My Espoo on the Map – What does the child-friendly Espoo of the future look like to children and young people?

Children and young people experience the urban environment in Espoo through its diverse characteristics. They want the Espoo of the future to be a comfortable, safe, sustainable, lush, community-oriented, versatile and highly functional city.

In 2020, more than 2,500 children and young people living in Espoo responded to the “My Espoo on the Map” survey. This study examined the free-form answers submitted by children of primary school age and young people. These included wishes for the Espoo of the future as well as development proposals. There were differences in the opinions of the children and young people arising from their age, gender and residential area.

The answers to the survey’s two open questions were sorted into categories to determine which characteristics of the urban environment are important to the child-friendliness of Espoo. A total of 21 categories were formed in the process. When children and young people were asked what Espoo will be like in the future, the most frequently mentioned characteristics were Comfort, Security and tranquillity, Reputation and city image, Green areas and nature and Cleanliness and zero litter.

When children and young people were asked in which areas the city could develop its operations, the answers highlighted the following characteristics in particular: Leisure time activities, Green areas and nature, Schools and education, Cleanliness and zero litter and Appearance of buildings.

Based on the most frequently mentioned characteristics of the urban environment, six different thematic entities were formed. The rest of the characteristics that were considered important were matched to the themes that were closely related to them. The themes help to understand what a child-friendly urban environment is like through the eyes of the younger population of Espoo.

From the thematic entities, you can see that the children and young people know their living environment well. They have unique opinions on the development of Espoo, as well as the ability to plan and take into account the needs of others and sustainable development. A city for children and young people is a city for everyone, so their continuous participation in planning processes is key to planning a successful urban life.

The Espoo of the future that its residents want is a safe and peaceful place to live. It is especially important to children and young people that they can move safely and smoothly around their city environment. Although the respondents felt that Espoo was generally safe, the urban environment could sometimes also appear scary and non-functional.

Respondents listed things such as bars, substance abuse and traffic arrangements as disturbing factors that cause insecurity. Children and young people also considered it important that the quality of streets in Espoo is improved, the number of pedestrian and cycling paths is increased and new modes of transport and more comprehensive transport connections are created.

Children and young people want Espoo to remain a lush and nature-oriented city in the future. Of the green area types, they especially wanted to spare forests from construction, without forgetting parks and other natural areas.

Children and young people also felt that vegetation plays a key role in the formation of a cohesive and playful cityscape. The cleanliness of Espoo’s urban environment was also considered important. It was also seen as something the city could improve on.

Children and young people expressed that they would like the Espoo of the future to have more independent leisure activities. In the study, this wish was divided into three main areas: spending time with friends, sports hobbies and playing.

Skateboarding and freestyle scootering were some of the most popular leisure-time activities. The respondents also wanted more free-of-charge outdoor exercise fields, sports parks and exercise facilities that are open to all. They also wanted to develop the existing ones. In addition, children and young people were interested in challenging activities and diverse playgrounds.

Children and young people wished for more schools in Espoo. They also wanted their schools to be in a better condition. In particular, the poor infrastructure of school buildings and the dullness of school yard areas were mentioned as development areas. In addition to high-quality schools, they would like the Espoo of the future to offer a more diverse range of services, such as libraries, cafés and restaurants, shops and events. Respondents also wished for more modern shopping centres.

Children and young people paid special attention to the visual dimension of Espoo. Things mentioned as unpleasant were old and derelict buildings, decaying shopping centres, as well as colourless and unimaginative architecture. In turn, features mentioned as aesthetically pleasing were colourfulness, diverse architecture and modern building style.

Construction was perceived to be a great threat to green areas that children and young people consider important. Construction work was also perceived to impair the experience of the urban environment. Opinions about the urban structure’s city centre-focused and small town-like character varied.

Espoo’s children and young people hope that, in the future, the city’s image would be based, in particular, on recognition, modernity, technology and regeneration ability. Respondents wanted a general sense of poise in the built environment in Espoo and a regeneration of the cityscape in certain districts, such as Espoon keskus and Soukka.

Environmental friendliness also played a key role. This was reflected in how the children and young people expressed they would like to have, for example, electrified means of transport, better recycling opportunities and low-emission energy sources in Espoo.

The children and young people wished that the Espoo of the future would also be socially sustainable and community-oriented. That is, the city should support its residents’ multiculturalism, equality and opportunities for inclusion.

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Text: Yeminda Rautavaara

Yeminda Rautavaara wrote her Master’s thesis for Aalto University on the basis of the responses to the My Espoo on the Map survey. See the thesis in the Aalto University’s publication archive: Designing child-friendly urban environments: The perceptions and wishes of Espoo’s children and adolescents regarding their living environments(external link, opens in a new window)
 

Do you want to learn more about the results of the My Espoo on the Map survey? 
 Information and more articles can be found on the website explaining the survey.