The future lives in Vantaa: Vantaa’s city strategy reflects a major change 

At the heart of the strategy lie three important objectives: Vantaa of the good life promises increased coziness, safety, and sense of community. The city intends to invest especially in the wellbeing of children and the young, as well as in high-quality education for Vantaa residents. On the other hand, Attractive Vantaa, illustrates how a reforming city attracts both people and businesses. Vantaa of balanced growth, meanwhile, sets the goals and framework for ecological, social, cultural, and economic sustainability.  

Vantaa is changing at an ever-accelerating speed – the light rail affects the entire city  

Vantaa grows along the rails. The rails are not only seen as an infrastructure investment, but also as an engine for the vitality of the city as a whole. The areas surrounding the route of Vantaa light rail in Hakunila, Tikkurila, and Aviapolis will be major places of growth in the coming decades in terms of jobs, services, and housing.  

• Vantaa light rail connects people, services, and jobs in a way that changes the entire city structure of Vantaa, emphasizes mayor Pekka Timonen.  
• We will create and establish an investment model in Vantaa with which we will proactively dictate the city's growth, planning, and new construction. We will do this on the basis of the different needs of Vantaa's regions in such a way that ensures adequate services throughout the city.  
• The strategy also includes concrete improvements for the residents:  safer urban everyday life, better study and work opportunities, as well as an increasing number of active urban culture, events, and experiences.  

Nature and fluent transport are important for Vantaa residents  

When preparing the city strategy, we have accounted for the views of the residents and stakeholders. In particular, nature values and good connections were highlighted in the comments given by Vantaa residents. The strategy requires Vantaa to be ambitious in retaining biodiversity and in ensuring ecological sustainability. One of Vantaa's goals is to improve the state of nature and to compensate for the damage caused to nature.  

In the implementation of the strategy, the city’s personnel, residents, as well as various networks and partnerships are key. Holistic and knowledge-based approaches are emphasized. 

Vantaa is also building the future through six strategic change programs that guide work across industry boundaries. These programs are the Vitality and Employment Program, the Integration Program, the Positive Regional Development Program, the Security Program, the Economic Program, as well as the Environmental Program. The city council will ratify the change programs at a later stage.  

Further information is provided by strategy manager Vesa Kokkonen, tel. 050 3181582. E-mail address in format firstname.lastname@vantaa.fi