My hood: “Suburban regeneration must boldly seize new opportunities” – Mellunkylä engages young people in urban planning

A good example of seizing an opportunity must be concrete. Unit Head Sari Granö, from the Eastern Youth Service, was browsing through the district's Facebook page and noticed that the next-door premises of the Kontula Youth Centre, Bar Aapeli, were for sale. Kontula is part of Mellunkylä, one of Helsinki's areas for suburban regeneration.

This was an opportunity she could not let go. The bar, having operated near the youth centre, created a sense of insecurity. Some parents did not want their children to be involved in youth activities because of the clearly prominent substance abuse issues.

Granö wrote up a message, hoping for the city to acquire the bar facilities as a safety measure. Urheiluhallit got there first, who will create a safer corner around the youth centre by providing sports activities. The bar life of the Kontula mall is now out of sight, as there is an entrance to the youth centre in the upper level of the mall.  

Now, youth services are coming up with ideas on how to rethink “their” square in front of the youth centre and library. The outdoor area could be expanded and arranged to make it possible to play street basketball or ride skateboards.

– So far, suburban regeneration has not been noticeable to young people. However, we are planning large facility projects, such as the development of the mall and the renovation of the Laakavuori multi-purpose building.

From the young people's point of view, these projects, which will not be completed for many years, represent a distant future. For example, after three years, children in seventh grade will usually have graduated from lower secondary school, one of the milestones of their lives.

– They should be allowed to live a good youth and its opportunities without the pressure of external insecurity.  

In Kontula, the youth service now has its fingers crossed for when the premises are renovated that there is no reduction to the youth centre. Young people have a versatile facility on three floors where they can, for example, make videos, play in a band, do handicrafts or ride skateboards. 

– I don't think it’s an exaggeration to say that our facilities are the most spectacular in the whole city, perhaps rivalled only by the youth centre in Kallahti. 

Suburban regeneration of the image

Granö's responsibility at youth services is the entire Mellunkylä area – in addition to Kontula, it includes Mellunmäki, Kivikko, Kurkimäki and Vesala, as well as Östersundom. 
The areas of Eastern Helsinki are often presented in a negative light in the media, and one of these places is Kontula and its mall. This also includes. from time to time, the youth of the area.

Granö hopes that suburban regeneration will be able to correct the image problem. This requires a lot of engagement and networking, new acquaintances. It must be possible to talk about fears and from where they arise. We need to bring people together to create solutions and act.

What we need to create for the residents is a sense of belonging to a community. This needs culture and events, where getting to know and joining the community comes naturally.

Granö thinks that the Western way to think about young people's independence focuses on toughing it alone from an early age and the need for young people to spend time with their peers. Peer relations are especially important in youth, but the young people themselves want events to be arranged for all generations, for example. This is particularly evident in the wishes of immigrants.

In the Mellunkylä area, half of the inhabitants have roots in other cultures, which, in Granö's opinion, must be taken into account not only when arranging events, but also when planning and carrying out suburban regeneration. 
There are lots of good, older events in the area, but regeneration needs to happen around them. He gives the example of joint painting events between street art youth and Symppis. At the end of the summer, they will be painting the underpasses that surround the mall. Painting is a safe way to brings together young people and adults from different backgrounds. 
 

Involving young people in urban planning

Granö hopes that when implementing the suburban regeneration, the perspective of young people is also heard – because the city belongs to young people as well. However, hearing the young people's perspective does not mean a quick survey and a hello.

A step in the right direction was when youth services began to emphasize the participation of young people in urban planning, with the help of regional and inclusion counsellor Mira Honkaniemi. Her job is to make sure that young people are included. So far, they have been included in designing lighting that improves safety and attractiveness, for example.
 
– The appreciation of youth work has grown tremendously in our society, Granö says. 
Other actors also help to support youth work. As an example, Granö points out the Me Foundation, which aims to create opportunities for young people, regardless of their background, to participate, belong, and believe in the future. The Foundation and the city’s youth work organise, among other things, family activities in Kontula’s Kelkkapuisto Park. 
 

The mall is also being developed as an OmaStadi project

Larger projects are also achieving good things. For example, new premises for youth activities the Mellunmäki metro station are on the horizon, when the Laakavuori primary school is replaced with the new multi-purpose building. For example, young people will have access to large halls for playing games.

– Our intention is that the youth facilities in Laakavuori will have a focus on sports activities, while cultural opportunities will be the focus in Kontula. 

Culture will emerge even before the premises are renovated. In the OmaStadi project, residents voted to implement the development of the Kontula shopping mall into a cultural mall for all of Helsinki. 300,000 euros have been set aside in the city budget for this project. 

– I hope the sum goes directly to the cultural experiences of the residents of Kontula.

Suburban regeneration will continue until 2035 in Malminkartano and Kannelmäki, Malmi, Mellunkylä and Meri-Rastila. Suburban regeneration is one of the measures of the Place for Growth strategy, as well as one way to prevent segregation. We will focus particularly on the development of school and leisure services in the urban renewal areas. One of our most important tasks is to listen to the areas’ residents and actors and to carry their message forward. In urban renewal, cooperation plays a key role. 
 

Text: Kirsi Riipinen