“Right now, I cannot come up with any reason why I would should leave Kannelmäki. There are a lot of services here and, for example, several gym entrepreneurs. I myself frequent the gym at the shopping centre Kaari, where I can also take care of my shopping on the same visit. Kannelmäki is also easy to reach by train or bus, and the transport links function in many directions,” describes Raisa Kinnunen.

Kanneltalo, located by the train station, offers high-quality culture, such as various concerts. Kannelmäki Library operates in the same premises. As the latest change in the neighbourhood, Kinnunen mentions the three big murals that bring colour to the landscape.

However, the thing that she most values about her residential area is the tranquility and a certain kind of predictability, which one learns to appreciate after having lived in the city centre. Raisa Kinnunen moved to her boyfriend's apartment in Kannelmäki from Punavuori four years ago, when moving in together became a topical question.

“I'm an outdoorsy person, so my favourite place is the park that follows the riverbank, which is a nice outdoor recreation area. The Central Park is also near, so it doesn’t take long to get into the woods. I know the region well, because I lived my childhood in Malminkartano, next to Kannelmäki,” Kinnunen says.

As an elementary school teacher, she has also paid attention to the outdoor play equipment of the newly renovated Vanhaistenpuisto park, where fourth graders wanted to go to play on a recent walk.

“It’s a good and safe spot for a playground, and there are no roads nearby. In the sports park, there’s also a skating rink and a new scooting area, and the Trumpettipuisto park, next to the sports park, has a good sledding hill.”