Third renewed round of participatory budgeting in Helsinki to be launched in October

The next round of OmaStadi will begin in October. It will take a shorter time than the previous rounds. The aim is that the proposals to be made in October will be voted on next spring.
Ihmisiä aurinkoisella rannalla.
Welcome to planning the third round at a workshop in Helsinki Central Library’s Maijansali Hall on 14 June from 17:00 to 19:00. Photo: Juha Valkeajoki

On 2–15 October, Helsinki residents can submit their ideas on how the city should use €8.8 million.

The ideas will be turned into proposals for which cost estimates will be drawn up. A vote will be held next spring to decide which proposals will move forward. The proposals with the most votes will then be developed together with the residents.

The OmaStadi process has been renewed based on the feedback collected during the previous round. It has been updated in cooperation with the residents and the city’s experts.

“The residents have expressed their wish that the proposals could be voted on more quickly than at present. They also wish that the proposals would progress more effortlessly to implementation. This will happen in the third round. The residents’ sense of participation strengthens as their own influence is reflected more quickly in the cityscape,” says Development Manager Kirsi Verkka.

Participate in the creation of the third round of OmaStadi

The concept of participatory budgeting works best when the residents, organisations and communities plan the budget together. 

There will be a workshop for all Helsinki residents to plan the third round of OmaStadi in Helsinki Central Library Oodi’s Maijansali Hall on Wednesday, 14 June from 17:00 to 19:00.

“It is important to us that everyone living in Helsinki can participate and contribute to making their own city an even more pleasant place to live. With good joint planning, we can take into account the needs of all kinds of residents,” says Participation Manager Johanna Sinkkonen.

Helsinki is a city that looks like its people

OmaStadi has been organised twice during 2018–2021. On the basis of these rounds, Helsinki residents have voted for 119 proposals to move forward. These proposals have been transformed into innovations that have enlivened different parts of the city. The total budget for the innovations has been almost €13 million.
During this year, Helsinki has completed the innovations of the previous round of OmaStadi. In the autumn 2021 vote, the most popular projects were various projects related to outdoor sports, such as winter swimming places and outdoor gyms. In addition, Helsinki residents have been delighted with the organisation of robot clubs, the provision of more physical activity opportunities for children and young people and the introduction of summer chickens in a playgrounds in Helsinki.
You can follow the completion of a total of 75 innovations on the OmaStadi website.