Central Espoo residents particularly interested in new plan for Espoon keskus

The third and final residents’ evening organised by the City Planning Department this autumn was held in Central Espoo. Next year, residents’ evenings will continue in different parts of Espoo. Torsti Hokkanen, City Planning Director, encouraged residents to participate in events and familiarise themselves with planning – a good city is something that belongs to everyone.

Liisa Kivekäs, Vice-chair of the City Planning Committee, agreed with Torsti. She invited residents to participate and contact the committee members directly, so that residents’ views and wishes could be known as widely as possible. Other members of the committee were also present and their message was not to hesitate to contact them. You can find the contact information on the City website.

Residents have been hoping for new services in the area for a long time, so the changes to Espoontori attracted a great deal of attention during the evening. There were also many questions about the City Council House, but there are no plans for it. Residents are looking forward to the development of the Espoon keskus and feel very positively about the changes.

“The most important projects are the previously planned Lommila shopping centre, the development of the former city office building and the Espoo House, the new buildings of the Jorvi Hospital and the apartment buildings of the Länsi-Suviniitty, which are already under construction, and the extension of Espoontori,” said Outi Reitmaa, Regional Architect, listing the buildings of the new city centre and its surrounding area.

The participation and assessment scheme of the administrative centre is currently available for public review from 13 November to 13 December 2023 (the old administrative centre area and the new Espoo House). The block area of the administrative centre includes the Espoo House, which holds some city administration and services facilities, as well as residential blocks and a parking facility. The transport connections and pedestrian and bicycle lanes will be improved, bringing the medieval Espoo Cathedral and the surrounding cultural landscape of Espoonjoki closer to the people.

A plan proposal for Espoontori is being prepared and will be made available for public review in early 2024. The proposal will include the expansion of the shopping centre with a hypermarket, new housing and a new public transport terminal.

There are also two major rail projects underway that will improve transport connections in the future. The Espoo City Rail Link is already under construction and is expected to be completed by 2028, the last part being a new pair of tracks between Leppävaara and Kauklahti. The Espoo-Salo direct line (ESA line) is part of the Turku One Hour Train project, which is building a new rail line between Espoo and Salo. There are also plans for commuter train services between Espoon keskus and Hista.

The POKE master plan for the northern and central parts of Espoo awaits the decision of the Supreme Administrative Court, as does the detailed planning of Nupurinkallio, which a few people asked about at the event.

Video of the regional architect’s full presentation https://youtu.be/8RUslMnRS20(external link, opens in a new window)

The residents’ evenings organised by Urban Environment are a new kind of event similar to a trade fair comprising thematic stations where residents can interact with land use planners and decision-makers, discuss issues freely and receive information about local plans. You can find summaries of the two previous events of the autumn here:
Tapiola district residents’ evening on 5 September 2023
Leppävaara district residents’ evening on 3 October 2023

In addition to topical planning points, the Central Espoo event had several meeting stations focused on various themes: chat with managers, Master Plan 2060, urban technology (streets, parks and city premises), and land use permits and plot issues. Representatives from the traffic planning and landscape planning teams were also present to answer questions.

The youth space offered a non-stop survey about the future of Espoo aimed at young people. The event also featured a buffet run by students of Kuninkaantien lukio upper secondary school, the proceeds of which will benefit the school’s students. In addition, a small exhibition centred on the winner of the Espoo House architectural competition was on display in connection with the plan for the administrative centre.

The regional architect received enough questions about Central Espoo to keep her busy. Residents were pleased with the large conceptual renderings, which helped them perceive the location and content of the plan areas. At the permit station, residents asked questions about detailed plan issues and plot parcelling. Another station focused on streets, parks and city premises. Residents made many requests and also provided constructive criticism. Residents asked for, among other things, new fitness stairs, a walking route to the Kasavuori nature trail in winter, the establishment of a traffic park and better street lights. The criticism focused on Kuurinniitty, where people wanted asphalt instead of sandy roads and better road connections to make it easier to walk and run errands.

At the event, residents could ask questions and discuss the planning of the Espoon keskus, Kuurinniitty, Kaupunginkallio, Muurala, Karvasmäki, Gumböle, Nupuri, Vanha-Nuuksio, Karhusuo, Ämmässuo, Kolmperä and Siikajärvi districts.

Feedback collection with Padlet and directly to the city’s feedback service was trialled at the event. The staff of the City Planning Department helped residents with giving feedback, if necessary. As usual, people could also give feedback on paper or through a QR code survey.

The new city-wide Espoo Master Plan 2060 is in the works. The master plan is a land use plan that will cover the entire city. It will not directly affect construction but will guide the preparation of detailed plans and other more specific planning. On 13 March 2023, the City Board approved the objectives, and a draft plan is now being drawn up. Residents have been involved from the start and have shared their views, which have served as a background for the objectives.

What does Espoo need a master plan for?

“Espoo is growing, and to be able to guide the growth in a controlled and systematic manner, we need a master plan that looks far ahead. It anticipates, prepares for and influences the future, including the challenges brought by climate change,” says Elina Kuusisto, Planning Manager of the Master Plan.

There are many master plans for Espoo, completed at different times, and the work being done now focuses especially on areas where the existing master plan for the southern parts of Espoo is no longer up to date.

There will be many opportunities to participate. You can find general information at master plan website. More residents’ evenings and other opportunities for discussion will be held, and remote information sessions are also being planned.

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On the website for learning more and participating in urban planning, we go into more detail about participation and planning phases and present interesting urban planning themes, such as naming, cultural environments and climate-wise urban planning.

We are looking forward to your participation and contribution!