The northern part of Leppävaara centre is developing – participants in the residents’ event were satisfied with the latest plans

Project Manager Mika Rantala from the Urban Environment Sector summarised the city’s goals. The first of these is to connect the southern and northern parts of Leppävaara centre and reduce the barrier effect of Turuntie.

“Nowadays, city centres are developed to attract pedestrians – as is the case in Leppävaara. This will contribute to making the environment more pleasant and safe, which is one of the development goals for the area. Public transport will be easier to use when you can transfer between different modes of transport more smoothly in the new terminal.”

“Parking will be centralised in an easily accessible parking facility,” says Mika Rantala.

The planning of the area is based on the winning entry of the international architectural competition held in 2022–2024. The city is preparing the local detailed plan for the area together with the competition’s winner, ARCO Architecture Company.

Architect Vesa Jäntti explains that the original idea was to build a pedestrian route that surrounds the area, providing smooth connections to every direction. This stimulating and safe walking environment is still the base of the design.

Many parts of the plans have changed from the drafts that were available for public review in summer 2025.

“The area has become more open and lower-rise throughout,” says Vesa Jäntti. “The houses in the Granssinmäki area will have gable roofs, which will create a uniform look. The pedestrian route running through the area has been realigned and made more accessible. In the future, an accessible, park-like walking route will run from Läkkitori to the west, towards Leppävaara Sports Park.”

Landscape Architect Ria Ruokonen explains that the route will include open areas in the western parts which people will be able to use to move, play, and hang out. The vegetation in the area will be diverse and garden-like at Kranssinmäki: the block yards will have fruit-bearing trees and opportunities for urban cultivation.

“Stormwater retention and local infiltration are important. Special attention will be paid to ensuring that the roof gardens in the eastern part of the area have sufficiently thick soil layers.”

The reservation for a new tram line has caused significant changes: the line is not currently under planning, but there needs to be enough space for it to pass through the area in the future. For this reason, traffic and parking have been redesigned.

“The current plan is to build a parking facility under Turuntie. Above it, traffic would run in a tunnel, which would protect the north side from traffic noise. A five-storey office building would be built on top of the parking facility and the tunnel,” says Vesa Jäntti.

Project Coordinator Mervi Romppanen talks about the residents’ participation and feedback during the plan's previous stage. In addition to the public review in spring 2025, the city also collected feedback at various events. These included a residents’ event concerning the plan, pop-up events for families with children and young people, a neighbourhood walk for multilingual students, Hello Espoo events and a discussion event at Läkkitori. Most of the feedback focused on greenery, comfort, safety and services.

Residents praised the plans and the urban park included in them, as well as the addition of urban greenery in general. The participants were also satisfied with the reduction in construction volume. There was a desire for a diverse mix of housing in the area. The discussion also steered to problem areas on the routes for cyclists and pedestrians. One of the mentioned problem areas was Leppävaaranraitti, where the participants hoped that cyclists and pedestrians would be separated from each other. The residents wanted Läkkitori to become a pleasant and inviting place for spending time and running errands. The participants were satisfied with the way the plans have evolved.

According to Mika Rantala, some questions are yet to be answered. The city will continue discussions on the future of the Galleria shopping centre with its owners. The Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County is responsible for choosing the location of the health centre, but it has not yet made a decision about it. This also concerns the expansion of Sello, so it too will have to wait for a decision. The fire station needs a new location before the planned residential block can be built.

The plan presented at the event depicts the current stage of the planning work. The plan will be refined on the basis of opinions and statements received on the participation and assessment scheme (OAS) and reports prepared during the planning process. Area Architect Tiina Piironen says that the plan proposal will be made available for public review in late 2027 according to a preliminary estimate. There will also be a residents’ event and the possibility to submit objections to the plan proposal. You can follow the planning progress on the website.