HOW TO LOVE A CHANGING CITY? - Lahti
All articles

HOW TO LOVE A CHANGING CITY?

Text: Saara Vauramo • Photography: Lassi Häkkinen

I moved to Lahti as a 19-year-old student and had a ton of questions. Why was the city so quiet? Why were the locals so awkward? How can anyone feel at home here? I moved away first chance I had and told myself I would never return.

Well. You can’t always plan how things will turn out, because five years ago I found myself back in Lahti.

Is “love at a second sight” a thing? Because for me this is what I recall happening. I fell in love with this small city, nestled next to nature, that felt a bit rough around the edges, and most importantly felt exactly right for me. After I returned, Lahti felt like my city. I began to truly grow my roots in Lahti, though, when I became more active in the city’s events and municipal politics. I learned a lot about Lahti.

I also learned that it is possible to love something so much that you wish it would never change – while at the same time still wishing some things really would change.

As a young student I wanted great parties, cheap food deals and a reasonably priced apartment to share with flatmates. I did find all of this, but I felt like something was missing; everything was a bit bland to my taste 20 years ago. People search for different things depending on where they are in their life. Now, as a mother of two teenagers I appreciate the local nature and quiet forests, and how easy it is to enjoy outdoor activities around here. But there was also a time when I what I really appreciated was the local bike routes that helped me get around town as fast as possible.

Why should every city consider the needs of young people and families? According to research, people are likely to move to a new city before the age of forty: cities grow from young people. Looking back at my own choices, this fact resonates well with me. Sustainable transport has been a major issue in Lahti in recent years because walking, biking and commuting are especially relevant to young people. Improving cities for pedestrians is important because it creates possibilities for young people to get around town and enjoy their free time. This, in return, makes cities livelier. Reflecting on how the pandemic has affected our lives, we all benefit from the joys of walkable cities.

Lahti knows how to change. I feel privileged that I can tell the story of how Lahti became the European Green Capital. I get to bring attention to the pioneering solutions people here have done for our Lake Vesijärvi, for better waste recycling, and for renewable energy. These changes have been made since the 90s and it has not been easy: our city has faced economic depression and now the pandemic. But we have endured change, we have carried on building a better city even when times have been tough. Our city is now safer, heathier – and livelier. And now the world gets to hear from us.

I wish that we as a city and a community will continue to thrive though change. That is why I have been trying to figure out “how can you love a changing city?” The younger me would see change in terms of my own personal goals: as I grow and change, my surroundings should grow to support me. Right now, I see change from a different point of view. I no longer demand that everything should benefit me, because I know that in the end all change is for the better.

Saara Vauramo is Programme Director of Lahti – European Green Capital 2021. Vauramo has previously also served as Environmental Director of the City of Lahti (2016-2019) and on the Lahti City Council (2009-2012).