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Purpose of the suburban regeneration
Suburban regeneration is Helsinki’s way of preventing regional segregation. We develop the suburban regeneration areas by taking into account the distinctiveness of the areas. In practice, suburban regeneration means that:
• We improve public spaces
• We develop housing options for people in various life situations
• We invest in services and their development
• We partner with locals to host a variety of events, events, and activities
Suburban regeneration will be carried out until 2035 in Malminkartano and Kannelmäki, Malmi, Mellunkylä and Meri-Rastila.
Vitality refers to characteristics of residential areas that make them attractive and diverse. In suburban regeneration areas, attention is paid to the prerequisites and development of a diverse housing stock. The number of residents in the areas will increase in the future as we are planning infill construction. This means that, in the future, a wide range of services will also be available in the areas.
Strengthening vitality also means allocating investments to the suburban regeneration areas. The city allocates funding to these areas in its budget, but attracting private investment is also important. For example, in Malmi, the area’s key project is the expansion of the Malmi swimming hall, which will begin in 2025.
By taking care of vitality, we also improve the operating conditions of companies in the areas. This focus strengthens the commercial appeal of the areas. The goal is to create more businesses and jobs in the areas. Various development projects will also bring new and exciting opportunities to the suburban regeneration areas.
Our goal is to increase the attractiveness of suburban regeneration areas. In the suburban regeneration areas, particularly the built environment around stations is in need of renovation. In the suburban regeneration areas, we will renovate the train and metro stations as well as the key commercial centres.
In addition, we will invest in the renovation and construction of several parks and recreation facilities. For example, we have renovated the Mellunmäki neighbourhood park, the surroundings of the Malminkartanonhuippu hill and Longinojanpuisto park in Malmi.
Although the time span of the suburban regeneration extends all the way to 2035, we are also improving the urban environment on a faster schedule. Many things will happen in the areas soon. For example, we have planned placemaking experiments together with the residents, which will be carried out in all suburban regeneration areas. Placemaking refers to the development of urban spaces together with residents.
Good city services, such as daycare centres, schools, health services, as well as cultural and leisure services, are the basic pillars of a good everyday life for the residents of the area. In addition, good services increase the attractiveness of the areas and interest future residents and visitors.
We will focus particularly on the development of school and leisure services in the suburban regeneration areas. We carry out development by listening to the residents. In Malmi, we will develop wellbeing and health services in particular. Over the coming years, a new school, hospital, family centre and health and wellbeing centre will be built in Malmi. In addition, other key projects include Cultural House in Kontula and new multi-purpose buildings with schools and youth centres in Laakavuori, Malminkartano and Meri-Rastila.
We are carrying out suburban regeneration for the current residents of the areas, which is why it is important to cooperate with the area’s residents, entrepreneurs, property owners and associations. The city’s borough liaisons organise coffee hour discussions, events and resident events in the areas together with locals. In our activities, we engage in dialogue with residents, for example, in connection with services for foreign-language elderly people, the temporary use of urban space and the improvement of attractiveness, as well as the development of community house activities.
Why these areas in particular
Suburban regeneration is our way of preventing regional segregation and ensuring the equal development of all areas. Four areas have been selected for the suburban regeneration. Considering various factors, these areas need special attention from the city in order to stay comfortable and attractive. The areas have lagged behind the rest of the city in terms of socio-economic indicators.
We see future potential in all suburban regeneration areas and have planned infill construction, new public transport connections, as well as investments in new service facilities, sports parks and leisure areas in the areas.
Infill construction is a key measure of suburban regeneration. In the suburban regeneration areas, the housing stock is strongly focused on rental housing, and the aim of infill construction is to diversify the housing stock by building more owner-occupied housing in the areas. A diverse housing stock brings new residents to the areas, but also allows existing residents to stay in the same area as housing needs change.
All suburban regeneration areas are located along rail transport and are therefore very accessible by public transport, which is an important prerequisite for the development of the areas. The good transport connections will improve even further in the near future: Mellunmäki metro station will be the Vantaa light rail terminal, and Kannelmäki will be the West-Helsinki light rail terminal. In addition, a Viikki–Malmi light rail connection is planned for Malmi.
In the suburban regeneration areas, regional centres and station areas need significant renovation. In these areas, the public spaces were built in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and they have not been significantly improved since. Some of the squares are dilapidated, certain pedestrian and cycling routes are in poor condition, and there are no rest areas. The maintenance of streets, green areas and fixed furnishing is not sufficient everywhere. For example, Malmi station is characterised by the deterioration of the bridge crossing the tracks, the unmanaged general appearance of the decommissioned train platform, and the station escalators that are constantly broken. The main objective of the suburban regeneration is to increase the attractiveness of the urban environment, promote the renewal of the station areas and improve maintenance.
There are other suburban areas in Helsinki that also need action and investments. To ensure effectiveness, development measures are intensively targeted at a few areas at once instead of all at once. In the future, suburban regeneration development measures can also be introduced in other areas.