In English

Preserving urban nature should be a priority when planning new areas and infill development. The need for new housing should be met primarily by repurposing underused buildings and areas. No more bits and pieces of the central park should be chopped down, and the forests of Stansvik and Riistavuori, for example, should be preserved to the greatest possible extent. The most important natural sites and habitats must be protected, as the nature of Helsinki can only be protected in Helsinki. Helsinki’s new nature conservation programme, which is set to double the area of Helsinki’s nature conservation areas on land and increase them tenfold at sea, must be implemented at a rapid pace.

A reasonably dense urban structure preserves more natural areas, but at the same time the planning and construction must be of high quality, so that the windows of homes are not just facing the wall of the opposite house, and the streets are pleasant for pedestrians and cyclists. Every resident should have access to a nearby forest, and pleasant neighbourhoods should serve as outdoor living spaces for residents and playgrounds for the children of the neighbourhood. Forests, beaches and parks are not only important habitats and carbon sinks, but also vital recreational spaces for busy city dwellers, as well as important growing and learning environments for children. Biodiversity in urban areas can be promoted through sensible planning and actions such as converting unnecessary grass areas into meadows, leaving decaying trees vital for many species in natural areas, and building green roofs and roof gardens.

Housing prices must be kept down so that students and people on low incomes can also afford to live in Helsinki. In addition to other cuts, the amount of housing benefit for people living in Helsinki was reduced in spring 2024 to the level of the rest of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, even though Helsinki has, on average, significantly more expensive housing than other municipalities in the region. The decision could lead to more people on low incomes being forced to move against their will to the more remote suburbs of Helsinki or further away to other municipalities in the region. This is likely to deepen segregation, with only certain types of people living in certain areas, and may also increase feelings of isolation and exclusion. In addition to long distances, the sharp increase in HSL ticket prices may discourage mobility. Driving unemployed jobseekers and young people still looking for a direction in life to commuter towns and suburbs far from work and leisure opportunities against their will is not sustainable, and efforts must be made to contain the cost of housing, for example by building enough new housing in Helsinki.

Housing should be built primarily in already developed areas alongside public transport, for example by taking over old industrial sites, empty office spaces, roadsides and wasteland. Homelessness should be eliminated in Helsinki in accordance with the ”housing first” principle.

Significantly more student housing needs to be built, since currently there is only enough student housing for about 10% of the capital region’s higher education students. The aim should be to build 1,000 new student apartments per year. As the financial situation of students worsens, student housing is becoming increasingly important for more and more students. Affordable housing reduces the need for students to go to work, thus accelerating graduation. Studying is a student’s job, and it is not possible to concentrate on it sufficiently if worrying about having enough money for housing, food and necessary medication is an overriding concern. Particularly at a time when there is often not enough work for everyone else, it would make the most sense if students could concentrate on completing the degree that interests them. Student housing should be located near campuses with good public transport links and in the same areas as non-subsidised housing. It is particularly important for Helsinki to seek incentives for the construction of student housing now that the state is practically no longer offering investment grants for its construction. In the past, investment grants have been used to kick-start the construction process, and without them it is very challenging to raise the necessary funding, as student housing foundations are not allowed to make a profit from their rental activities.

High-quality public transport must serve the whole region reliably and around the clock. Public transport must be based on appropriate means of transport and reasonable frequency. The share of rail transport in public transport should be increased, replacing small buses that stand in traffic jams. Well-designed light rail is an excellent mode of transport, especially for cross-traffic, and there is no reason to fear the construction of new metro lines in dense and growing areas. In addition to speed, high capacity and passenger comfort, rail is also the best mode of transport in terms of accessibility, as platforms can be built at the same level as vehicle floors. New residential areas should be equipped with smooth public transport connections from the very first residents.

The running times of the metro and other major means of transport should be extended to ensure that public transport can reach all parts of the city also at night. Shift work has increased, and citizens are on the move around the clock. Evening and night shifts need to be increased, including extended service for major events.

HSL ticket prices have risen rapidly recently, affecting especially students and people on low incomes. The HSL student discount should therefore be brought back to 50% from the current 40%. The student discount also helps students to return to their campuses to join other students after a period of distance learning.

Cycle paths should be developed so that they are in good condition, logical and continuous, as cycling is currently made difficult, in particular by the sudden ending of cycle paths in many places and the lack of consideration given to cycling on construction sites. Winter maintenance of cycle paths should be improved, as cycling in Helsinki is a great way of getting from one place to another in winter, provided the paths are in good condition. Cycling and walking are the most sustainable forms of transport, which increase the amount of everyday mobility and do not cause congestion. Cycle parks also take up considerably less space than car parks.

A smooth and diverse transport system is in everyone’s interest. Streamlining the use of other modes of transport makes them appear preferable to the car in more and more situations. When city residents do need a car, they can get around easily while most people are using other modes of transport. Car ownership increases car usage also for those journeys that could be made using public transport. Increasing car sharing should therefore be encouraged so that more and more people could give up their own cars altogether.

Education has a huge impact on every aspect of life. But the conditions for learning vary considerably. To keep every student engaged, we need to invest in education and increase the number of teachers and other adults in schools and early childhood education. The shortage of teachers in early childhood education and schools must be addressed with decent pay and better working conditions. Teachers must have enough time to teach and to observe what is happening in the classroom and during breaks. Administrative tasks currently take up a lot of teachers’ time, and this increases the need for reasonable class sizes. Teaching resources need to be adequate at all levels of education so that different learners can be guided forward and no one is left behind. Helsinki should advocate for the continuation of free secondary education and strive to continue to make it free, even if this policy is not continued at the state level. 

Inequalities among children and young people must be reduced by investing more in those schools where learning outcomes are poorer or where a good environment for learning is more difficult to maintain. Wealthy parents in particular may choose where they live partly on the basis of finding the best possible school for their children. Such school shopping tends to concentrate children from low-income or challenging backgrounds in certain schools, thus concentrating the students most likely to face challenges in learning there. Working in such schools is harder than usual for teachers, which can make it difficult to find permanent teachers and other staff, and high staff turnover further weakens learning conditions.

The age group entering upper secondary education continues to grow considerably in Helsinki, and Helsinki’s upper secondary schools and vocational schools are also attracting students from outside the city. Therefore the capacity of upper secondary schools and vocational schools must be increased. The capacity in higher education institutions must also be increased accordingly. Increasing the capacity must not be a form of cutting and resources must also be increased simultaneously.

Children and young people should have safe places to spend time together, in addition to a safety net of adults. Youth centres and spaces are safe places to meet, and in addition to these, there must be other comfortable non-commercial spaces where young people can spend time together and hang out throughout the city. Diverse sports facilities should be accessible to all, and not just to members of expensive hobby groups. Free and low-cost leisure activities should also be increased and promoted so that every child and young person has the opportunity to participate and become a part of a hobby group. Ensuring funding for the basic education in the arts is an important part of maintaining opportunities for leisure activities and also supporting the culture sector, which is in a challenging situation.