Vantaa welcomes new residents but rejects integration and assimilation policies

The city of Vantaa hosted nearly 1,000 new residents at a welcome event on Thursday, emphasizing community belonging over traditional integration efforts, reports Finnish broadcaster Yle.

The “Welcome to Vantaa” event at the Heureka science centre in Tikkurila was fully booked in record time, reflecting the city’s rapid population growth and increasing international diversity. Around 30 percent of Vantaa’s residents now speak a foreign language as their mother tongue, with the city’s population expanding by an average of 3,100 people annually over the past five years.

Vantaa’s approach deliberately avoids terms like integration or assimilation. Instead, officials stress creating a sense of inclusion for all residents.

“We don’t want to integrate, we don’t want to assimilate,” said Pekko Kohonen, head of Vantaa’s settlement services. “We want to welcome people and give them the opportunity to become part of Vantaa.”

Kohonen described traditional integration as a top-down process, while assimilation implies treating people as inherently different. The city’s goal, he said, is to foster trust and connection between residents and local services.

The event drew attendees like Sandro Rodriguez Carvajal, who moved from Tenerife, Spain, to Vantaa seven months ago to live with his wife, Maria Kuosmanen. Rodriguez Carvajal praised the city’s functionality and the kindness of its people.

“Everything works here,” he said. Both he and Kuosmanen, a Helsinki native, plan to stay in Vantaa permanently, citing affordability and accessibility as key factors.

Vantaa sent 1,300 personalized invitations to new residents, with half of the registrants Finnish-speaking, a quarter English-speaking, and the remainder representing other languages. The city’s focus, according to settlement expert Nina Leskelä, is on building mutual trust between residents and service providers.