Winning ideas of participatory budgeting in Vantaa – many linked to well-being of children and young people

A total of 6,686 Vantaa residents took part in the vote, most of whom voted online. It was also possible to vote on paper at libraries. Voter turnout in the whole city was 3.2% of residents of voting age (all aged 13 and over). The highest voter turnout was in the Aviapolis major region, where 5.7% of the residents voted. The participatory budgeting funding of EUR 1.2 million will be divided among the seven major regions of Vantaa according to their number of residents. 

– Thank you to all residents who have been involved in the various stages of participatory budgeting so far. We received a record number of ideas, about 350 of which were put to the vote. Now, the residents have made their choices and great proposals are moving forward. We can see from the results that Vantaa is a city of young people and that Vantaa residents want to invest in the well-being of children and young people, says Riikka Åstrand, Deputy Mayor of the Urban Culture and Wellbeing Department of Vantaa. 

66 proposals in total to be implemented   

Each resident had the possibility to vote in the major region of their choice for one or more ideas that fitted into the region’s budget. In many major regions, funding was allocated to provide more free-of-charge recreational activities for children and young people. Projects that improve sports services also received funding: new outdoor gyms will be built in the Korso and Tikkurila major regions, Aviapolis will get an outdoor trampoline and relaxed and fun exercise options for adults will be organised in Koivukylä. Vantaa residents were also interested in film screening picnics – free-of-charge outdoor film screenings will be organised in several major regions with the funding of participatory budgeting.

Some examples of ideas that are progressing to implementation   

Outdoor film screenings and a gaming event for young people will be organised in Aviapolis. Teachers in the region will receive training in identifying neuropsychiatric symptoms, and free-of-charge recreational activities will be organised for children and young people. In addition, guided outdoor gym workouts, seasonal lights and park trampolines were among popular proposals.

Hakunila will organise free-of-charge hobbies for children and young people and improve the grounds of Sotunki School. In addition, Hakunila Youth Centre will offer a free-of-charge snack for a fixed period of time and host an escape room event. Benches and rubbish bins will also be added around the region and volunteer cleaning events will be held.  

In Kivistö, the idea of outdoor film screenings in Kenraalinpuisto park was the most successful. A unique situation took place in Kivistö, as two ideas received exactly the same number of votes. The proposals “New parking spaces in Kivistö” and “Investing in children’s and young people’s free hobby activities in the Kivistö area” both received 157 votes. As such, the two projects together would have exceeded Kivistö’s budget. By a decision of the city’s management group, the hobby project will be implemented in Kivistö as a smaller project of EUR 5,000. In this way, both projects can be implemented.

Also in Koivukylä, free-of-charge recreational and other activities for children and young people both at the library and at schools received many votes. Sensory rooms that allow pupils to relax and unwind will be built at Rekola School and Koivukylä School. In addition, people voted for events, exercise opportunities and rubbish bins for the parks.   

Korso will get a new outdoor exercise point and more rubbish bins. The changing booths and shower area of the Leppäkorpi swimming place will be repaired. A youth employment project in Youth Services was also successful in Korso. In addition, microwave ovens and electric kettles will be purchased for the schools in the region. 

Myyrmäki got the largest number of accepted proposals as it is the most populous of Vantaa’s major regions. Participatory budgeting funding will be used in Myyrmäki to hire more assistants for schools. Several environmental projects proceeded to implementation, and trees, flower beds and meadows will be added to the area. In addition, the Lammaslampi pedestrian bridge will be renovated and signs and signposts will be added. 

The Tikkurila major region will get a new outdoor exercise point and outdoor film screenings. In addition, many proposals related to children, young people, outdoor recreation and exercise were successful in the vote. In Tikkurila, the idea of a seasonal light competition for residents, which aims to brighten up the dark season, was also successful. 

All the proposals that are progressing to implementation have been published on the region-specific pages at vantaa.fi/osbu.    

Co-creation phase to follow   

The city invites all residents to participate in the co-creation phase of the winning ideas already in May. In the co-creation phase, residents and experts will work together to draw up more detailed project plans for the ideas to be implemented.   

You can participate in the co-creation work online or at face-to-face sessions. During Influential Day on 8 May, for example, children and young people can take part in the development of ideas that concern them. Some of the successful projects may also be ready for implementation, making the co-creation phase unnecessary.  

The city will implement the winning ideas in 2024–2025. You can follow their progress at vantaa.fi/osbu.