Harri Pihlajamäki started working on the Liiveri Kotokortteli project at the beginning of January. His task is to inspire Seinäjoki residents to develop their own areas in the city center.
Harri Pihlajamäki, who admits to being a big music consumer, also enjoys reading books. He can be found at Apila Library, working on his laptop or talking to city residents about the development of the city center.
Seinäjoki has been Harri Pihlajamäki hometown since 1992, when he came to the town as a youth director. Originally from the heart of Alavu, Pihlajamäki has also gained diverse experience in various project work. However, he is best known as the executive director of the Seinäjoki Live Music Association, Selmu. He served in this position from 2003–2014.
"I have an extensive network of contacts through Selmu and Provinssi," says Pihlajamäki. The networks are indeed useful, as the aim of the Kotokortteli project is to draw up a local development strategy for the central area of Seinäjoki through a participatory process. This area is excluded from the EU's Rural Development Fund.
-I invite associations, entrepreneurs and residents of the area, from students to the elderly, to participate in the planning work, Pihlajamäki encourages. The city with its various administrative municipalities is naturally an important partner. The Heartfelt Seinäjoki Association and projects related to the development of the city center area also play a key role in creating the network. Events in the city center and their implementers are also important partners.
Pihlajamäki feels that the spiritual atmosphere in Seinäjoki has developed in a more positive direction in recent years.
-However, we must remember that satisfaction is a brake on development. The only permanent thing is change. Of course, he is upset that there are many empty commercial premises in the city center. However, he believes that the planned parking garage and new building stock will bring much-needed liveliness and comfort to the city center.
Pihlajamäki has started his work by contacting various actors and assembling a network of developers. The collection of ideas begins with resident bridges, which are organized during the spring. They involve discussions and group work. The goal is that the participatory process itself would activate city residents to act for the benefit of their living environment and gain experience in participating. There are many senior citizens and students living in the core city center, and their voices should also be heard.
-You can also stay in touch via social media, as Kotokortteli can be seen on both Facebook and Instagram. Epari has agreed to be a more traditional media partner, through which information about resident bridges, surveys and other events will be provided, Pihlajamäki says.
Harri Pihlajamäki's contact information
The strategy work in the Kotokortteli project will continue until autumn 2016. The Regional Council of South Ostrobothnia granted the project regional development funding. The project is also financed by the City of Seinäjoki. The city strategy creates the basis for citizen-oriented development work, which is one of the On the key principles of Leader activitiesThe goal is for residents to implement the ideas written into the strategy. External funding can also be applied for for the projects that are being launched.
