The residents’ evening of the Tapiola district brought residents together to hear about planning – This time, the recurring event was organised in Otaniemi

In addition to the Tapiola planning team, project managers Petri Vainio and Martina Jerima, who are responsible for the development of the area, and employees from the Urban Environment Customer Service were also present to talk to the residents.

Sampo Sikiö, the Area Architect for Tapiola, considers it important that these events are organised every six months to explore the development of the whole area: 

“The Greater Tapiola area is a large and diverse area that is developing fast. Regular encounters with residents increase mutual trust and understanding in the face of changes. At the same time, we have managed to also reach new people and make them interested in city planning: we see some new faces in the events every time.”

The atmosphere at the event was relaxed and pleasant. Especially in the early evening, many of the stands became congested. The plans of the Jousenkaaren koulu school, Louhentori, Aarnivalkea and Heikintori attracted the most interest. The stand of the conservation area plan for Otsolahti and the stands displaying plans for the Otaniemi area were also very popular.

“There was a lot of discussion about the traffic issues and the amount of parking at the plot of the Joutsenkaaren koulu school. Some people also thought that the number of floors in the new residential buildings should be reduced and there should be more garden space. At residents’ request, more garden space has already been gained by locating some of the parking to the Jousenpuisto parking facility so that the number of parking spaces in the yard is lower. A good number of responses has been received to the survey, which opened at the beginning of April. The planning cooperation with children from the schools and day-care centres has delighted residents,” Planner Toni Saastamoinen summarises the discussions at his stand

“This time, people were more interested in the plans for the Otaniemi area than before. We had good and some very tough discussions about what kind of buildings would be suitable for the area, about keeping the trees, and about demolishing buildings. The new plans for the area understandably divide people’s opinions: some praise the plans, and some are more critical about them,” Planner Virpi Pulkkanen summarises the discussions at her stand.

“Residents oppose the construction brought by the Louhentori plan and do not find the buildings suitable for the cultural environment of the area. They regret especially the loss of the rock surfaces and the scale of the construction. Some are also worried about the effect of the excavation work on the current buildings. On the other hand, they were happy that the plan has improved from what it was before. What residents were interested in in the Aarnivalkea plan were the results of the residents’ survey held earlier in the spring. In addition, there were questions about the schedule of the construction and the long-term needs to extend the school,” Planner Hanna Kierma summarises the discussion at her stand. 

The following local detailed plans for the area were displayed in the event: Jousenkaaren koulu school, Louhentori, Aarnivalkea, Otsolahti, Haukilahti harbour, Heikintori, the plans for the Tietäjä area, the residential building for teachers in Mankkaa, Maarintie, Ukkohauentie, Luomanportti, Kivimies, Stora Fröken, Vuorimies, Biologi, Sähköosasto and Undergraduate Centre. At the time of the event, the plans for Vuorimies, Jousenkaaren koulu school, Haukilahti harbour ja Louhentori were on public display.

In the event, a short info session about the development of the Tapiola area was held in between free discussion. Area Architect Sampo Sikiö highlighted the most important development themes, plans of the different parts of the major district and their progress. The Keilaniemi-Otaniemi-Tietäjä area is undergoing a transformation into a diverse neighbourhood, and there are plans for protecting the built environment in the area and strengthen the nature values of the area. Work to strengthen the pedestrian centre and protect the built cultural environment are under way at the centre of Tapiola. In the Sports Park and Niittykumpu area, the urban structure around the metro stations will be made more compact, while ensuring that the less densely built small town environment will be preserved between the stations. Merituulentie is being transformed into a more pleasant urban street space.

In addition, Sikiö highlighted children and young people as a strategic target group of the City of Espoo. An increasing proportion of the city’s population are children and young people, and Espoo wants to be their capital. Many school and day-care centre plans are also under way in the Greater Tapiola area, where cooperation has been and will be carried out with children, parents and educators.

The planning team of the Greater Tapiola area has organised regional residents’ evenings every six months, sometimes with a larger, sometimes smaller group of planners. The next event has already been planned for October 2027. In addition to regional events, surveys, walking tours of planning areas and information events are also organised on individual plans in the Tapiola area. You can also always contact the planner about a plan that you are interested in. 

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