Peeter Raudsepp said that architects' work is causing excessive costs for the city.
He said that Tallinn uses too many custom solutions. This makes buildings very expensive.
Raudsepp mentioned that some buildings have become 30%, 50% or even 70% more expensive. This shows that cost management is poor.
He said that if money is spent on one expensive building, there won't be enough left for other projects.
Raudsepp said his administration is now stricter. They do not allow exceeding the budget.
For example, the flower wall at Reaalkool costs 60,000 euros and the teachers' cabinet 26,000 euros. This is too expensive.
Raudsepp recommends using more standard furniture and solutions. This saves money.
He said that he himself attended school and university in standard buildings. This did not hinder his education.
In Tallinn, some schools are very good, others bad. For example, one school has no hot water.
Raudsepp said that using private sector money could be a good idea for large projects.
Regarding traffic, Raudsepp said that cars cannot simply be banned. Road capacity must be increased.
He said that many people live outside the city but work in Tallinn. They need cars.
Raudsepp said that if road capacity deteriorates, big problems will arise.