Suggestions for improving the place of residence

Respondents were asked to tell, in their own words, what they would like to change in their home districts (question # 21 in questionnaire). The answers given to this question provide us with especially important information in terms of understanding young people’s satisfaction with their residential environments.

The following portion offers a few hints as to what these young people would like to see changed in their living environments and places of residence in order to make them more appealing. The task of improving their places of residence is not very simple, in that respondents brought up a huge number of areas for im-provement. Many of the answers were also in conflict with each other. This shows that a place of residence is experienced individually and the same feature

118 of a living place is seen by one as an advantage and by another as a disadvan-tage. It can be claimed that complex nature of migration is seen here rather clearly: every individual has own special combination of features which are at-tracting or irritating. Living environment is also examined and analysed indi-vidually through personal needs and personal life politics.

Residential environment and current problems

Residential environment and housing were one of the biggest topics brought up by respondents here, and they had several proposals as to how to improve their living environment. Young people’s various proposals in for improving their living environments reflect their dissatisfaction towards their places of residence and thus the need for a change of location. These proposals also tell us that there are several features in their places of residence which are not felt positively and which are thus not strengthening their place attachment and feelings of

“distinctiveness” (Gustafson 2001a).

Respondents who live in urban environments often mentioned public transportation as a matter which they would like to see made more efficient and encompassing. Respondents from urban areas all over the Barents Region mentioned that cityscapes should be improved and new suburbs and residential areas should be established. Towns should also be made cleaner. Respondents from urban environments mentioned that new housing construction in city centres should be limited, because in many cases these centres are already over-built. One way mentioned to improve city centres is to restore and renovate old buildings, but there was also a contrary proposal to beautify the cities by destroying all of the old buildings and replacing them with new, trendier ones.

Respondents from both urban and scattered settlement areas have also taken a stand on traffic arrangements. For instance, some hoped that there would be more street lights, more pedestrian crossings or areas in the city centre with no cars allowed. Railroad locations were also criticised in a few cases as being too close to residential areas.

The afore-mentioned issues may be connected to respondents’ ideals of the good life. They would possibly like to live in beautiful, clean and peaceful environment, in that they are proposing changes leading in such a direction.

These answers should not be seen as just plain opinions, but they should rather be understood as notions of elements connected to prerequisites for a good life in one’s place of residence. These kinds of notions should not be underestimated, because “everyone has to live somewhere” and a place of residence can be a basis for a good life (Karjalainen 1993, 65). In this way respondents’ suggestions for improving their places of residence can be one element of personal life politics and future orientation, with the aim of living in a pleasant environment in the future.

General housing standards are also connected to a pleasant place of residence, since human dwellings do not just happen in certain geographical areas. What’s more, a certain house is always connected to certain experiences.

Discussions of dwelling and housing are closely linked to the place of residence (Karjalainen 1993, 65). On the whole, ideas of developing housing were often

119 mentioned also by respondents. Those from Russia in particular said that they should have better central heating and that water supply problems should be solved so that people could get hot water in their homes. Better internet connections and cable television were also mentioned often in Russian answers.

Finnish respondents wished more for lower rents. Respondents from all countries pointed out that there should be more building sites made available for new houses.

Especially respondents living in small places such as villages or scattered settlement areas would like to see new houses and more people brought in, especially those of their own age. Many of the respondents in each country said that they would like to have more people in their residential areas; yet there were also those who said that there are too many people already, with migration in their direction putting their peaceful and lovely milieus at risk. These answers can be regarded as hints of the desire to live in livelier place, though not everyone is ready for such. One respondent suggested that the construction of new summer cottages should be restricted, and another would even like to prohibit any new people moving into the area where she lives.

Constructing a place of residence with a livelier social atmosphere was possibly also the idea behind those answers which stressed the need for improvements in services. In every country surveyed, respondents had all kinds of proposals for public initiatives. The basic message behind all of these was that there should be more services which enable a livelier social life, and beyond that more activities and amusements made available for young people. The most sought after services were cafes, movie theatres, discos, night clubs, clothing shops, shopping centres and other possibilities for consumption. Cultural activities were also near the top of the list of services which respondents thought were missing. Respondents said that there should be more cultural activities such as art exhibits and concerts. Spiritual events were also desired, as well as possibilities to practice yoga and meditation. It was frequently mentioned that there are just not enough meeting places for young people.

Some answers also contained direct references to specific current problems in their living environments, such as unemployment, drunkenness, homelessness and crime. Some respondents, especially from Norway and Russia, paid a lot of attention to drug problems among young people. Respondents naturally expressed their wish for these issues to be dealt with. For example, young drug abusers should be rehabilitated and drug dealers should be punished. Some respondents from Sweden thought that there were too many immigrants in their home district.

