Suburban residents get inspired by collaborative efforts
11.06.2014
Planning work based on the needs of residents and collaboration with professionals is being instigated in order to develop suburbs.
A radical model for collaborative development has been developed as part of Aalto University's Suburb 2072 project. The model is intended to promote the resident-driven regeneration and improvement of suburban areas. The project was organised by a research group at the Department of Design and sparked cross-sector cooperation between the public, private and third sectors.
An essential part of the project was the active involvement of the residents of the suburbs themselves. This resident activity was strengthened by various means, including ‘housewife’ and ‘househusband’ training. In the future, this training can be organised by adult education centres, trainers in the real-estate and property sector or by building superintendents.
The cooperative model developed by the project was piloted in Finland's largest borough, Mellunkylä in Helsinki. The Mellunkylä suburb was selected as the pilot site for the Suburb 2072 project owing to the fact that the majority of the apartment blocks in the area were built in the 1960s and '70s; in other words, during the suburban boom period. These apartment blocks have been on the threshold of significant regeneration during the project's 2012–2014 cycle.
– In addition to being part of the Suburb 2072 project, Mellunkylä has also been the platform for active regional development and the site of several R&D projects over the course of the last decade. An example of such is the Vetoa ja Voimaa Mellunkylään (Traction and Drive in Mellunkylä) project, aimed at developing an active model of local democracy, explains Director of Research for the project Sari Dhima (Aalto University, Dept. of Design).
– The area's residents were really keen to get on-board with the project and our partner organisation, the Helsinki Deaconess Institute, will continue working on the ‘housewives and husbands' network. The institute is working with us on looking more deeply at social challenges and seeking out meaningful ways of organising collaborative measures and promoting togetherness. Our newly-trained ‘housewives and husbands’ have also agreed to keep on meeting each other, Sari Dhima continues.
Economic Success
One of the most important outcomes from the project has been the increase in awareness and understanding of energy-related issues by the housing associations in the area.
– For example, in a sub-project carried out with Helsingin Energia, energy-efficient repairs lead to an increase in annual heating savings by more than 25 %. In addition, the water flow fee for the district heating system was reduced by 5 %. In area-wide terms, this means that similar measures could lead to savings of around 500 000 to 800 000 euros a year, remarks Senior Advisor at Helsingin Energia Turo Eklund.
The project's final report, Yhteistoiminnallinen lähiökehittäminen. Kokemuksia yhteisöllisestä ja tulevaisuusmyönteisestä korjauskulttuurista. (Cooperative development of suburbs: experiences of a community-minded and future-thinking culture of regeneration) will be published in September, as part of the Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland’s (ARA) publication series.
Further information:
Director of Research for the project Sari Dhima (Aalto University, Dept. of Design), tel. +358 (0)50 3716949, sari.dhima [at] aalto [dot] fi
Project Manager Katja Soini, tel. +358 (0)50 374 4830, katja.soini [at] aalto [dot] fi
https://blogs.aalto.fi/lahio2072/
The project partners for the Suburb 2072 project are: Aalto University (Living Places research group, School of Art, Design and Architecture, Dept. of Design; BES research group, School of Engineering), Tekes - the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation, the Helsinki Deaconess Institute, Helsingin Energia, the Vahanen Group, the Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland (ARA), the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, the Vetoa ja Voimaa Mellunkylään project, and the City of Helsinki's Environment Centre.