Natural forest or park is the most preferred type of local nature for most residents of cities

Cities are expected to provide good opportunities for outdoor activities and sufficiently large nature areas as well as maintain biodiversity.

For most residents of Finnish cities, their preferred type of local nature is a natural forest or park.
Cities are expected to provide good opportunities for outdoor activities and sufficiently large nature areas as well as maintain biodiversity.

These results are from the Sustainable Urban Environments barometer, which is a survey of more than 1,000 Finnish city dwellers commissioned by YIT and conducted by Prior Konsultointi in September 2021.
The barometer survey was aimed at revealing the types of urban environments Finns would like to see developed. The participating city dwellers express their views on various themes, such as home, work and urban environment and transport. The barometer was being conducted for the fourth time this year. In part, the results are compared to those of the previous surveys.

When respondents (n=1,005) were asked to choose their favourite local nature, 65% chose a large, natural forest, 54% a park, 42% a beach promenade and 26% a field or meadow landscape. Respondents had the option to choose more than one option or to select another type of local nature. In this connection, the residents of Helsinki and Espoo in particular highlighted the natural seashores.
The results change slightly if respondents are separated into a separate group of residents of city centres or other densely built areas (n=263).
Among these respondents, the most popular local nature is a park (63%). The second most popular is a natural forest (55%), the third most popular is a beach promenade (54%) and the fourth most popular is a field or meadow landscape (21%).

In particular, respondents would like to see good opportunities for outdoor recreation and exercise (44%), the preservation of natural areas of sufficient size (43%), naturalness and biodiversity by keeping vegetation and trees as intact as possible (43%), peace and quiet (37%) and beautifully planted and well-maintained park-like areas (21%).
Again, the results change slightly if residents of the city centres or other densely built areas are separated into a separate group. Here, the percentages and order are as follows: good opportunities for outdoor recreation and exercise (48%), natural ... etc. (43%), sufficient natural areas (41%), beautifully planted ... etc. (30%) and peace and quiet (27%).

"Local nature is an important contributor to the well-being of residents. In densifying urban structures, sufficient green areas must be provided, and in addition to managed areas, natural areas are also needed to promote well-being and enhance biodiversity,” says Juha Kostiainen, EVP, Urban Development and Sustainability at YIT.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in particular the growing importance of nature, are clearly reflected in the results of the Sustainable Urban Environments barometer. Moving to a surrounding municipality considered to an increasing extent by people living in Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa and glazed balconies gain more and more popularity.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has inspired people to focus on their homes and invest in their comfort,” says Marko Oinas, SVP in charge of strategy at YIT. “People also want to live close to nature. A glazed balcony is the perfect solution to this, as it offers residents of apartment buildings a connection with nature and a chance for a quick change of scenery in their own home.”

For further information, please contact:
Johanna Savolainen, Communications Manager, YIT Corporation, tel. +358 (0)44 305 4594, johanna.savolainen@yit.fi

Sustainable Urban Environments 2021
The Sustainable Urban Environments barometer was being conducted for the fourth time this year. The survey is targeted at the residents of eight cities: Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä and Kuopio. The data was collected by an online panel on 15–23 September 2021. There were 1,005 respondents. The sample is representative of the 18–75-year-old population of the participating cities in terms of the respondents’ age and gender as well as the size of each city.

YIT is the largest Finnish and a significant North European development and construction company. For 110 years, we have been creating better living environments for our customers: we develop and build functional homes for sustainable living, future-proof public and commercial buildings and infrastructure for smoother flow of people, businesses and society. We employ 5,500 professionals in nine countries: Finland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. Our revenue in 2021 was EUR 2.7 billion. YIT Corporation’s share is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Oy. www.yitgroup.com