About me
Welcome! I am a 42 year old candidate from Hakunila, Vantaa, and I am running for the city council in the 2025 election. My goal in this election is to represent especially the Hakunila area and the surrounding East Vantaa region.
My background is in Biology and in Design and I have been working as a product and service developer. Currently I am also finishing my Master's degree in Urban Planning. My main professional interest is participatory city planning, which means that the residents should be asked of their opinion about how to develop the city, and the city should be developed so that it improves the lives of the people.
I have a university education, but I come from a very much working class family and I lived in low-income neighbourhoods as a child. I know very well that not everyone is always lucky, and that anyone might sometimes need help from the society. I was able to end up in a university, but I know a lot of people who's life started to go wrong already when they were teenagers. That's why I think it's important to have public services from where one can get support, and services that give people new possibilities to improve their own situation.
I think Vantaa should have attractive housing areas, have well functioning transportation including cars, bicycles and public transportation, have good basic social and health services located in the neighbourhoods, have a lot of greenery and nature, and offer possibilities for everyone to improve their own life.
The city should belongs to the residents, and not exist only for the benefit of construction companies.
Let's make Vantaa the best place to live in the whole Helsinki region!
My main themes for the 2025 election
SAFETY IS A BASIC RIGHT
Public safety is the starting point for everything else, both on the streets and in the schools.
Safety has grown worse in the capital region during recent years. City of Vantaa needs to improve the situation by increasing camera surveillance and police presence, but also by addressing the social issues such as marginalization, lack of employment and use of drugs.
Also the safety in the apartment buildings should be improved, and Vantaa needs to develop tools for the housing companies to get rid of individuals who cause serious problems, and also to get rid of any groups of people in the area that make people feel unsafe.
QUALITY OF LIFE COMES FIRST
When the city is being planned and new housing is built, the most important thing should be the quality of life.
If the apartments are too small and there are too many buildings close to each other, it is not good for the people. This can be seen in the areas like Kivistö, where residents feel insecure, there are a lot of social problems, and residents cannot even park their own cars!
Vantaa has enough of space to build enjoyable residential areas, so people should not be put into tiny apartments, and streets should be wide enough to include trees and bushes.
Quality of life also includes social and health services. It should be possible to quickly reach the basic healthcare in your own area, and book a time for a nurse or a doctor in small health issues. There should be local health centers in every neighbourhood, where you can quickly get professional advice.
ALL TRANSPORTATION IS EQUAL
Vantaa is a city where residents need to be able to own and use their own car, but also to use other modes of transportation like bicycles, buses and local trains.
Own car is often an important tool for everyday life, but also for commuting to work, especially if the working place is located far away, or the person works at night. It is important for me that it is possible to own and park a car in whole Vantaa.
However, a car is not the only way of transportation. It is also important to have well functioning public transportation, and to be able to use a bicycle in Vantaa. Especially electric bicycles and scooters are offering new, more flexible ways to move around using the bicycle lanes. There should also be enough of secure parking places at the station, so you can combine using a car or a bicycle to trains and buses.
YOUNG PEOPLE ARE IMPORTANT
If young people - from all families - are doing well in school and can find a good profession and a job, it is good for the whole city.
It is important that young people can get chances to try different jobs and figure out what would be the best for them. There should be more easy to access education such as language courses, short professional courses, and practical job training opportunities. Many young people are interested in starting their own company, so there should be enough information and education about business in Finnish and in English.
These tools are not good for only the young people, but people of all ages can benefit from them. Everyone should feel like they can move forward in life and improve their own situation, even if it might be difficult for them at the moment.
SERVICES OF HAKUNILA REGION
Hakunila area is going to be changing a lot due to the upcoming tram connection.
Hakunila would need a new shopping center and bigger supermarkets, especially when there will be a lot more of residents due to new apartment buildings that are being planned next to the tram route. Also the health center should stay in Hakunila, and not be moved to Länsimäki - the Länsimäki health center is crowded as it is.
Construction should be planned carefully, so that the whole area stays enjoyable. There shouldn't be too dense buildings, and the apartments should be large enough for families. Too dense buildings and small apartments make the area restless and cause other problems. In addition, there should be parks and playgrounds built with the new apartments.
Also the direct bus connection to city center works well as it is. When the tram comes, the direct bus connection should stay as it is, and people shouldn't have to travel through Tikkurila or Mellunmäki to get to the city center.