Program
Home, Espoo and international success
1
An attractive international metropolitan area is necessary for Finland
Let’s make Otaniemi the Silicon Valley of the North.
Aalto University and Keilaniemi should be built to be one vibrant campus area which will be the home base for cutting-edge research and growing companies of the era of artificial intelligence.
High-quality English-language services are needed for international experts. The children of the native population can also benefit from language immersion in education.
Espoo's tax rate shouldn’t be increased; our growing city must not spiral down the road of continuous tax hikes and public debt. Debt should be used only to secure future growth.
A competitive capital region is a prerequisite for the economic vitality of entire Finland. We need strong metropolitan policy and preferably also a metropolitan council for the capital region.
2
Instead of mega-sized shopping malls, services close to inhabitants.
We have already enough big shopping malls which impact the entire urban landscape. Instead, let’s aim to bring shops, restaurants and other services closer to inhabitants.
Let’s not make the mistake of seeing methods of transport as a zero-sum game. In Espoo, it must be possible to commute smoothly by car, public transport, bicycle or on foot.
As the population grows rapidly, rails are a smart solution for public transport, let’s keep an open mind to expanding tram lines, urban train connections and the metro.
We should protect our unique city features: the waterfront walkway, the archipelago, our historic national landscapes and the Nuuksio National Park and the big central park.
A vibrant urban environment, no more mega-sized shopping malls
3
The goal is character, nature and promoting physical well-being
Nature and possibilities for outdoor activities are Espoo’s spirit.
We should aim to bring to bring children and young people to sports fields and hobbies, away from spending their free time in shopping malls and the distorting artificial reality of social media.
Let’s not suffocate our city by too dense construction. New buildings in the growing urban environment should adapt to existing architecture and the character of the different city districts.
Everyday sports opportunities should be developed; fitness stairs, outdoor gyms and swimming pools are profitable investments in public health.
The challenges are global, but the solutions are local: Yes to Espoo's carbon neutrality by 2030. This is also an investment in our hometown's reputation as a forerunner in combating climate change.
4
Destructive segregation must be halted
Espoo should be Finland’s safest big city.
Espoo is one of the most international cities in Finland and it must also be one of the safest. This requires determined prevention of segregation, troubled neighbourhoods and street gangs.
One of the top priorities of urban planning must be to prevent the social and ethnic segregation of neighbourhoods. Preventing problems beforehand will be cheaper than correcting them afterwards.
Let's learn from the experiences of our reference cities from around the world and create a model to prevent different phenomena of segregation. The entire capital region shares the same challenge.
The integration of immigrants starts already in daycare. Successful teaching of S2 (Finnish as a second language) in schools opens many doors regardless of age and gender.