Opinions of over 200 residents support the planning work of Leppävaaransilta Bridge – More interaction expected in autumn 2026

The participation and assessment scheme for the Leppävaaransilta Bridge plan and the preparatory materials were available for public review last summer from 12 May to 10 June 2025. Around the same time, a series of events and interactions were organised to reach the residents of Leppävaara from different age groups and backgrounds. Since then, going through the data and the planning have progressed gradually.

‘In autumn 2025, we supplemented, compiled and analysed the opinions we collected from residents. In early 2026, we continued interaction with immigrant entrepreneurs and requested the opinions of the urban planning students at Aalto University regarding the utilisation of the collected resident data. We have a lot of great material which helps us continue our planning work,’ says Tiina Piironen, Area Architect in the Greater Leppävaara area.

Communality and the achievement of a comfortable and safe urban environment are key objectives in the Leppävaaransilta Bridge plan. This is why special attention has been paid to reaching different residents and entrepreneurs in the area.

A variety of ways to participate were open in summer 2025:

• On 15 May 2025, an exploratory walk to introduce the plan was organised for the adult students from immigrant backgrounds at Omnia. About 20 people participated in the walk.
• On 2 June 2025, an open resident information session and workshops were organised at the Monikon koulu school that touched on the safety, comfort, and traffic issues related to the Leppävaaransilta Bridge. About 70 people participated. Learn more about the event.
• On 19 June 2025, plan workers visited different playgrounds in Pohjois-Leppävaara to show plan images to families with children and interview them. We collected responses from about 35 participants, about half of whom were children.
• On 28 August and 5 September, a survey and a mini workshop were organised at the youth facilities in Sello and Pohjois-Leppävaara to collect comments on the plans from local young people. There were around 70 participants.
• In spring and autumn 2025, we briefly met up with over 100 local immigrant entrepreneurs and interviewed nine of them. Cooperation with the entrepreneurs has since continued in spring 2026 with a discussion event which gathered around 40 entrepreneurs and residents.
• During the review period between 12 May and 10 June 2025, we also received 9 written comments.

The interaction activities helped us gather close to 50 pages of notes of residents’ views, on top of which we received written opinions. 

Here are some key highlights from the large volume of data:

The written opinions brought up the well-being of residents, easy everyday life, and the comfort of the area as key themes. The accessibility of public services and sufficient space reservations were thought to be important. In feedback regarding traffic, the responses focused on accessibility, well-functioning public transport, easy transfer options, and the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. Residents also wanted to see improvement with traffic bottlenecks. Opinions on construction requested implementation in phases, diverse housing stock, preservation of the green environment, and diverse architecture. In regard to the street level and the urban space, residents commented in favour of brick-and-mortar premises, playgrounds and recreational areas, art, and green environments that would be interesting for pedestrians.

The resident event on 2 June 2025 highlighted issues related to safety, traffic and the comfort of the urban space in particular. According to the participants, safety in the urban space can be improved by good lighting, open views, and the presence of services and families. Services, cafés and brick-and-mortar premises were considered significant factors in the liveliness of areas. The discussion on traffic focused on accessible and easy pedestrian, cyclist and public transport solutions and brought up the importance of a functional travel centre. Nature, greenery, water features, and playgrounds were considered to be elements that strengthen the identity of areas. The respondents agreed the most on the importance of security, greenery, and services. Disagreeing opinions emerged especially in regard to the scale of construction and traffic arrangements.

The playground interviews for families with children presented a strong everyday life perspective: safe routes, versatile opportunities for play and movement, as well as a pleasant and green environment. The existing playgrounds, tranquillity, and services in the area were applauded. The respondents also wished that there could be more playgrounds that take children of different ages into account, small play stops along walking routes, and cafés and services in the vicinity of playgrounds. Other topics of interest included the winter use of playgrounds, good lighting, outdoor exercise opportunities, and indoor premises like those in residential houses. It was thought to be important to offer good temporary routes and arrangements as well as clear communication during the construction phase. The persons interviewed agreed on the importance of greenery, safety, and local services. However, some disagreements arose in regard to the density of the planned development and the ratio of space allocated for driving and pedestrians.

The youth survey and mini workshops particularly highlighted the need for accessible and safe meeting places where it is possible to spend time without the need to spend money. Examples included sheltered meeting spots, skateboarding and sports facilities, shops and services as well as versatile facilities for events, hobbies, and spending time. In regard to local traffic, the young responders hoped for easy and safe pedestrian and cyclist routes and clear public transport connections. The idea of a new overpass was supported. Themes that were brought up as important for the safety and comfort of the environment were colours, street art, greenery, and good lighting. Some respondents liked the modern style and colours of new buildings, while others criticised the buildings for being too tall and their colours for being boring.

How will resident opinions affect the plan work? Area Architect Tiina Piironen explains that local environmental planning is currently being carried out to support the planning work, which will also take into account the themes that emerged in resident feedback.

‘In particular, the comfort and greenery of walking routes and creating small-scale places for spending time in, playgrounds, and sports facilities in the area have been highlighted as important focuses in further planning. In addition, we are paying special attention to lighting, smooth and easy routing, and the experience of safety,’ Piironen says.

The planning work is based on an international idea competition’s winning proposal titled Walk Around. Mika Rantala, Project Manager in the Greater Leppävaara area, explains that in early autumn, the city is planning to allocate planning responsibilities for the area also to other teams who succeeded in the idea competition. Until now, YIT - the working group which won the competition and has been responsible for planning the entire plan amendment - has been developing the whole plan amendment area but from now on will focus on the parts of the area for which they will apply for planning reservations.

In addition to the amendment to the local detailed plan, the city is approaching the owners of neighbouring properties and initiating talks about a comprehensive renovation of the Läkkitori area.

An open resident event will be organised in the autumn where updated plans are presented and feedback is collected on them to support further planning. The preliminary date and location of the resident event is 6 October 2026 at the Sello library. For more information, see the plan’s webpage.

In the future, the central Leppävaara area will become a uniform urban environment when the deck structure crossing the track connects the two sides of the centre. 

The aim is to create a high-quality and pleasant urban area on the northern side of the track which will bring together services, housing, jobs, and leisure activities within easy access. A key part of the new Leppävaara is a high-quality, lush and pleasant pedestrian environment where moving around is safe and accessible. The number of local recreational opportunities and urban green spaces in the area will also increase.

The plan’s residential construction will bring around 1,500-2,000 new residents and a day-care centre to the area. The current high-rise building will remain the area’s landmark, as new apartment blocks will not rise above it. Office and business premises have been designed for central area, at the new crossing of Turuntie and in the foundations of the buildings along the footpath.

The planning work halted due to contractual reasons in late winter-early spring 2026 but planning was able to proceed after the City of Espoo and YIT signed a joint letter of intent. The letter of intent approved by the City Board on 13 April 2026 clarifies the stages of the project, confirms the allocation of responsibilities between the parties, and enables the plan change to progress according to the intended schedule. YIT already held a planning reservation for the area and it was renewed in February 2026.

The planning work is based on an international idea competition’s winning proposal titled Walk Around.