Rauma Residents Co-created a New Vision for the City Centre
Uutinen
Text: Janne Rantanen
Photos: Joonas Uussaari, Rauman kaupunki
Residents of Rauma have been envisioning a new kind of city centre since last autumn. A shared vision for the future has been shaped through an exceptionally broad participatory process, including various events, stakeholder interviews, brainstorming sessions, vision workshops and an online survey that received more than 3,000 responses.
The outcome of this interactive process, the City Centre Vision 2050, is expected to be presented to the City Council in September. The original goal was to publish the vision already in May.
– A little extra time is worthwhile, says Leena Joki-Korpela, architect at the City of Rauma.
The barrel of ideas overflowed when residents, businesses and numerous stakeholder groups were invited to share their views on how Rauma and its city centre should be developed.
– The vision is a sum of shared aspirations, Joki-Korpela concludes.
Residents of Rauma were asked to identify their favourite places and areas they felt could be improved. A fairly clear picture emerged of the locations where expectations for development are highest. At the top of the list is naturally Tarvontori, as no new construction followed the demolition of the shopping centre.
– Alongside Tarvontori, the area along the canal from the city centre towards the harbour also emerged strongly in the discussions.
The starting point is good, if not excellent. Rauma is not “broken”. On the contrary, Rauma is a high-quality hometown.
– I have described Rauma as a five-minute city, where daily life and living are exceptionally smooth. Everything is close by and services work well. If you can manage without ballet and opera in your everyday life, Rauma is a great place to live, says Joki-Korpela.
However, the world is never truly finished. Records are made to be broken. The wrong kind of contentment can slow down development.
– The City Centre Vision aims to increase understanding of future development trends. A shared concern is how boldly Rauma can be taken forward.
Rauma is a small city with big-city advantages. Jobs, educational opportunities, excellent services and everything within easy reach make everyday life smooth and convenient.
The City Centre Vision also supports the marketing of Rauma.
– It is important to tell the story of a Rauma that looks confidently towards the future.
This is, in fact, more important than we might think. When a thousand Finns were asked what they know about Rauma, the most common answer was: not much at all. Of course, one could respond with a question of their own: What do we people of Rauma know about towns of a similar size, such as Kouvola, Kotka, Kokkola, Kirkkonummi, Kerava, Kajaani or Kangasala?
But we are not going down that road. Instead, we focus on what we can influence ourselves: developing our own city.
Joki-Korpela finds the City Centre Vision both exciting and inspiring.
– The real test begins when implementation gets under way. The embers must be kept glowing so that the enthusiastic spirit generated during the vision process is not lost, she says.
”The Vision Sparks Ideas and Provides Direction”
Urban Practice’s CEO Katja Lindroos interviewed more than twenty people representing a wide range of stakeholder groups. The interviews were conducted confidentially, and no representatives of the City of Rauma took part in them.
– The diversity of perspectives became very clear. That was exactly the goal: to gain a deeper understanding of different viewpoints. There are differing opinions on some issues, but these are not conflicts, Lindroos emphasizes.
In her view, the outcome of the Rauma City Centre Vision is a strong shared understanding of what should be developed and why.
– The vision sparks ideas for many new initiatives. It provides support and confidence to implement the good ideas that have been discussed, developed and selected together, Lindroos summarizes.
Top 5 Wishes
What do you think is most important when envisioning the future of Rauma’s city centre?
- The sea, waterfront atmosphere and the canal area
- Transport connections
- Independent shops and local businesses
- Families with children
- Events
Rauma received 746 responses to the survey, in which respondents were asked to select their three preferred options from a total of 23 alternatives.
This article was originally published in Rauma magazine, issued on 10 June 2026. If the magazine was not delivered to your mailbox, please provide feedback at jakelupalaute.fi. Rauma magazine is also available online at Issuu service.
