Hallinnon ja kansalaisen vuorovaikutus, Helsingin paikallisagendaprosessin arviointia. In February 1995, the City of Helsinki committed itself to the goals of sustainable development by signing the Aalborg Document. Today, the process of defining the goals for sustainable development in Helsinki has reached so far that the Helsinki Local Agenda 21 is expected to be presented to and handled by the City Council in the year 2000. Obviously, sustainable development is a very large concept. It is understood to contain ecological and economical values, but also a social dimension.
Social sustainability contains vitally a good communication between citizens and administration.
Helsinki's local agenda cannot be carried out without commitment and much effort by the citizens in common matters. At the same time we have to remember that civic participation is impossible unless the City of Helsinki is prepared to receive signals from the inhabitants. When speaking about the local agenda, it is essential to consider not only the concrete meetings, statements, etc. The target of the study is a global programme's local implementation with regard to the interaction between administration and citizens. The study describes how Helsinki has reacted to the agenda for sustainable development that was agreed on in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.