Mikkeli invests 300,000 euros a year to improve neighbourhoods

Mikkeli spends about 300,000 euros a year renovating playgrounds, using the work to improve older residential areas and help prevent neighbourhood inequality, Yle reports.

The city has more than 40 playgrounds and has followed a playground programme since 2015. Mikkeli is focusing on older neighbourhoods, including residential areas built in the 1970s, as little new housing is being built.

Each year, the city renovates one large neighbourhood playground. The work typically costs between 200,000 and 250,000 euros, while smaller improvements are also made to playgrounds in residential blocks. A renovation at Rantapuisto in Ristiina is due to be completed this month.

City development director Jouni Riihelä said playgrounds are part of efforts to maintain the appeal and comfort of neighbourhoods and ensure residential areas are developed equally. The city receives extensive feedback about playgrounds, he said, but has not studied the broader effects of its investments.

A recent University of Jyväskylä survey of 560 parents found that playgrounds had a positive effect on parents’ physical, social and mental well-being. Researcher Kaisu Peltoperä said families used playgrounds regardless of their social or economic position, and that the playground closest to home was the most important to them.

The survey findings suggest playgrounds can support families’ well-being and influence how attractive a neighbourhood is. The city says its programme helps it decide where and in what order renovations should be carried out.