Exploratory walks in Matinkylä, Tapiola and Leppävaara: history and future plans
In May 2025, the City Planning Department organised exploratory walks in Matinkylä, Tapiola and Leppävaara in cooperation with Monikulttuuriset naiset ja lapset ry (Espoon Mokulat) and Omnia Basic Adult Education and Omnia Skills Centre for immigrants (OSKE). The purpose of the walks was to familiarise foreign-speaking residents and students with their local environment and Espoo planning, using clear and simple Finnish. During the walks, city planners presented the history of the places and what the names tell about the area. We discussed how different urban centres have developed over the years and talked about future plans.
Place names in Matinkylä tell the story of fishing in the area
Over ten Matinkylä residents and other residents interested in Matinkylä participated in the exploratory walk. We started from Iso Omena, walked through the swimming hall and Kalatorppa on our way to Rajakallio, continuing on to Tynnyrinpuisto Park. Along the way, Planning Officer Sami Suviranta and Name Planner Aurora Salmi talked about how fishing as a livelihood in Matinkylä can still be seen in its place names. “For example, Tynnyrinpuisto (Barrel Park), Lekkerikuja (Keg Lane) and Leilitie (Cask Road) were named after the various types of storage containers used in the fish market,” explains Suviranta. Detailed Planning Engineer Anni Malila talked about the near future plan for the Tiistinlaakso Valley, in which apartments and possibly a day-care centre are planned. The residents hoped that, in addition to new construction, nature should be preserved as much as possible in the area.
Project Coordinator Mervi Romppanen presented the results of the My Espoo on the Map survey, which was conducted in 2024. In addition to Iso Omena, the beach, nature and seaside cafés along the Espoo Waterfront Walkway were highlighted as the gems of Matinkylä. Improving the cleanliness of the streets around Iso Omena was mentioned in the same survey on development ideas. Participants expressed a desired for more comfortable facilities in the library as well as a need for quiet workspaces.
The participants felt that Matinkylä is headed in a better direction. This was also the opinion of a resident walk participant who had lived in Matinkylä for decades. Participants felt that the services in the area are good.
The future of Heikintori was considered on the Tapiola exploratory walk
In Tapiola, a dozen Omnia students under the age of 20 took part in an exploratory walk. The Tapiola exploratory walk took participants to Heikintori, Tapionraitti and Kulttuuriaukio Square. When talking about Tapiola’s place names, Planning Officer Sami Suviranta highlighted how the names of the garden city emphasise Finnishness and a closeness to nature. Themes were drawn from forest culture, mythology and the Kalevala. Animals and natural phenomena also provided the inspiration for place names.
In talking about the local detailed plan for the Heikintori shopping centre, architect Pieta Kupiainen explained that a new use for the facility itself is being sought. The development ideas the respondents proposed in the My Espoo on the Map survey last autumn were also briefly explained. One of the proposals was a similar space to the Helsinki Central Library Oodi. Finally, a discussion was held on how young people felt about the proposals and what wishes they might have. Ideas such as restaurants and a swimming hall were spontaneously given.
The Leppävaara walk gave a glimpse of the upcoming city centre plan
Approximately twenty adult students from Omnia took part in the exploratory walk. The walk started from Omnia in Perkkaa and continued through Hatsinanpuisto Park and Muistokuja. Along the way, Nem Planners Aurora Salmi and Sami Suviranta talked about Leppävaara’s history through its place names. The names Valurinkuja (Founder’s Lane) and Tinurinkuja (Tinker’s Lane) at Läkkitori Square indicate that a large number of workers and artisans moved to the Harakka and Mäkkylä areas along with their families.
At Läkkitori, architects Kati Kivelä and Johanna Nuotio talked about the design of Leppävaaransilta bridge. The plan area is located north of the railway at the Leppävaara centre. “The area of the developing city centre is quite large, and it might even be difficult to perceive the scale of change in the early stages of planning. The value of Leppävaara as an area centre and transport hub was also mentioned in the students’ comments,” the architects said.
Aimed at students who participated in an exploratory walk, a separate post-walk survey examined their views on the intended new look of the Leppävaara centre and the plan to win the Leppävaaransilta bridge idea competition. The students felt that the plan was good and the services were primarily adequate.
The survey respondents also expressed their wishes for a new day-care centre. City Planner Sherry Qasemi also asked what one might do in the area on a dark winter evening. Respondents expressed a desire for, among other things, indoor spaces where events could be organised during the long winter. The My Espoo on the Map survey highlighted a lack of public safety in Leppävaara. However, the participants did not find Leppävaara to be particularly unsafe.
The atmosphere was very good on all of the exploratory walsk, and the participants were interested in their local environment, its history and future plans.
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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.