Results of Our Espoo 20X0 events aroused interest and generated debate

The Our Espoo 20X0 event series was organised in the course of spring 2022. A total of 14 events accumulated a wealth of views and suggestions by city residents concerning the Espoo of the future. Analysis of the results is now complete, with the results also compiled in a report. The evening event where the results were published, held at Entresse Library, was attended by more than 30 city residents, with nearly 50 persons participating by remote means.

To watch a recording of the event, kindly follow this link(external link, opens in a new window). Event was held in Finish. the link is active until 4 April 2023.

Opening the event, Development Manager Marianne Julkunen stressed that the efforts, and the dialogue to exploit the results, for the benefit of the future of Espoo residents will continue. It is vital to facilitate common, unhurried debate. Similarly important is to communicate clearly about the impacts that resident participation has at different times. Marianne also briefly discussed the Espoo participation model, as well as the new resident activity model to be adopted this spring, under which framework the event was organised.

The report results were addressed in a series of panel discussions, their themes consisting of important topics highlighted by residents:

1. A communal and vibrant city

2. Smooth everyday life, services and mobility

3. Local nature, climate change and biodiversity

4. Participation in Espoo.

Additionally, there was discussion about how the results are reflected in the urban planning undertaken by Espoo and in the master plan preparation process, as well as in the course offering of Espoo Adult Education Centre.

Supplementing the panel discussions, time was also allocated for questions and comments from the audience. Participation in the live broadcast was possible from home, and the chat was open for questions. The event was graced by a performance by the Muuttolinnut choir, while a children’s drawing workshop sketched the Espoo of the future, and a survey, focused on young people, charted the wishes and concerns regarding the development of Espoon keskus. To kick off each panel discussion, Project Coordinator Susanna Nurmi, who was responsible for preparing the Our Espoo 20X0 report, highlighted some of the key results for the theme concerned.

A communal and vibrant city should provide services such as a library, spaces for encounters and for leisure time, detached and semi-detached houses, as well as nature that is close by, said Nurmi. On the other hand, a dense urban structure was felt to bring people together. For residential areas, comfort and their unique characteristic features are vital, and there is further scope to support vitality not only through services but also through jobs.  Residents raised similar vitality related goals to those voiced in the My Espoo on the Map survey in 2020.

Elina Kuusisto, who works as Planning Manager at the City Planning Department, Omnia Account and Sales Manager Tuula Alanko, and Johanna Syren from Espoon monikulttuuriset lapset ja nuoret ry (an association for multicultural children and young people in Espoo) discussed how to boost community spirit and vitality. Encounters, doing things together, and participation, for example, in training events organised by the Adult Education Centre were seen as ways to boost community spirit.

In the master plan process, vitality could be fostered, for example, by enabling smooth transport and by addressing services and their locations to create spaces for encounters. Questions posed by the audience raised the issue of the small size of new apartments, and in this regard people are looking for more large family apartment and comfortable infill development, with due consideration of the special characteristics of the area. The City Board recently approved the master plan goals, which highlight the comfort aspect.

Under this theme too, versatile and well-functioning services emerged as central, says Nurmi. City residents are looking for well-functioning local services, as well as that services would be available not only at shopping centres but also in specialist and brick and mortar stores.  Leisure opportunities, culture and the library were considered important, and it would be a great idea to have cafés along the Waterfront Walkway.

For a smooth everyday life, mobility in the city is important for residents. Launch of the metro raised concerns about how bus routes will be kept in operation. Additionally, for many people, having an own car is important, which is why there was a wish to allocate space for parking. Comfortable routes, and enabling the conditions for recycling, promote walking and cycling as part of sustainable living.

In the second panel discussion of the evening, Traffic Planning Manager Susanna Kaitanen, Omnia Education Manager Mia Nirhamo, and Tuuva Tiainen, who lives in Espoo, discussed everyday life, mobility and services. Traffic planning addresses the question of what type of mobility solutions should be promoted and how to reserve space for the various modes of mobility. It is essential to take account of safety and the provision of sustainable mobility modes as, with the city growing, there will be an increasing number of people and more congestion in traffic.

