I’m Matti Vähä-Heikkilä, a second-term Turku City Council member and a municipal election candidate, number 642. Great to have you here to read more about my thoughts!

Background and Approach

I studied computer science at the University of Turku and earned a Master of Science in Technology. But my university years gave me much more than just a degree—they brought lifelong friendships, a socially active mindset, and the ability to see the big picture. I was highly involved in student organizations, and that experience felt incredibly meaningful. Because of this background, I care deeply about the employment and status of highly educated professionals. Turku would be a much weaker version of itself without its universities, students, and alumni.

I believe in collaboration, future-oriented decision-making, and the power of data to support smarter solutions. In my professional life, I work as a development manager with a focus on project-based work. I’m responsible for data and analytics at the Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland (TEK). This experience enables me to contribute to better project planning and management in Turku’s decision-making processes.

Key Themes

My core themes include education, sustainable growth, urban development, safety, and well-being. I firmly believe that sports and culture are essential elements of a thriving city. Over the past term, I’ve been a member of the Sports Board, where I’ve worked to improve opportunities for independent exercise. While I have a strong background in team sports, I’ve noticed that team sports already have their own advocates in city politics. That’s why I’ve focused on promoting activities like running, disc golf, and skateboarding.

The Greens and Systemic Green Thinking

I chose the Green Party before the 2017 municipal elections because it has consistently been the strongest advocate for education and science. I describe my own Green ideology as “systemic green.” Individual choices matter, but true sustainability is achieved through system-level decisions. Politics should make the sustainable choice the easiest and most affordable one.

Systemic green thinking means understanding the root causes of environmental issues—economic structures, the impact of political decisions, and cultural norms—and working to change them. Progress rarely happens in one giant leap to an ideal state. Instead, we need to follow trends and ensure that every decision moves us in the right direction over the long term.

Current Positions of Trust

In addition to serving on the City Council and the Sports Board, I currently hold the following positions of trust:

-Deputy member of the City Board -Vice Chair of the Turku Student Village Foundation (TYS) -Chair of the Board at Turku City Data Oy -Board member of Turku Summer University -Deputy member of the Turku Employment Area Committee

Hobbies

Beyond politics, I’m deeply passionate about endurance running and reading. I particularly enjoy half-marathons and marathons. I also coach at the Vauhtisammakko Running School, as I want to help others find the same joy in running. I primarily read non-fiction, but I also mix in fiction from time to time. On average, I read about one book per week.

Feel free to reach out if you’d like to hear more!

🗳️ Advance voting: April 2–8 🗳️ Election day: April 13