Aalto University research deepens understanding of the My Espoo on the Map material
Aalto University conducts research on the My Espoo on the Map data produced by Espoo residents. This research will provide us with information on how we can plan a better environment for Espoo residents.
Extensive material in use
Espoo residents responded enthusiastically to the My Espoo on the Map surveys in 2020 and 2024. Thanks to them, extensive material was made available to researchers: On both occasions, more than 5,000 Espoo residents marked more than 50,000 places important to them or development ideas on the map. The surveys were carried out by Espoo City Planning Department in cooperation with the Department of Built Environment at Aalto University.
Aalto University has utilised the data from 2020 especially in research that is part of the Nordic research centre Nordregio’s NordGreen project. You can read more about the project on its English-language website(external link, opens in a new window)
Comparable data collected in 2024, on the other hand, makes it possible to study changes in the environment in particular. The survey data for 2024 will be utilised at least in theses, possibly in other research.
Data have been studied from many perspectives
In the My Espoo on the Map surveys, Espoo residents have provided information on where they tend to go and what their hometown looks and feels like in their everyday lives. Location-specific information has been studied from both a functional and an experiential perspective.
A functional examination helps to in determining, for example, everyday places that are important for city residents. Where and how do Espoo residents move about in their daily lives and in their free time? What are the special characteristics of different neighbourhoods? How are the boundaries of neighbourhoods apparent in the everyday lives of city residents?
In the surveys, Espoo residents also indicated whether they felt the locations they had marked on the map were positive or negative. Such experiential knowledge indicates the perceived quality of the living environment.
The study has examined what kind of places are considered positive or negative. Can we influence their perceived quality by means of city planning?
In addition to the responses, the use of these locations has also been studied. In other words, how the My Espoo on the Map data can best be utilised in city planning. Researchers have also worked together with city planners and assisted city planners in utilising the information collected from residents.
Research articles on the My Espoo on the Map data have been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. They are openly available to everyone, and they have also been highlighted in the City of Espoo’s communications. Read the study below.
Prioritisation model for planning
An article published in November 2023 developed a model that allows the city to examine on the basis of markings placed by residents on the map, which places specifically should be developed and which should be cherished and preserved as they are today. The article is also part of Saana Rossi’s doctoral dissertation published in 2025, which we will describe more below.
Perceived quality of green areas
An article published in February 2024 examined which factors predicted the perceived quality of the green area on the basis of the My Espoo on the Map 2020 data. Based on the results, a model for assessing the quality factors of new green areas was formulated.
Espoo neighbourhoods
An article published in May 2024 examined how neighbourhoods are structured in Espoo based on the daily lives of residents and how these differ from the boundaries drawn between areas in the city plan. The basis was the daily places marked by residents and the networks these form.
Participant data to be included systemically in land use planning systematically
Saana Rossi’s doctoral dissertation approved in March 2025 examines the utilisation of participant data as part of city planning practices and political decision-making. The dissertation examines means and views in the light of which planners and decision-makers collect, share, utilise and communicate about residential data. The dissertation also develops and tests solutions for more systematic integration of participant data together with city planners. The results of My Espoo on the Map survey and their utilisation in Espoo’s planning play a key role in the work.
Read the abstract and view the dissertation as a whole: Towards Systematic Integration of Participatory Knowledge in Land-use Planning Practice(external link, opens in a new window)
The broad-scoped work is based on several articles produced in research cooperation, here are a few highlights:
- How is participant data used in city planning? A case study including the results of My Espoo on the Map. Read article: The citizens have participated–what now? An action research study of factors impacting the use of participatory citizen knowledge in planning processes(external link, opens in a new window)
- How does digital participation extend the geography of participation? A case study including the results of My Espoo on the Map. Read article: Beyond the backyard: Unraveling the geographies of citizens’ engagement in digital participatory planning(external link, opens in a new window)
- How have digital map surveys affected urban planning at different levels? Read article: How has digital participatory mapping influenced urban planning: Views from nine planning cases from Finland(external link, opens in a new window)
These theses complement broader research
Numerous Master’s theses and Bachelor’s theses have been produced on the basis of the My Espoo on the Map survey data. The theses examine the of the My Espoo on the Map survey data from a certain perspective. The results increase understanding of the material and help Espoo city planners in their work. The results have been presented to Espoo city planners and articles written based on these have been published on the City of Espoo website and on social media.
Joint research is valuable for everyone
It is of great value to both researchers and urban planners to work together and to test the efficiency of the models developed at the university in practice as part of Espoo’s urban planning. The research topics have also been selected on the basis of the city’s information needs in order to make them useful in practice. Research results have been presented to Espoo planners and more extensively at seminars and workshops. The planners have been able to evaluate the results.
The research carried out on the basis of the My Espoo on the Map survey data has produced spatial data, such as a prioritisation model and a model that anticipates the quality of green areas. They have transferred over to the map system used by Espoo city planners. This ensures that they can also be used as background material for planning in the future.