VLR report part 4: Vantaa is socially sustainable

The ‘Vantaa is socially sustainable’ strategy theme is implemented through Vantaa’s Regional Programme of Positive Action, which includes a large number of measures and various projects. The programme has continued to build a new kind of collaborative culture that can solve systemic and complex challenges, such as segregation. One element of the operations has been the construction of a segregation network. Through the network, which is open to all, city employees interested in the topic of segregation have been able to collaborate across sector boundaries, share ideas and come up with new ideas. The segregation network has organised, among other things, strategy workshops for discussing the city’s next strategy period and necessary priorities together.

The key themes of the ‘Vantaa is socially sustainable’ strategy theme were knowledge-based leadership, a child-oriented investment strategy, well-being through education, employment and health, and thriving urban centres. Numerous measures were implemented under these themes, which you can read more about on the City of Vantaa website: Regional Programme of Positive Action | Vantaa.

In October 2024, a safety survey was carried out in Vantaa, the aim of which was to determine local residents’ perception of Vantaa’s security and to map related threats. The survey was responded to by 1,683 Vantaa residents (63% women, 36% men, 1% other).

Sense of safety was examined at the level of each respondent’s neighbourhood, residential area and the entire city. Proximity to familiar neighbours and local services creates a sense of safety, and people’s own neighbourhood was perceived as significantly safer than their own residential area or the entire city. Twenty-one per cent of the respondents felt the entire city was safe or fairly safe, while 71 percent of respondents considered their own neighbourhood safe.

The biggest concerns among the respondents were related to juvenile crime, substance abuse, untidiness, the number of police on patrol and the social exclusion of people. Regional differences in the sense of safety were particularly evident. The Aviapolis and Hakunila major regions were considered the safest, while feelings of unsafety were more common in Kivistö and Myyrmäki. For example, in Kivistö, 40 per cent of the respondents said they had experienced verbal harassment in the past year, while in Aviapolis the corresponding figure was 15 per cent.

The fear of falling victim to crime has remained fairly constant: in 2021 it was 18 per cent and now it is 14 per cent. There were also differences between regions in the prevalence of being victimised by a crime and concerns about falling victim to a crime. Typical places perceived as dangerous are railway stations and their environments as well as the surroundings of shopping centres. Of those who responded to the survey, 54 per cent felt that the safety situation had changed over the past year. In terms of a reason for the change in the safety situation, respondents cited violence, which they saw as having increased and become more serious. Young people are increasingly becoming the perpetrators and victims of crime, and there is concern about young people joining gangs. Increased substance use was also reported to be causing problems. General unrest and increased malaise cause concern and erode the sense of safety.

The survey also enquired about ways to improve the sense of safety. Increasing the number of police patrols was considered by far the most essential action, and a visible police presence was seen as an important measure, especially in areas perceived as more unsafe. Increasing leisure activity opportunities for young people was also considered a significant means of improving safety and preventing disruptive behaviour. In addition, improving the residential environments and traffic safety, as well as measures related to substance abuse, were raised in the responses.

The primary purpose of VAV Group is to support the housing policy objectives of the City of Vantaa. VAV is a group wholly owned by the City of Vantaa that consists of the parent company VAV Yhtymä Oy and three subsidiaries: VAV Asunnot Oy, VAV Palvelukodit Oy and VAV Hoiva-asunnot Oy. VAV owns and manages rental homes and builds new housing to meet the growing needs of Vantaa residents. Approximately 19,000 Vantaa residents live in VAV homes. This means that nearly one in ten residents of Vantaa is a VAV tenant.

VAV Group has a special responsibility to provide affordable housing to low-income and middle-income people in Vantaa. In addition, VAV Group plays a crucial role in preventing homelessness in Vantaa. VAV also supports the implementation of the city’s strategy to prevent the development of segregation. VAV curbs the development of segregation through, among other things, diverse distribution of housing, professional resident selection and the location of housing. VAV offers housing units of various sizes, including homes for families. The selection of residents takes into account each applicant’s housing needs, income, the resident structure of the buildings and the social balance of the residential areas. Moreover, VAV provides support in the context of housing problems with the help of property managers and housing advisors.

VAV develops and maintains the existing property portfolio as well as sustainable and low-emission new construction. VAV also enables and encourages its stakeholders, such as its residents, to live more sustainably. VAV Group’s business operations focus on climate-smart, sustainable and energy-efficient renovation activities, promoting positivity towards nature and building a responsibly operating service partner network. VAV aims to become carbon neutral by 2030.

