Saana Rossi

A Beautiful and Sustainable Helsinki for all

Saana Rossi

Saana who?

I’m Saana Rossi, a deputy city council member, architect and researcher from Lauttasaari.

My most important values in politics are sustainability, solidarity and transparency.

I believe that cities are where the most concrete efforts are made to protect the environment and the climate. At the same, cities can and should be pleasant, safe and green living environments that foster a sense of community. With city politics, we can ensure that even in a growing capital,

  • people can live as they choose to
  • they can have a joyful life with diverse activities and communities
  • services are accessible
  • there are support systems available when you need them
  • it is easy to move around in the city sustainably
  • culture and a sense of community can thrive.

I believe that we need more openness and transparency in politics and that residents should be able to influence decision-making that affects them.

I live in Lauttasaari with my partner, our dog Selma, and three wonderful roommates. During my spare time, you can find me at the swimming hall, the dog park, or in our rather wild garden amongst vegetables and flowers.

Campaign themes

My work as deputy city council member and in positions of trust

I have been a deputy city council member since 2021 as part of the Green Party. During this term, I have been the Chair of the city’s Environment and Permits Sub-Committee. I have also been an active deputy member of the Urban Environment Committee.

Themes I have worked for:

Nature conservation, green areas and biodiversity

  • I made a motion to add the use of native plants in the city’s parks and flowerbeds. The use of native plants has increased in recent years - this small way of increasing biodiversity creates a more sustainable and beautiful environment which is beneficial to birds and insects in addition to people.
  • The park plan for Töölönlahti will improve the living environment for a diverse bird population as a result of my proposal.
  • The new building code forbids the felling of trees during bird nesting season, without an independent expert checking that there are no nesting birds in the tree in question, as a result of my proposal.

Pleasant and safe routes for walking and cycling

  • Together with Aino Tuominen, I made a motion to calm down traffic in the vicinity of schools and daycare centres in Lauttasaari.
  • I have made improvements to the city’s accessibility plan and helped ensure that accessibility is improved in building permits as well as various plans for streets and parks.
  • Through several proposals, I have tried to ensure that cycling lanes are safely separated from sidewalks and that there would not be dangerous crossings between sidewalks and cycling lanes, for example near bus stops.
  • The street plans for Koivusaari were returned for replanning as a result of my proposal. They did not sufficiently take into account walking and cycling conditions or interconnections with street networks of the surrounding areas.
  • The new building code includes a requirement for prioritizing high-quality temporary arrangements for foot and cycling paths around construction areas as a result of my proposal.

Beautiful and sustainable building and building conservation

  • I have coordinated the advancement of building conservation and to prevent the demolition of valuable buildings, such as Oulunkylä Church.
  • I have aimed to increase the standards of new public buildings. As a result of my proposals, many buildings’ facades, colour schemes and accessibility have been improved.
  • I have aimed to ensure that the design of school and daycare buildings is of high quality and that their temporary resettlements could be better anticipated and be as short-term as possible.

Participation and city culture

  • The city participation plan has new measures to make the results of participatory planning more visible for residents as a result of my proposal.
  • The city’s architecture programme now includes a measure to strengthen lively grassroots culture as a result of my proposal.
  • I have promoted city planning that encourages a sense of community, invitation to play, and spaces for hanging out for people of different ages.

Researcher of urban planning

I will be finishing my PhD in the spring of 2025. I am part of a research group working on spatial planning and transport engineering at the Department of Built Environment of Aalto University.

I have worked on my PhD in a Nordgreen project in which we study the wellbeing and health effects of the accessibility of local green spaces and the urban environment. We have also developed ways to better utilise map-based resident data in urban planning.

My own research focuses on finding out how information produced by residents impacts planning and decision-making in cities.

Alongside my work, I have participated in the governance of the university, for example as a deputy member of the university’s academic committee.

Expertise and cooperation in the city’s politics

One of my biggest strengths is getting along with all kinds of people. I can negotiate openly and respectfully - I don’t see politics as a game, but instead as the management of common affairs. I believe that should be done honestly and by listening to others; in the long term, reliability will be rewarded.

In conflict situations, I am patient and solution-oriented. With this approach, I have been able to strengthen respect and cooperation between politicians and civil servants as the Chair of the Environment and Permits Sub-Committee.

My training as an architect and my work experience both as an urban planner at the City of Helsinki and at the university have provided me with a good basis for impactful work in city-level politics. Thanks to my research and studies, I have a deep understanding of issues related to urban and traffic planning, and I can present viable, concrete suggestions for improvements to the everyday environment and also propose long-term, strategic changes for a more sustainable, beautiful and enjoyable urban environment.