The approval of the objectives, priorities and policies of the MAL2027 plan serves as the foundation for the drafting of the plan and the subsequent MAL agreement on land use, housing and transport in the Helsinki region to be concluded with the state. MAL agreements are agreements between the state and large urban regions on measures aimed at developing housing, land use and transport in the coming years.
“Land use, housing and transport solutions are key issues for the rapidly growing Helsinki region. The objectives and priorities of the MAL plan that have now been approved provide a good basis for strengthening the vitality and balanced growth of the whole region. The development of the Helsinki region will continue to require cooperation with the state and, in the next MAL agreement period, significant state contributions to the investments necessary for the region,” emphasises Mayor Daniel Sazonov.
“The planning of land use, housing and transport is at the heart of the strategic work aimed at developing the urban structure and addressing social challenges. With the approval of the Helsinki Region Cooperation Assembly, we now have important common foundations for this work,” says Chair of the MAL Steering Group and Head of the Urban Environment Division Ville Lehmuskoski.
The MAL agreement period is 12 years, and the concrete measures included in the agreement are agreed upon for the first four years of the agreement period. The MAL agreements are updated every four years, every government term. The fact that the agreement period spans multiple government terms facilitates the long-term development of the regions. The current MAL agreement for the Helsinki region covers the period from 2024 to 2035, with concrete measures defined for the period from 2024 to 2027.
The Helsinki region's MAL planning has been restructured. The region’s municipalities are responsible for the planning, based on their recent municipal strategies. In parallel to the MAL planning, HSL is also preparing a regional transport system plan for the Helsinki region. The MAL2027 plan and the transport system plan are closely coordinated as part of MAL planning. The transport system plan is an annex to the MAL2027 plan.
The Helsinki region comprises 14 municipalities, namely the four cities of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area: Espoo, Helsinki, Kauniainen and Vantaa; and the KUUMA municipalities of Hyvinkää, Järvenpää, Kirkkonummi, Kerava, Mäntsälä, Nurmijärvi, Pornainen, Sipoo, Tuusula and Vihti.
Planning guided by three main objectives
The MAL2027 plan aims at the longer-term development of the Helsinki region through three main objectives. The main objectives are to make the Helsinki region carbon neutral, successful and healthy. The main objectives are the same as in the previous MAL2023 plan.
Carbon neutral means that the Helsinki region will grow while efficiently reducing carbon emissions through sustainable urban development, housing and transport. Successful means that the Helsinki region offers an attractive living and working environment for residents and businesses. Healthy means that the Helsinki region is a high-quality living environment that enables a good and smooth everyday life for all residents.
Five regional priorities
In addition to the main objectives, the Helsinki Region Cooperation Assembly approved five cross-cutting priorities and eleven policies specifying the plan, which are derived from the recent strategies of the municipalities. The priorities are vitality, quality of the living environment, prevention of segregation, balanced growth and safety.
The priorities are further specified by the policies, which are aimed at sustainable growth, strengthening vitality and making everyday life smoother. The aim is to create distinctive, high-quality residential areas and attractive centres and station areas that boast improved accessibility and pleasantness. The development of workplace areas will strengthen the operational preconditions of businesses, and segregation will be prevented in a determined manner. The built environment will be developed in a sustainable way, and housing production will be diversified in response to growth and different housing needs. In transport, electrification, travel chains based on public transport and safe connections will be promoted.
MAL plan to be finalised this year
Based on the approved objectives, priorities and policies, the MAL2027 plan will be drafted and finalised during 2026. The plan will be circulated for comments in early 2027 and approved in the same year. Negotiations on the objectives for the next MAL agreement period of 2028–2039 and its concrete measures and funding for 2028–2031 are planned to take place at the beginning of the next government term, during 2027.