These are issues which have effect individual self-identification and

“distinctiveness” in certain places. Feelings of living in the middle of drug or alcohol abuse do not support the feelings of “us” and “self-esteem” (Gustafson 2001a). These current problems also possibly lower the local image and in that way affect respondents’ cost-benefit analyses in comparing different potential places of residence.

Cost-benefit analyses and, on the other hand, feelings of “continuity”

(Gustafson 2001a) are also affected by local opportunities for work. The apparent availability of employment raises the value of the living place in the minds of young residents. Furthermore, local jobs that young people aspire to

120 may create a feeling of the place of residence providing some security in the form of “continuity” in the future. That, in turn, strengthens place attachment and also faith in the future. The data shows that finding more job possibilities for young people was the most common wish found in the answers of all respondents from every country surveyed. Some respondents had written suggestions of what should be done in order to create more jobs. One such suggestion was to start retiring old people already at 50 years old in order to provide more jobs for young people. Respondents also mentioned that new enterprises should be given assistance and that there should be more jobs created in all lines of industry and business. Technology was generally seen as an effective means of increasing job possibilities. Another related issue raised by respondents was that the livelihoods of indigenous peoples should be maintained.

Issues concerning pupils, students and decision making

Finnish respondents in particular paid attention to matters relating to schooling and living standards for students. That can be seen as an attempt to develop individual life political means by paying attention to issues which are important for their future plans. It can be argued that these young people are in that way also trying to create a favourable place for their identity work and self-development.

Respondents were hoping that more educational opportunities, and a wider scale of such opportunities, would be made available. Also more attention should be given to student housing, making cheaper student flats available. Respondents also expressed the opinion that municipalities should take better care of students in terms of the decisions they make which relate to young people’s lives and which affect students in particular. One Finnish respondent went as far as to write a rather long essay about her concern for the way in which students are pushed to the breaking point, both mentally and financially. In her opinion, these things should be changed as soon as possible in many municipalities. One of the youngest respondents made the concrete suggestion of having shorter school days during the darkest part of the winter. Respondents living in scattered settlements hoped for schools closer by, so that they would not have to travel so far each day. Russian respondents often suggested that there should be cheaper or even free public services for students, such as free public transportation and the elimination of tuition fees in educational establishments.

These respondents’ proposals tell us about their viewpoints regarding the geographical location of their place of residence. Behind these proposals can be seen a wish for easier mobility, e.g. through lowering bus fares, thus reducing the possible gap between personal performance structures due to remote location and long distance commutes. In some cases lowering travelling expenses could bring a significant improvement in personal performance structures, which in turn could significantly benefit the person’s life politics.

The issue of travelling expenses is an example of a matter which seems to be important to respondents, which is also, at least to some extent, a matter which can be tackled and dealt with by local decision makers. Another example is that respondents from every country mentioned that the voices of young people

121 themselves should be heard more when public decisions concerning young people are being made. There is a tension, however, between these opinions and general statements concerning young people’s political activity. Young people are seen to be uninterested in politics, in part because of their low voting rates in elections. Yet it is reasonable to assume that youngsters are not uninterested in politics as such; but they are rather disappointed with the somewhat ritualistic means of political participation available to them, such as elections, parties and voting (Hellsten & Martikainen 2002, 154). This is supported by the writings of respondents who stressed that young people should be invested in and listened to. Respondents also stated that they do not trust the skills of their present political leaders, and some said that certain politicians should be replaced by

“experts” instead. Local decision makers were also characterised as old and mulish politicians, without any intention of developing their city. Respondents had a clear position on this: selfish politicians should be removed from their posts. These answers can be linked with young people’s frustration with traditional politics and orientations towards new, if possible more interactive, means of political participation.

No use in making changes

Answers also included some rather deterministic attitudes which clearly reflected negative future prospects and weak place attachment. E.g., one respondent wrote,

“there’s no use trying to change my home village; it’s been dead for years already” (Fi,1277,PP,f,84). Other respondents stated that it is impossible to even try to affect local matters – simply beyond the realm of possibility. Again,

“movers” have noted that they have no opinion about this matter and there is nothing that they want to try to change in their home districts, because they will be moving out anyway.

This group of respondents with such negative attitudes can be seen to follow a negative future prospects-centred orientation in their plans (Soininen 2002), i.e.

for them migration alacrity is a consequence of a pessimistic attitude towards local opportunity structures and future hopes.