Something old, something new

This article has originally been published in the Espoo Magazine 4/2021.
Read other articles in the Espoo Magazine 4/2021
Read also: The city’s values are reflected in the daily lives of its employees 

The Espoo Story for the next four years has been approved. The story contains a lot that’s old, but also plenty that’s new. We will also be clearing up the aftermath of the pandemic. 

Espoo wants to continue being a responsible and humane pioneer – a good place for everyone to live, study, work and be an entrepreneur. A place where residents can really make a difference. 

One of the biggest changes during the new council term will be the transfer of health and social services from the city to the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County.  

The reform, which will come into force in 2023, will pose additional challenges for the city’s economy. Although Espoo has a solid financial position, the city’s role in funding Finland’s municipal services will grow into the billions, which poses a major challenge for a growing city. 

Strategy Director Jorma Valve assures us that the transition will be smooth and uninterrupted. 

“The city will shoulder its responsibility until the services have been transferred,” says Valve. 

However, even though responsibility for health and social services is being transferred, this will not end cooperation between activities such as education, culture and sports. 

“Wellbeing is a holistic concept. For example, schools will continue to work closely with healthcare,” says Valve. 

No matter what we are discussing – satisfaction factors, city planning or experiences – nature always comes to the fore. That is why the Espoo Story is putting more weight on nature and biodiversity. 

“Biodiversity has also become a national topic of debate. It’s no longer just a case of carbon neutrality, but how we take care of our environment in general,” says Development Manager Niko Ferm. 

Espoo definitely wants to be a pioneer in reconciling the city’s growth with biodiversity. The Espoo Story highlights the need for a roadmap for revitalising biodiversity and achieving degradation neutrality by 2035.

About a fifth of Espoo residents speak something other than Finnish or Swedish as their native language. Foreign-language speakers account for about 80 per cent of the city’s population growth. 

“Espoo has long been doing a good job in providing immigrants with important integration services. As the city’s demographic structure continues to evolve, these changes in our customer base must be taken into account in all of our services when implementing the Espoo Story’s objectives,” says Teemu Haapalehto, Manager of Immigration Affairs. 

The goal for the next four years is for Espoo to become the best city for integration in Finland. This will mean improving learning outcomes for children and young people, a clear rise in the employment rate in both the public and private sectors, and an effective early-stage integration programme aimed at the quick acquisition of Finnish or Swedish language skills.  

One particular challenge in 2022 will be to return to normal after the coronavirus pandemic.  

“We’re reducing the treatment backlog in all areas of healthcare, and our goal is to get services back on track as quickly as possible,” says Valve. 

1. The top city for culture and education in Finland 

2. Services are provided together with the entire Espoo community 

3. Economic sustainability and competitive taxation 

4. An internationally appealing capital of entrepreneurship and innovation 

5. An attractive city close to nature and a safe place to live 

6. Carbon neutrality by 2030 

7. Finland’s best city for integration 

+ From pandemic to prosperity 2022