What are your thoughts on your own neighbourhood? What works well? Where is there room for development? Could we deal with these things together? The citizens' discussions evening in the Siilitie area opened a series where residents can present their views and wishes to city representatives at a low threshold. At the same time, residents are encouraged to develop a sense of community, for example by networking with each other and organising events in their own area.
The next event in the series of citizens' discussions was held at Kanneltalo in Kannelmäki on Wednesday, January 18. The purpose of the evening was to sit down together to discuss how the residents feel about their own neighbourhood and possible needs for development. There were also city employees present, and you could participate in both English and Finnish.
"Your opinion is important, come along as you are!" encouraged Kirsti Kallansalo, borough liaison and host of the evening.
Services and the comfort of the environment were talked about
The Siilitie discussion event brought up diverse views and opinions, and during the evening there was a lot of talk about services in the area, among other things. Many hoped for a youth centre and a community centre in the area. Several participants also pointed out that in recent years services have been moved away and concentrated elsewhere. Thoughts were also shared on the effect of drug use rooms.
The renovation of the Herttoniemi sports park on Siilitie and the sand field in front of Restaurant Siilinpesä came up in the speeches. For example, more plantings and adding a goal for ball games were proposed for the field. In the investment program for the next few years, there is no separate development project for the Siilitie park, but the residents can make a proposal for the park in the next OmaStadi round.
You can find information about the schedule and plans for the Herttoniemi sports park renovation project via this link(Link leads to external service). In general, the development of city parks requires official park planning, which has its own interaction and approval procedures.
The discussion about the issues in the Siilitie area has continued after the event, and a residents' group has been established in the Siilitie area, whose goal is to promote the area's issues and organise joint activities. The group's meetings have been announced, for example, in the Siilitie Facebook group.
In Kannelmäki, the discussions centered around the need for renovating the local railway station and the condition of the Sitratori square, where many hoped that the art installation could remain.
In order to promote a sense of community, the evening's participants expressed the wish to have access to material that would enable residents to organise concerts, flea markets and other events. The area around Mätäjoki sparked an exchange of ideas and the residents highlighted that it is important to protect the environment and green areas even when building new houses and buildings.
The wishes and views expressed during the events in Siilitie and Kannelmäki have been brought to the attention of the city’s experts and organisations working in that area.
Working together continues
Siilitie's event was part of the City of Helsinki's new series of citizen discussions, which is currently being piloted in various major districts of Helsinki. The goal is to create a new way of discussing the issues that city residents feel are important, as well as creating a culture of understanding and listening to each other. In addition, new networks and forms of cooperation or proposals for the development of regions or the entire city can emerge from citizen discussions.
Future citizens' discussions are currently being prepared for, among others, the central, northern, eastern and southeastern major districts. So join us, for example, for the next Kantsu coffee at Kanneltalo on Wednesday, March 22. And if you would like to participate in planning the coming events in Kannelmäki don’t hesitate to reach out to Borough Liasons Anni Salla and Kirsti Kallansalo at anni.salla@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program) and kirsti.kallansalo@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program).
Updated 1 February: information added on the Kannelmäki event.