Participation and interaction plan updated – work towards a Tampere where every voice is heard continues

– Tampere is a city that belongs to all of us. To make the city as good as possible for everyone, we need to hear the voices of a wide range of residents and stakeholders when developing it, says Planning officer Lilli Siikasmaa, who coordinated the update of Tampere’s Participation and interaction plan. 

The plan describes the current state of the city’s participation and interaction work and sets out objectives for strengthening Tampere residents’ opportunities for participation and influence, as well as self-imposed activities, in the coming years. 

The Participation and interaction plan is updated regularly. The City Board approved the revised plan on 7 September 2026, and it will remain in force for 2026–2029. 

Three areas for development 

The vision for participation and interaction work in Tampere is that everyone in Tampere should have a voice and find their own way to contribute to the development of our city. Tampere offers plenty of opportunities for self-organised activities, and everyone should be able to feel part of a community. A resident-centred approach guides everything the city does.  

In the coming years, participation and interaction work will focus particularly on three areas that will help the city progress towards this vision. 

– Firstly, we will strengthen the skills and leadership of city staff in participation and interaction work so that we can make even more effective use of information received from residents. Secondly, we will work to ensure that the voices of diverse groups of residents are heard more effectively. Thirdly, we aim to make it even easier for residents and communities to carry out activities on their own initiative, enabling us to work together for the benefit of Tampere residents, Siikasmaa summarises. 

Participation and interaction in everyday work 

The development priorities identified in the Participation and interaction plan will be further defined and put into practice in the city’s day-to-day work. 

For example, the advance assessment of the impacts of decisions will be developed during 2027. 

– When preparing decisions, we need to hear more comprehensively from the groups of residents who will be affected by them. This will give us a broader and deeper understanding and enable us to make even better decisions, Siikasmaa says. 

Tampere residents’ evenings and the online Tampere residents’ panel will be further developed to ensure that the diverse voices of residents and stakeholders are heard.  

– We want to develop Tampere residents’ evenings, neighbourhood development events, events concerning the urban environment planning and the Tampere residents’ panel so that more Tampere residents hear about them and feel welcome to take part just as they are, regardless, for example, of their language skills or how much prior knowledge they have, Planning officer Lilli Siikasmaa continues. 

– Many city employees meet and listen to people as part of their everyday work. This may involve working with children and young people in schools and nurseries, for example, or supporting jobseekers’ agency in employment and growth services. All of this is also part of the city’s participation and interaction work, Siikasmaa points out.