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Cultural environments are a treasure shared by Espoo residents

Espoo has various cultural environment values that create identities, appeal and comfort in its areas. City planning is intended to protect the existing cultural environment and create a new one.

Cultural environments combine old and new Espoo

Cultural environments include archaeological heritage, built environments and traditional landscapes. Espoo’s cultural environments include traditional villages and agricultural areas, historical roads, manors with their parks, villas, churches, railway stations, stone bridges, residential and industrial areas from various eras, the garden city and the campus. Many of these are nationally, regionally or locally significant environments.

Old cultural environments combine natural values and manmade elements. Often, areas have gradually been built into balanced entities. Archaeological cultural heritage includes remains, structures, layers and discoveries that were created through human action in prehistoric or historic times. More recent valuable areas include intact post-war residential areas and other high-quality residential, commercial and public building areas typical of their time. 

Explore our different cultural environments more extensively on the City Museum website Espoo´s Cultural Environment.

A local identity supports community spirit and appeal

Cultural heritage values are unique. They create a special atmosphere and identity for the area in question, which increases communality and promotes the residents’ well-being and rooting into the area. Often, cultural environments are places for recreation and encounters.

A strong local identity increases appreciation of the area and strengthens its appeal. The area’s stories may inspire local events, tourism and business. As such, cultural environments promote the vitality and economic life of the area. They can also be the premise for developing the area: an example of this is the repurposing of old industrial areas.

City planning identifies, protects and develops cultural environments

Protecting cultural environments is long-term work done by the City Planning Department in cooperation with the City Museum, Building Control Department and Premises Department.

We survey cultural environments so that we can take them into account in city planning. Cultural environment values and valuable areas can be protected with plan notations. The protection may focus on buildings, gardens, landscape areas or archaeological sites, among others. For example, the Cathedral and its annexes and vicinity zone are protected in the town plan.

The purpose of city planning is also to plan for future cultural environments: places where Espoo residents like to spend time and that create identity and communality for the area. Entirely new areas are rarely created; even new areas often have temporal layers that can be seen in the planning. Finnoo is an example of a brand new area where local history is highly visible: the old removal basin of the water treatment plant has turned into a valuable wetland for birds over time. And it is now set to have a residential area and metro station next to it. Kera is a new residential area to be built next to a railway, where the halls of the old logistics area have been given a new lease of life in temporary use.

Participate, learn and take care of the cultural environment

Residents have a wealth of knowledge of their home district. When we start planning for an area, we first collect initial data and carry out various surveys. In the next steps of the planning process, you can express your opinion on the plan or submit a complaint about it. In addition to negative feedback, you should also bring up the key successes of the planning solution. This way, you can ensure that a solution you like is not changed for the worse later.

Each of us can learn about the history of our area and learn to appreciate its uniqueness. By taking care of buildings and yards, you can contribute to the beauty of the environment. Valuable buildings should be renovated following the instruction of the City Museum, while preserving old materials. Traditional plants should be preserved and stories should be documented.  New construction should be adapted to the cityscape or landscape in a balanced way. If you make a discovery that may be an archaeological relic, please contact the Finnish Heritage Agency.

Appreciation for your home district grows deeper when you work with the local communities and authorities. You can learn about cultural environment sites in Espoo via the virtual museums and mobile guides of the City Museum, or participate in events. Adopt a monument is an operating model of the City Museum where one or multiple residents look after a cultural environment site according to the Museum’s instructions. 

The cultural environment programme is a common tool for all who work with cultural environments within the City of Espoo and for residents who value cultural environments and are interested in them. Learn more about Espoo’s Cultural Environment Programme

Further information:

The whole Espoo