Kontula Mall is a strip mall built in the 1960s and 1980s in East Helsinki. It is located in the geographical centre of the Kontula suburb. Kontula Mall is known for its cultural activities and ethnic restaurants, but also for its complex social problems. Now the mall is being renewed. In 2019, the City of…

Participation in the planning of one’s own living environment has long been a fundamental right of citizens under Finnish law. In practice, participation requires a wide range of skills, which many people do not have. For example, a fluent Finnish language, the ability to familiarise oneself with often complex planning information and a wide range…

In our experiment, we asked the entrepreneurs of Kontula Mall what the mall would look like after a successful renovation in 2030? There are calls for both the preservation of the existing mall and a major redevelopment. Some people want a big change and others want the old one to be renovated. The size of…

In November and December 2021, we asked the entrepreneurs of Kontula’s shopping mall what they think is important or worth preserving. This is how they answered: Almost every respondent marked their own business on the map. Many of the businesses have been in the mall for a long time and hope to continue to be…