Do you know how you can influence urban planning? Watch the video and take action!

Urban planning impacts the everyday lives of all Vantaa residents. In order for you to tell your opinion on plans, you should know how planning progresses. The new video “This is how the city is planned” (above) makes urban planning more familiar. In addition to the video, you can read more about planning by browsing the text materials on the subject on the page This is how the city is being designed – join in!

Short syllabus on the subject is below.

How is the city built and who decides on it?

The City of Vantaa is responsible for deciding on what can be built and where, whether at issue are streets, playgrounds, public buildings, or housing units. This is decided by means of planning that dictates not only the location but also, for example, the maximum height of residential buildings.

Political decision-makers, chosen by Vantaa residents in elections, set the goals for planning. They have, for instance, decided that the city will be made more compact, mainly along railroads, accessible by means of public transport connections. Numerous city experts are involved in practical planning, ranging from planners to traffic and park planners.

Residents’ turn to make an impact

When the city starts to plan what can be built in a specific area, a plan is compiled. A plan will be made for building streets and parks. The residents can voice their opinions on both the plans and on the street and park plans. The city especially welcomes the residents’ opinions in the early planning stages, but you can make an impact at a later stage as well. Information on pending plans and influencing possibilities is available on the City of Vantaa's planning projects site (in Finnish).

In addition to the residents’, also landowners’, businesses’, and many other actors’ opinions will be heard. Several different needs are interconnected in the plans.

Each opinion is important, and as a result, the city will make compromises between different opinions and ideas. All perspectives will be accounted for to the extent possible, but nothing or nobody will by itself dictate the solutions made.

Planning, however, only provides the possibility of building. When a plan has been compiled, that is, when the possibilities for building have been created, actual building can begin. At this stage, private construction companies will make the decision to build every single residential, business, or office building, whereas the city will make the decisions on building schools, daycare centers, and parks.