The future of Kera

The center of Kera will be developed around the railway station, where the most important public and commercial services will be concentrated. Walking routes and squares will connect the center to the recreational areas. The area’s buildings and outdoor areas will be done with a focus on high quality construction, low carbon and sustainability. The main objective is to combine the old and the new in an interesting way, using natural resources sustainably. Empty spaces can be used for urban food production or converted to residential use, various workshops, centers for cultural activities and experimental art, or artists’ studios. Due to its size, Kera is a major project for low-carbon regional development, offering a place for new low-emission solutions and experiments in construction.

The plan is to build apartments for about 14,000 people in Kera. There will be some 10,000 jobs. The area already has a railway line, roads, municipal infrastructure and existing buildings in use, whose life cycle can be extended. When more residents move to the area, their services will improve. Plans for Kera include shops, a day-care center, a school and recreational facilities. There is already a grocery store in Nihtisilta in the southern part of the area and another on the northern edge next to the Nokia campus, and a large reuse center is also located in the area. The station area enables the creation of a dense service cluster. The center will be oriented more towards pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

Espoo aims to be carbon-neutral by 2030, and the Kera area has a big role to play in achieving this goal. In August 2021, the City Board approved the Kera development commitment. The development commitment guides Kera’s actors to close cooperation, the aim of which is to be a pioneer district in sustainable development, the circular economy and digital transformation. The pioneering can be seen, for example, in resource-wise construction, innovative and low-emission energy solutions and new digital services and applications.

In practice, the development commitment of the Kera area guides the development of the Kera center's land use and services in accordance with the objectives listed below:

1. Kera is developed in close cooperation.
2. Kera is aimed to reach carbon neutrality by 2030 through low-carbon and carbon-binding solutions
3. Significant circular economy solutions are created in Kera
4. As a sustainable district, Kera is a national and international reference site