# OmaStadi: A sports venue through participatory budgeting

> OmaStadi is Helsinki's participatory budgeting: residents propose and vote on how the city spends. This proposal won — and got built.

- Role: Initiator & producer
- Timeframe: 2020
- Focus: Campaign, Community, Physical space

Planned, branded and campaigned for a local sports venue in Helsinki's participatory budgeting — 1,372 votes won a €370,000 budget, on a campaign spend of about a thousand euros.

## Outcomes

- Won with 1,372 votes
- €370,000 budget secured for the venue
- Over 3,000% return on a ~€1,000 campaign

- **1,372** votes for the winning proposal
- **€370,000** city budget secured
- **3,000%+** return on a campaign budget of about €1,000

## The winning proposal
_From idea to ballot_

The winning proposal was planned, created, produced and marketed with branding and a viral campaign — fronted by national basketball team captain Shawn Huff.

The venue serves the residents of Alppila, Pasila and Konepaja: a basketball court, outdoor gym, street workout area and parkour zone.

## Making the venue real
_Digital design, physical space_

After the campaign, the venue design was shaped with feedback and experts from each sport, to make sure everything was of the highest quality.

Once completed, the venue was featured in national media. In the digital world change is instant; in the physical world, building and decision-making take patience — budget constraints and spatial challenges were solved with the environment designer before construction.

## What this role taught

Connecting with the local community — schoolteachers, residents, experts from different sports — and lobbying for a good cause: digital craft applied to a physical place people now use every day.

https://pekkahartikainen.fi/work/voluntary

This page in other languages: [fi](https://pekkahartikainen.fi/fi/tyot/vapaaehtoistyo.md) · [krl](https://pekkahartikainen.fi/krl/hommat/vapaaehtoistyo.md)