Park strategy of Somero - participatory development of the neighborhood service parks
Somero city's park strategy aims to improve park functionality by bringing activities closer to more central areas and enhancing services in sparsely populated regions. The strategy allows residents to suggest activities for parks on the outskirts of the city center, and the projects can be fully funded and implemented by residents and communities. The city of Somero also provides financial support for these projects. This innovative approach allows residents to truly make the parks their own.
Local
Finland
The city of Somero
It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
As an individual in partnership with other persons
First name: Dennis Last name: Somelar Gender: Male Age: 28 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Nationality: Finland Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Juhlatalonkatu 6 C 52 Town: TAMPERE Postal code: 33210 Country: Finland Direct Tel:+358 44 9707663 E-mail:dennis.somelar@metsakeskus.fi
In the city of Somero, Finland, a new and exciting development has been launched for its community parks. In 2021, a group of young architects were tasked with creating a park strategy for the city and succeeded in dividing parks into three categories: central parks, recreational parks, and neighborhood service parks.
Central parks are located in central locations and offer a range of recreational activities such as fitness equipment, picnic areas, and recreational pathways that are easily accessible to a large number of Somero's residents. Recreational parks connect the central parks and offer alternative routes for light traffic users in the city center area.
Innovation comes in the form of neighborhood service parks which offer parks and recreational activities for residential areas further from the central parks. These parks are open to all users and their services and activities are designed to serve specific residential areas. The local service parks are open to be funded and developed by the residents, allowing them to create a unique urban space for them self and to respond their changing needs.
The city has allocated €5000 to develop residents' ideas for neighborhood service parks, but also private funds can be used. A proposal is required outlining the applicant, idea, implementation, cost estimate, schedule, and plans for ongoing maintenance. Proposals will be evaluated based on feasibility, ability to self-sustain, and community-driven implementation.
The young architects' work is innovative and their focus on community-driven, sustainable parks for Somero's residents is commendable. Their model for parks can be followed by cities around the world and offers a new kind of freedom for resident in small cities like Somero - while also enabling forming of a stronger collaborations and community spirit within the community.
Inclusive
community oriented
development of urban space
social sustainability
rural urban development
The city of Somero is focused on promoting social sustainability and community spirit. The authorities aim to maintain and strengthen the existing community spirit by enabling more effective development and customization of urban spaces by community groups and more agile response from officials to changing needs. The idea is to bring together people who are otherwise unknown to each other, but united by a common goal, thus strengthening social sustainability in the city. Implementation of measures is valued as voluntary work and building should be a communal event to create shared experiences and memories, further strengthening community spirit.
In spring 2023, the concept will be introduced through an idea competition where the city will distribute 5,000 euros for park development. The presentation will also educate residents about environmentally friendly construction materials and their lifecycle. Workshops will guide residents in planning and maintaining projects. The event will seek new ideas that meet residents' needs and local businesses will be invited to showcase their products. The competition emphasizes the use of local materials and services to enhance economic sustainability and reduce carbon footprint of possible construction. Thus also striving for enviromental sustainability. The concept also provides opportunities for community and individual participation in financing, offering new possibilities for local businesses.
The concept also strengthens the connection between nature and people. Parks and nature areas are communal and can be developed together, recognizing and preserving their existing values.
1. First objective of the concept is to allow for the designers and decision-makers room to admit that it is not possible to know and always fully recognize the needs of the community. In this case, the park strategy serves as a platform for the community to realize itself in a way that can only be achieved through time and community involvement. The outcomes cannot be forced by an external designer or consultant but require time to refine and develop. As a result of this process designers and authorities are expecting fres and suprising ideas and activities for the parks.
The concept aims to strengthen the community and social sustainability of Somero, as well as promoting the Finnish culture of "Talkootyöt" (voluntary work).
The goal is to enable residents to truly make the rural-urban space their own and embrace a more marginalized perspective on aesthetics.
The key word in the concept is "Inclusiveness". The residents of the city will be actively engaged in the process by participating in an idea competition, where their thoughts and suggestions for activities will be gathered. The concept allows for both private funding and funding from the idea competition, making it accessible to everyone, regardless of their financial situation.
This unique approach brings people from diverse social backgrounds together, as funding for the project can come from a mix of private and competition sources.
The concept also includes community-wide participation events that are open to everyone and where everyone's ideas are valued and some hopefully brought to life.
Citizens will now have the opportunity to personalize the rural-urban space and bring a new level of freedom to modify their environment and common areas. These new freedoms and community activities are expected to enhance the desirability of the city as a place to call home. With urbanization trends pushing services out of rural cities, this concept is designed to offer a new and improved quality of life for those living in rural areas.
The Neighborhood service konsept has goal of creating a vibrant community, where the rural-urban space is reimagined and the quality of life is elevated. Residents are hopefully to experience the freedom to shape their surroundings and engage in new and meaningful activities with their neighbors.
The concept was developed by the Municipal employees of the City of Somero in the year 2021-2022, with the participation of residents through multiple inclusion events. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, these events were mainly held virtually. However, there will be also additional in-person inclusion event in the spring of 2023.
Participation events allowed for the hearing of opinions and ideas from businesses, residents, and the city.
The park strategy was designed by three young architects, under the guidance of the officials of the City of Somero, including local politicians, construction industry professionals, and administration experts.
Neighborhood service parks represent a new approach to park and recreational spaces in residential areas that are further from central parks. These parks are open to all users and designed to cater to specific communities. The local residents are empowered to fund and develop the parks, allowing them to create a unique urban space that responds to their evolving needs. This concept blurs the lines between who owns the land and who has the right to develop it.
The City of Somero has allocated €5000 to support residents' ideas for neighborhood service parks, but private funding is also encouraged. By allowing private funding in city development, the City benefits from a more robust budget for developments, while residents benefit from greater opportunities to shape their urban spaces.
In contrast to short-lived and limited projects that engage and activate communities, the concept opens up many parks for general development and ideation. This increases the number of users, as residents can present development ideas that are closest to themselves and to places that are important to them. The concept is not expected to immediately produce significant and large changes, but rather to foster a new culture of thinking and innovation.
Neighborhood service konsept can be easily replicated in other citys. This will only need administration professionals effort for offering funding for implementation of ideas and to modify the authorization process of building permissions to areas specifically designated for the konsept.
Konsept adresses global challenges like Isolation of individuals by providing new platform for community activities and also the negative effects of urbanization. The Neighborhood Service concept is easily replicable in other cities. All it requires is effort from administration professionals to provide funding for the implementation of ideas and to streamline the building permit authorization process for areas designated for the concept.
