Over 900 ideas from the Lahti citizens in participatory budgeting

“We are surprised that we received almost as many ideas as in the previous round, even though this year submitting an idea on the website required logging in with an email. We were also delighted by the activity of children and young people, as over 300 ideas came from them” says participation coordinator Sanna Virta.

Sports and events highlighted in the ideas

Residents were encouraged to submit ideas related to the well-being of children and young people, sustainability, and community. Among the ideas were various events, such as free festivals and concerts. Additionally, suggestions were made for developing local nature areas, such as dog parks, building shelters, renovating beaches, and organizing nature trips.

Promoting physical activity also emerged in the ideas. For example, outdoor exercise equipment, skating rinks, fitness stairs, skate ramps, pétanque and mölkky courts, BMX tracks, parkour areas, and roller hockey rinks were mentioned.

Participatory budgeting continues with co-development and voting

All resident ideas are available on the OmaLahti website. The ideas will be evaluated by city experts according to common criteria. Evaluations will be published on the OmaLahti website by April 6th. Some of the ideas will be developed together through discussions on the website from April 7th to 23rd.

All residents of Lahti can vote for their favourite ideas from May 12th to June 8th. The city will implement the ideas that receive the most votes in 2026. A budget of 200,000 euros has been allocated for implementing residents’ ideas.