The City of Espoo is known for its growth and development, but the experiences of many residents and entrepreneurs with the city’s bureaucracy tell a different story. Processing times for building permits are stretching out, and administrative structures seem complex. Is it time to examine how Espoo’s administration could better serve its residents?
Espoo’s administrative structure and staffing levels
The City of Espoo’s organization consists of group administration, the vitality result area, and two divisions: the Growth and Learning Division and the Urban Environment Division. From the beginning of 2023, the City of Espoo’s personnel were distributed across different divisions so that early childhood education staff accounted for about 30 percent of the total personnel.
In Espoo, the divisions have been separated very strongly, which is partly a good thing, but at the same time it creates a risk of overlapping functions. For example, support services such as HR, communications and IT administration may be running in several different units separately, even though the tasks and objectives are the same. Here there would be an opportunity for synergy and administrative streamlining, without the quality of services suffering.
In addition, it would be important to examine whether the city’s internal development units have clearly defined roles. Good goals such as digitalization, ESG work and the coordination of sustainable development can be overlapping or fragmented if responsibility is not clearly centralized and operations are not genuinely transparent.
Challenges in the building permit process
The processing of building permits in Espoo has sparked discussion. In 2022, one family waited nine months for a building permit, which made planning and implementation of construction difficult. However, the city has sought to develop its electronic services in building control, which supports the entire process from application through to completion of the building.
In addition, several small builders and detached-house projects face difficulties when the guidance is perceived as contradictory or changing. Applicants often find it difficult to get clear information about what is required at each stage. This causes frustration and undermines trust in public service. One solution could be a designated responsible person in building control who would walk alongside the applicant throughout the entire process.
Such customer guidance does not mean an increase in workload, but rather that the applicant has someone who knows how to respond and move the matter forward at the right stage. At the same time, it would also help officials, as unnecessary inquiries and incorrectly submitted attachments would decrease.
Development measures and future outlook
The City of Espoo has reviewed its administrative and support functions to ensure that operations are justified and sensible. City Manager Jukka Mäkelä has stated that the number of personnel will not be reduced, but efforts will be made to improve operational efficiency. In addition, Espoo has introduced the Suuntaamo operating model, which renews people management practices by focusing, among other things, on continuous feedback and coaching leadership.
Organizational changes are often made top-down, and although they have good objectives, their impacts on the field are not always assessed sufficiently. For example, implementing the Suuntaamo operating model is a good step, but at the same time it would be important to monitor its effects on employee workload and customer experience. Digital solutions are welcome, but they must be easy to use and genuinely time-saving.
At the same time, we should be able to create a culture in which bringing shortcomings to light is not a problem but a strength. Feedback from residents and employees is valuable information – it must not be left lying in systems without action.
In conclusion
The City of Espoo’s growth and development require flexibility from the administration and the ability to serve its residents efficiently. Streamlining building permit processes and reviewing administrative structures are steps toward a city where bureaucracy does not slow development, but supports it.
Espoo has all the prerequisites to show the whole country how a major city’s administration can be both efficient and resident-friendly. However, this requires continuous monitoring, metrics and openness – as well as a willingness to acknowledge that sometimes structures must be dismantled and rebuilt better.
Yes, a lot has been promised – but little concrete has been seen. Promises of electronic services, smoother permitting and a better customer experience have been heard for years. Yet at a practical level, many Espoo residents still face the same problem: waiting without an answer, unclear responsibility and a fog of bureaucracy.
Now is the time to move from words to actions – and make Espoo a truly functional city that serves its residents and entrepreneurs. We cannot afford to maintain a system that slows things down when it should be accelerating them.
Source: Uusi Suomi
Markku Arvekari
Digital Transformation Expert
