Notes about Espoon Keskus

I had discussions with two persons from the area of Espoon keskus, and I also talked with other people from Espoo and Helsinki about what they think about the place, and what mental images do they have about the district. Based on the discussions and things that we have heard earlier for example in Espoo town council, I figured four different points of view about Espoon keskus. I spesify these categories more closely below.

Espoon keskus as a slum or a ghetto

- specially the younger people talk about the place this way
- district where poor people are gathered: single parent families, immigrants, socially excluded young people
- criminality and drugs
- fear of walking around the area by night
- people are hoping for a change

Espoon keskus as a nice suburb

- what does many persons from Helsinki think about the place
- this side of the area does not appear in the centre of the place, but little further away it can be understood why some people see Espoon keskus as such a nice place to live
- detached houses, exemplary families
- Espoo as a town for white middle class people
- idyllic, peaceful place near of the capital
- ugly centre of Espoon keskus is just one small part of the area

Espoon keskus as a rural-like place

- how does people from other parts of Espoo think about the area
- how did the man from the Espoo town council split the city into two parts: there's this modern, nascent and rich southern Espoo full of young intellectuals and companies, and then there's desolated, old and anemic northern Espoo (you can guess, in which part Espoon keskus belongs, if you don't already know...)
- closeness of the nature, for example the Nuuksio national park near by
- located far from all the places where's any action
- place where city meets countryside
- I think the area might have a possibility to attract new, young, hippie-like inhabitants by using this image as a inducement

Espoon keskus as a graveyard of great plans

- what did the council guy talk about the place
- also older people remember well the plans how Espoon keskus was supposed to be a modern, fine district
- dreams of Espoon keskus as a city of the future full of amazing architecture, companies and happy people
- plans and projects never came true: what Espoon keskus really get was ugly buildings following the style of lovely Itä-Pasila and inhabitants with drug problems
- manner to speak about the place in a way that reminds me of soviet propaganda.