The third theme concerned nature, much loved by Espoo residents, and according to Nurmi, the results clearly reflect this. Both local nature and, especially, parks, forests and the maritime setting are felt to be important. Nature contributes to comfort and health. Cultural environments, such as meadows and rural landscapes, are considered to be a source of enrichment. Nature is where the species have their home, and that is why preserving biodiversity is felt to be important.

People were looking for more recreational opportunities and greenways, located around the city. Additionally, parks were considered important for climate change fighting purposes, as they also provide shelter from heat and absorb rainwater. Residents were hoping that the city would promote the carbon neutrality goals and, for example, circular-economy innovations, solar panels as a source of energy, and green roofs in construction.

During the next panel discussion, Landscape Architect Ina Westerlund, Omnia Education Manager Taina Avo, and Samuel Kukko, a senior-year upper secondary school student, discussed what proximity to nature means now and in the future, when the city grows. Everyone shared a common desire to be in nature, especially in local nature. This is also something residents want from urban planning, with the city growing and becoming more densely built.

The panellists felt that everyone can promote the well-being of nature. In their work, landscape architects can think about what actually makes nature beautiful – is it a well-kept park, or a lawn that has developed into grassland. Moreover, biodiverse nature adapts better to climate change. Everyone can take concrete action, such as pick up trash with their classmates.

At Omnia, nature-themed courses have proved popular. A course on composting was a real hit, and more people than can be accommodated would like to enrol on courses held on topics such as gardening and window repair.

In the chat, people wanted more neighbourhood sports sites, sharing the panellists’ view that nature and all species are important and that nature should also be considered from perspectives other than just the human viewpoint. Members of the audience reminded about the maritime setting and the importance of yachting clubs, as the clubs are an important organiser of activities for young people.

Additionally, some in the audience expressed a wish that urban farming be also taken into account. For urban farming, there are sites such as allotment plots, and the intention is to allocate new ones too, in addition to which, in the future, planning could also create spaces for urban farming on roofs and at courtyards, said an urban planning representative. Finally, some members of the audience wanted that senior citizens be also taken into consideration, since for many senior citizens, local nature serves as their yard, where there should be a tree to observe the changing of the seasons and the activity of birds.

The final panel discussion of the evening was held around the topic of participation, with Service Manager Heli-Maija Nevala, Omnia Education Manager Minna Kattelus, and Esko Uotila from Asukkaiden Espoo the panellists. In her introduction, Nurmi highlighted the concern expressed by some citizens whether the information that the citizens provide is utilised – is there a gap between decision makers and citizens. A number of residents would like to see the organisation of local-based events to discuss more broadly the future of a specific area, instead of an individual plan. What is more, residents felt it important that everyone – the young and old alike – has an opportunity to participate.

It was wished that more information should be provided about impact, that is to say, how the views expressed by residents have impacted on planning. Many residents felt that higher participation of planners and decision makers in resident events would be a good thing.

The panel discussions illustrated well the significance of interaction and participation. Urban planning and town/master planning involve many phases, they are for the long term, and they are riddled with professional jargon. There are lots of boundary conditions and viewpoints that need to be addressed, which is why it is not possible to make everyone’s wishes come true. For resident associations, resident evening events are important and, for example, residents’ panels could be one way to create more opportunities for resident participation. Likewise, residents feel it important that it should be explained why some solutions were not implemented – information on impact would inspire city residents and would retain the interest to participate.

More than 20 per cent of Espoo residents do not have Finnish or Swedish as their first language, and this was something that was discussed both in the audience and by the panellists. Urban planning is constantly thinking about how to reach out to these people. Omnia provides instruction that supports the conditions for participation. A great deal remains to be done, and diverse ways of participation are needed, in order for factors such as language, age or remote participation skills to not create an obstacle to participation.

Someone in the chat was concerned about how to get political decision makers to attend the events. Jouni Särkijärvi, Chair of the City Planning Committee, who was present at the event, said that the political decision makers have the will to meet city residents.

The City of Espoo has nearly five hundred urban environment projects. Subscribe to the ‘Have Your Say Now’ newsletter (in Finnish) to learn about what’s going on in your local neighbourhood and what projects you can impact right now. Additionally, you will also be informed of all upcoming resident events. We are looking forward to your participation and contribution!

Read more about Our Espoo 20X0.