D9.1 City Report | September 2023

Authors: Kanerva Kuokkanen, Eurídice Hernández, Jalmari Sarla & Emilia Palonen, UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI

For this report, we studied the Finnish capital Helsinki from the perspective of inclusion and social cohesion. Our empirical data consists of expert interviews and two workshops held in the multi-purpose Maunula House in North Helsinki with city employees, resident activists and young adults.

In Helsinki, the Nordic welfare state tradition is reflected in the broad provision of municipal services and a structured form of urban planning. During recent decades, Helsinki has become more diverse and socio-economic differences between neighbourhoods have increased, but residential segregation is not as pronounced as in some other European cities. Helsinki is a relatively green city, but the weather conditions also necessitate indoor public spaces. The city is also relatively safe, although gang-related youth violence has arisen lately. Best practice areas named by the expert interviewees consisted of open and accessible public spaces, while “contested” areas were perceived as unsafe, involved planning conflicts (e.g., affecting green areas), or acted as sites of political protest. The participants in the Maunula House workshops saw that the house had brought together different groups, partly because it combined several municipal services and a shopping mall, and they appreciated the do-it-yourself spirit of the house.

Our policy recommendations highlight accessible public spaces in the city centre and in the suburbs, combining several services if possible. The involvement of residents in the planning of these spaces and their use is crucial but requires flexibility from public authorities. Informal and uncontrolled places to hang out necessitate trust for the users, but public authorities need to intervene in case problems. In addition to local public spaces, the planning, social, education, youth and other policies of the city and the role of civil society organisations and residents also contribute to social cohesion.