"This is a good place for people to live”: Deputy mayors present their beloved neighbourhoods

1. Why have you chosen this neighbourhood?
2. What are you most proud of in Helsinki? What makes you proud about the city strategy in terms of your own division?

Johanna Laisaari

Deputy Mayor for Urban Environment

Herttoniemi

1. I come from East Helsinki and have lived here all my life. I spent my childhood and youth in Mellunmäki, and we moved to Herttoniemi in 1998. Herttoniemi has a strong sense of community. It has a village-like mentality and unique spirit. Back when my children were young, it was easy for a family to get involved in the area’s community activities through the playground, daycare and school operations.
I’m delighted by the area’s 1950s milieu. Although Herttoniemi has seen some infill development, fortunately the area's distinctive character has been taken into consideration. The area has a lot of local nature. Herttoniemi has great public transport connections. Personally, I've always liked living along the metro line. It’s my favourite form of transport – after walking.

2. I'm proud that Helsinki is a very diverse city with many different neighbourhoods. The equal development of neighbourhoods and residential areas and increasing the participation of city residents have been expressed well in the City Strategy. It is important for people to have a sense of ownership in and commitment to their neighbourhood. This means that they are usually also interested in what is happening in the area and want to have their say in it. Promoting such participation is a key objective as a City, and as decision-makers we need to respect and listen to the residents. For me, the culture of working together is a key factor, both in my daily life and as a decision-maker.

Reetta Vanhanen

Deputy Mayor for Education

Meilahti

1. Meilahti is my home district and my home neighbourhood. I have lived here for more than three years, now. It's also where I studied medicine, worked as a doctor and had my child. Meilahti is a beautiful and person-sized district. It’s lush and green with fine architecture. This is a good place for people to live. What I particularly appreciate about Meilahti is that we have such great parks and playgrounds, such as Valpurinpuisto in the middle of old Meilahti. Central Park can be reached quickly, and marine nature is also nearby. Meilahti is the largest employment area in Helsinki, as the area has both a hospital and a university. Most of the new Helsinki residents are born in Meilahti.
I think it’s important that people feel a sense of ownership and belonging in their neighbourhood. I believe that this is especially important for children who lead very local lives.

2. I’m proud that we have chosen to prioritise children, young people and education. This is reflected, first and foremost, in the City Strategy’s financial solutions and also in our ambitious investments in education, especially in comprehensive school, but also in a child’s entire learning path. Children and young people are the future of this city, after all.
Helsinki is a city that is very close to nature. Its local nature and urban nature are both things to be proud of.

Shawn Huff

Shawn Huff will be serving as the Deputy Mayor for Education during Reetta Vanhanen’s family leave from 9 January to 4 October 2026.

Jakomäki

1. I chose Jakomäki because I grew up and lived here from the age of three to 15. This was a lovely place to live. I have very fond memories of playing in the yard and the freedom it gave me as a child to play and move around with other children.

Jakomäki has changed a lot. As people grow, age and change, so does the city. The daycare centre I used to go to and my primary school building no longer exist, and, come to think of it, the building I used to live in as a child is also gone. Buildings have been demolished and new ones built, but much of the old remains, such as the library, the playing fields and the local nature.

The place is thriving and has been renewed. That's a good thing. The new ‘Jakomäen sydän’ centre, or heart of Jakomäki, is quite wonderful.

2. I am delighted with the way we are developing Helsinki in districts. People in Helsinki are loyal to their neighbourhoods. This is reflected in the City Strategy, and neighbourhoods are developed in ways that serve them.

A really important aspect of the City Strategy is the investment in printed books. Smartphones and digital devices have rapidly become part of our everyday lives, and we are living in an important moment in our understanding of the importance of printed books.

The strategy entry on printed textbooks is a step in the direction we want to take in developing classrooms and school environments. In a way, we are getting back to basics in teaching and removing some of the extra noise.

Paavo Arhinmäki

Deputy Mayor for Culture and Leisure

Pasila

1. I moved to Pasila when I was 8 and moved away when I was 20. These are the years when identity is built. Although I have lived most of my life in East Helsinki, I still come from Pasila.
The old locomotive depot buildings symbolise the transformation of Pasila. We're next to red brick railway and industrial buildings that are more than a century old, and the tower buildings of Keski-Pasila in the 2030s are rising up right beside them. Alongside these buildings, we can see the Pasila of the 1970s and 1980s, and the wooden buildings of Hertanmäki. This reflects the fact that a city is always being built in different eras and these layers should remain visible. Länsi-Pasila has been built according to the best principles of social mixed housing policy. Expensive homes, the City’s price-regulated Hitas buildings and rental apartments can be found side by side. As a result of this, my comprehensive school class in the 1980s had children from a wide variety of backgrounds.

2. The greenery. Helsinki is a very lush city. Greenery is important and dear to us. I’m also proud that Helsinki is socially so well-balanced. If you compare it with any other city of comparable size in the world, we have well-balanced neighbourhoods, and all neighbourhoods have people from a wide range of backgrounds. Regarding our City Strategy, I’m proud that it acknowledges the meaning of culture to the comfort and vitality of the city, now more strongly than ever.

Maarit Vierunen

Deputy Mayor for Social Services, Health Care and Rescue Services

Vuosaari

1. I have lived in Vuosaari for 18 years. I love the sea, and it is very much present here. There’s the beach and the canal that brings the sea even closer. The Uutela forest is also right by the area. I have a dog, so I am outside in these surroundings every day. I spend a lot of my free time in my neighbourhood. I find this area to be a pleasant place to live. It would be great if everyone in Helsinki could be proud of their own neighbourhood. It should be kept in mind that neighbourhoods are different. When planning these areas, we must respect their unique characteristics.

2. I like the centre of Helsinki and the fact that we have different urban neighbourhoods that also have some nature. And I’m proud of the people of Helsinki, too. I think it's great that we have such energetic, skilled, innovative, hard-working and nice people in Helsinki.
In terms of our City Strategy, I want to highlight my pride in my division's very ambitious goal of ensuring only a 14-day wait for access to non-urgent medical care.

Photos: Cata Portin

This story was published in Helsinki-lehti magazine, issue 2/2025. Text on Shawn Huff added on 7 January 2026.