The voter turnout in Vantaa, especially in municipal and county elections, has long been worryingly low compared to other large cities. Regional differences in voting activity are also visible within the city. Ahead of the municipal and county elections of spring 2025, the city will continue to strive to increase voter turnout by making voting as easy as possible and reaching out to groups that have not been active voters through communication efforts.

The election bus is one of the most significant new measures and is being piloted for the first time. The accessible mobile library serves as a mobile polling station, travelling to 45 different locations in Vantaa. The bus will stop especially in areas in which voter turnout has traditionally been low. It will tour educational institutions and support the bolstering of democratic education. Reaching more remote areas is an important part of the election bus route to ensure that as many people as possible can vote easily.

An election fair will be held in February with the aim of providing information about decision-making, elections and democracy in an enjoyable and interactive way. The event will focus especially on silent groups, such as people from immigrant backgrounds and young people. The fair will offer city residents practical information on how they can influence decision-making by voting.

Vantaa provides information through various channels and in multiple languages. The city’s website, communication materials and info displays provide clear information about the elections and voting. In addition, a broad marketing campaign ‘Value your daily life – cast your vote!’ will be conducted, which will appear in outdoor advertising, newspapers and social media. The social media campaign is particularly targeted at young voters. The campaign themes are related to everyday services, such as day care, recreational opportunities, safety and traffic.

The key election materials are available in Finnish, Swedish and English, and some of the content has also been translated into the five most prevalent languages: Russian, Estonian, Arabic, Albanian and Somali. Furthermore, election videos have been produced in several languages, featuring different people speaking about the importance of voting from their own perspectives. The videos aim to lower the threshold for participating in elections and strengthen the awareness of communities about the importance of voting.

In addition to activities during the election campaign, it is important to influence the voter turnout of local residents in the period between elections. Especially in the case of silent groups, efforts are being made to encourage resident involvement and influence by organising discussion events on themes important to residents, for example. The anniversary dialogues organised in 2024 are described in the previous chapter of this report.

As a continuation of the previous Regional Programme of Positive Action, a new regional programme to prevent segregation has been established in Vantaa, and work on it has started in 2025. Programme Director Hannu Rusama, why did you want to establish a new programme to prevent segregation?

The establishment of the programme was prompted by the observation that many serious social problems, such as juvenile crime and the challenges of NEETs (not in education, employment or training), are concentrated in certain residential areas. These same areas are also reflected by other indicators measuring segregation. This raised the question of whether the problems can be solved individually or whether a broader, more comprehensive approach is needed that supports the building of a sustainable and equal society.

What are the key elements of the action programme?

The programme is centred around four key elements: data, qualitative information and understanding, action and funding.

The city has roughly 100 segregation-related indicators and indices in use. To keep the work focused and clear, the data must be structured and prioritised. In particular, indicators related to safety, employment and the well-being of children and young people play an essential role. The purpose is to create data paths that can be used to understand what issues are being targeted for early preventive work and what kind of changes are being sought once problems have already arisen.

Data alone is not enough, it must be supplemented with qualitative information collected from city districts. This information can be obtained from both residents and employees in the area. Each district has its own unique characteristics that cannot be identified based on numerical data alone.

The measures consist of both existing and new means. Because resources are limited, the solution cannot always be to add new functions. It is more important to direct efforts correctly. Cooperation between different administrative branches and services also requires development, which may necessitate a regional management model.

The city alone cannot shoulder all the costs related to preventing segregation. At times, it may also be easier to allocate funding to the work of organisations or other external parties rather than to increase the city’s own measures. Therefore, cooperation with the various parties and funders is essential.

What challenges have been identified in the implementation of the programme?

The biggest challenge is the constant rush. Implementing major changes requires active cooperation between different actors but, in large organisations, coordinating schedules can be difficult. Time is also needed for joint thinking and ideation, the scheduling of which is sometimes quite challenging. Moreover, the problems related to segregation are extensive, which makes defining goals difficult.

What are the objectives of the action programme?

The programme has been designed for two years, but it is not realistic to solve deep-rooted social problems in such a short time. As such, the most important goal is to determine a direction that enables long-term success. The success of the programme requires a comprehensive approach in which prevention, timely measures and broad cooperation are combined into the form of long-term work towards reducing segregation.