Detached Housing Is Beneficial to Nature—and People

The majority of Espoo residents would prefer to live in single-family housing areas. The obstacles to moving in this direction are merely excuses.

The carbon footprint of residents living in dense urban centers is larger than those in other parts of the city. This difference will only increase as emissions from electricity production decrease. The electrification of transportation is the largest change, as it eliminates its carbon footprint entirely.

In fact, electric cars have a smaller carbon footprint than walking, which some consider a sustainable mode of transportation. Food production has as much of a greenhouse effect as transportation and heating combined. Human biology reveals that all the energy we use originates from food.

Most single-family houses are constructed from wood, making them carbon sinks. In contrast, apartment buildings use bricks, cement, and steel, which are not yet widely produced in an emission-free manner.

Nature is better preserved in single-family housing areas compared to urban centers. Among Finland’s six largest cities, Espoo boasts the highest canopy cover, reflecting the abundance of trees.

The health benefits of nature are significant. In Espoo, the goal is for residents to live within 300 meters of nature, as longer distances are known to reduce time spent outdoors. Blood pressure and heart rate decrease even when viewing photographs of nature, with the real thing providing an even stronger effect. Surely everyone wants to live healthily and for a long time.

The average size of apartments in apartment buildings is around 60 square meters. Detached houses of this size are not currently available on the market. Many more residents could fulfill their dream of living in a single-family home if zoning allowed for the production of smaller houses. Council members in Espoo have long demanded zoning plans for urban detached houses, but results have been poor.