The event started with an introduction from Jussi Jännes, coordinator at Urbaria. In his presentation, he gave an overview about the new book Towards More Sustainable Residential Areas - Indicators of Neighbourhood and Block Sustainability. The book explores the topic of segregation in the Helsinki Region by proposing concrete and practical indicators at a neighbourhood and block level.
Professors from diverse disciplines coming from Turku, Tampere, Eastern Finland, Aalto and Helsinki universities have collaborated with the aim of promoting a more sustainable transformation of cities. The authors’ intention was not to convey a comprehensive analysis of the topic, but to increase awareness and encourage research to support decision-making. For this same reason, Urbaria is committed to organizing events in which urban sustainability-related questions are discussed using a language accessible to a broad audience.
The next step will be to put the indicators into practice. Thanks to the collaboration with master’s students, together with four cities and municipalities, Urbaria is beginning to test the indicators, measuring dimensions that have often been overlooked by academia, policymakers and public authorities.
The event continued with a speech by Oskar Rönnberg, a doctoral researcher involved in the project “The Future of Diverse and Disadvantaged neighborhoods in the Nordic Welfare States – Voices of Residents”. As part of his research on segregation, he has conducted the Vulnerable Neighbourhood Survey, consisting of interviews with residents of six disadvantaged areas in Nordic cities. Kontula and Koivukylä neighbourhoods in Helsinki were included in the study, alongside other areas vulnerable to unemployment, reduced education attainment, and health issues.
The voices of these residents are rarely heard, and their daily lives are heavily affected by segregation. The results of the study highlight a shared willingness among vulnerable neighbourhoods’ residents to move away. Another relevant aspect is the gap between the reputation of these neighbourhoods and the actual quality of life as perceived by their residents, with the latter being generally better than the former. Even though residents are aware of the bad reputation of the area in which they live, not always do they agree with that stigmatization. Some residents affirm to feeling pride when saying they live in that neighbourhood.
However, a large share of residents expressed concerns about safety, due to public drunkenness and drug dealing. Low trust in institutions was another common sentiment, with many residents feeling the need to study in other neighbourhoods to receive a good education. Rönnberg concluded his presentation leaving some open questions about what can be done to prevent segregation, since social mixing has proven insufficient.
The third part of the event was dedicated to a panel discussion titled “Addressing segregation in the Helsinki Region: Crime, Housing, Education and Inequality”.
With Jussi Jännes leading the conversation, the panelists were asked to give a brief description of the indicators they proposed in the book.
Mari Vaattovaara, Professor of Urban Geography at the University of Helsinki, started with an introduction about her indicator. If there is not enough diversity in the housing stock, there can’t be diversity in the social constitution of the city. Nowadays, there are newly built neighbourhoods with a strong resident turnover, which affects the feeling of safety and trust among dwellings in those areas.
Sonja Kosunen, Professor of Education at the University of Eastern Finland, introduced her indicator about regional availability and accessibility of education. The first concept refers to the provision of educational centers, while the second one has to do with who gets admitted and who doesn’t.
Matti Näsi, University Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Helsinki, briefly explained his crime indicator. The aim is to identify the city hotspots using different types of data and integrating the official police database with hidden crimes that remain unreported.
Pia Bäcklund, Professor of Inequality of Cities and Regions at the University of Helsinki, highlighted the political relevance of the action of measuring. That explains why it is crucial to understand what is measured and why.
When asked about the main causes of segregation, the professors offered diverse responses depending on their academic background. Professor Bäcklund said that income should not be considered the only factor causing disadvantage. Instead, community feeling plays a crucial role when measuring segregation. Professor Näsi highlighted the connection between low-income areas and crime hotspots, while professor Kosunen explained that inequalities and segregation do not necessarily go together. Sometimes gentrification can contribute to diminishing one while increasing the other. Professor Vaattovaara pointed out the role of companies in driving neighbourhoods towards an economic, rather than human-centered, development model.
Later, Professor Pia Bäcklund was asked for clarification regarding the political implications of measuring. Indicators select and measure some specific aspects of the world and, by doing so, they create a new reality. That is why to gain a comprehensive understanding of phenomena a variety of information must be considered.
Professor Näsi discussed how police and media reporting on crime can influence segregation. The constant stream of crime news can create a sense of insecurity in certain areas, fostering disinformation. People may avoid certain neighbourhoods because they perceive them as unsafe, even though residents often view these areas more positively. This “reputation gap” can be shaped by the way crime is reported in the media.
Connecting to this issue, Professor Kosunen highlighted the effects that media can have on schools’ reputations. Segregation and stigmatization are not only impacting neighbourhoods but affect educational institutions as well. Too often concepts such as “school segregation” and “within-school segregation” are used interchangeably, although they refer to different phenomena. Researchers must be careful to clearly define the type of segregation being discussed.
Professor Vaattovaara was asked to explain the relationship between housing stock and social structure in Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa. In her opinion, city planning is going towards the wrong direction, enhancing social tensions instead of seeking balance. The new trend of one or two-rooms apartment is completely reshaping the housing stock, which is something that has never happened in history. However, she also expressed cautious optimism, stating that now is the time to reverse the trend.
When interrogated on whether segregation is growing in the Helsinki region, all professors agreed that it is. Segregation is getting more severe and different policy sectors should find a common ground to address this issue. One consequence of rising segregation is the growing drug consumption among students, a phenomenon that requires European coordination to be addressed. Another aspect that is often overlooked is the connection between segregation and phenomena such as gentrification and eco-gentrification.
Addressing segregation brings with it several challenges. First, as Professor Vaattovaara said, segregation is becoming an empty concept used to justify any policy strategy. We should go back to the concrete original meaning to better understand the problem and be able to address it. Another challenge concerns the fact that the drivers of segregation cannot be found in vulnerable neighbourhoods: «They are somewhere else, but where?».
Professor Kosunen highlighted the gap between research evidence and the willingness to use political tools to address the problems. Sometimes even if research shows that a shift in the policy paradigm is needed to hinder segregation, politicians refuse to change their strategies. That is the reason why it is crucial to foster institutional collaborations and continue to follow up on this topic.
If you're interested in the topic of segregation, you can listen to the recorded event on the Urbaria YouTube page.