Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2014 | Page 32
Green-edge
communities rising in Espoo
Espoo wants to be in the forefront of developing the communities of the future.
A perfect example of this attitude is Suurpelto, which combines Garden City
appeal with hi-tech edge. Located along Ring Road II, the new community is
now getting started in earnest.
I
n Suurpelto, all the important things are
near: schools, daycare, parks, services,
jobs and homes are right there. This way,
you have more time to focus on the things
that matter the most, says Project Director
Pekka Vikkula.
“Many of the visions we had for Suurpelto are being realised in a big way,” he
says. One of the driver concepts is “service
lobby” which brings services (ranging from
groceries to library books) straight to the residents – and thanks to a new pop-up mentality, these types of things are very much in demand by the citizens and easier to carry out.
“We have the infrastructure and network in place and are ready to develop the
service offering onwards,” he says. Right
now, there are already info screens in the
lobbies where the residents can acquire the
information they need – be it bus schedules
or weather concerns – by just glancing at
the screen.
30 Nordicum
Light on the Hill
Even more important for the spirit of the
emerging community is the kick-off of the
construction of Opinmäki school (Learning
Hill). At the end of November, work finally
started on Opinmäki which is the biggest and
most ambitious school project in the history
of Espoo. The school comes with price tag
of EUR 50 million and it is scheduled for
completion in summer 2015.
Rooted on a unique concept, the premises of Opinmäki will be available for various functions of the community outside
school hours, making it a great meeting
place and the true heart for Suurpelto.
The City is looking to take the same
success formula to the new neighbourhood
of Kera – with some extra ingredients, of
course. The rather run-down industrial area
of Kera is lacking in appeal right now, but
connectivity is right on the money: Kera is
located in the middle of Espoo, with an ex-
isting train stop. Leppävaara city centre is
mere minutes to the east of here – even by
bicycle.
Kera: Best Kept Secret?
Olavi Louko, Deputy Mayor for the City of
Espoo, says that if one is looking to improve
urban cohesion, it is hard to beat Kera. As
industrial players have, one by one, exited
the area, the field has been left wide open
for redevelopment – and the City wants to
do it right:
“Kera meets every criteria of sustainable community development we can think
of. There are even existing jobs in the area,
but not much in the residential side.”
That is about to change in the coming
years: the City envisions that Kera could
feature as many as 10 000–15 000 residents
and become a real banner-bearer for green
development.
“Kera could be an urban, modern community that really focuses on traffic solutions tailored for pedestrian and bicycle traffic,” Louko says.
The future will show, if Kera is to become an almost “car-free” neighbourhood,
but it certainly has the makings of a superstar community.