Not all the activists go on the streets with flags. Case of a documentary about citizens movements in Helsinki

Abstract

There has been growing interest towards the urban culture in Helsinki during the last decade, and, only recently, urban civic activism has been recognized as a potential resource for the development of the city. Nevertheless, there are discordant opinions if the urban movements in Helsinki lay down the foundations for a new form of civic life, or limit to a fashioned lifestyle. Furthermore, most of the attentions of the researchers have been focused on the implications of civic activism for cities, whereas little is known about the impact of the urban activists on the everyday life of the residents. These uncertainties suggest looking at urban civic activism in Helsinki as a fragmented phenomenon, holding the potential to lead to a better sustainable society, but lacking at the moment clear measures to support it.

This thesis seeks to contribute to better understand the role of the urban activists in the city. The research focuses on one particular form of urban activism, local movements, and takes two districts in the greater metropolitan region as an example where three groups of citizens are actively contributing to developing the community. By observing the dynamics between the activists and other residents in the areas, the research questions how designers can explore the implications of active citizens on the development of the neighborhood and the consequences on the everyday life of their residents.

The research employs first methods from user-centered design, such as interviews and field observations, to better understand the activists’ practices. I compiled the interviews and observations in the format of a Documentary film to highlight the impact of the activists renegotiating the role and responsibilities of the residents to use the public space and defining a new process of local participation. By doing so, the documentary helped me to frame the research material into a coherent narrative and identify two possible implications of the activists on the everyday life in the neighborhood. In addition, the documentary plays a provocative role, inviting the viewers to accept, question and reflect the role of the activists and the nature of the phenomenon of urban civic activism. In this way, documentary films become highly inspiring and provocative tools for designers to engage with local communities and question the impact of new social behaviors like in the case of urban civic activism.