Hello fellow CoB fans!
Two weeks ago the official petition to the city of Espoo turned one year old. I figured I'd send it to the city and continue collecting signatures here.
Today I received a reply from the city. You can find a translation below but as far as I understand it, the city says yes (pending a suitable location and approval from relatives).
Play your favorite album today 🤘
Text of the reply
(The most important bit is at the end.)
It is possible to name a location in Espoo after musician Alexi Laiho, when a local plan project containing a suitable site becomes relevant. Since nomenclature planning is part of the planning process, naming is considered at the stage when it is necessary to plan a name for the site. In Espoo, the planning of the city's nomenclature is part of the tasks of the nomenclature group of the Urban Planning Centre. The nomenclature plan prepared by the nomenclature group is approved by the city council or another body exercising decision-making power, depending on the nature and scope of the matter.
Principles of naming a location
In naming planning, a commemorative name refers to a name given in memory of a person, event or other significant thing. Commemorative names can be used in sites that are part of a municipality's naming planning, for example, as the names of streets, squares and parks. Commemorative names should be given thoughtfully and in accordance with principles so that their value is preserved.
The giving of commemorative names is regulated by the Finnish Centre for Native Languages, or Kotus, a guideline intended for national use, which has been published online as part of the Good Names Guide (Muistonimet ja nimikkopaikat – Hyvän nimistön opas). The Good Names Guide sets out the principles that should be followed when giving commemorative names. The principles are based on the recommendations of the UN Group of Experts on Toponyms.
A commemorative name given after a person can only be considered after at least five years have passed since the death of the person being commemorated. The person to be commemorated must be widely respected even outside his or her own field, reference group, and era. In addition, the person should be connected in a significant way to the place to be named.
The purpose of the principles and guidelines for commemorative names is to support the formation of a permanent nomenclature and to prevent unnecessary name changes. Names in use will not be changed without particularly weighty reasons.
Commemorating Alexi Laiho
Alexi Laiho (1979–2020), known as a guitarist, singer, composer and lyricist, meets the general criteria for a memorial name. Laiho was one of the founders of the band Children of Bodom. The band achieved significant international success and is one of the best-known and most successful representatives of Finnish heavy music. In a reader's vote of Guitar World magazine in 2009, Laiho was chosen as the best metal guitarist in the world.
The municipal initiative proposes a street named after Alexi Laiho in Espoo, for example in Tapiola or around Lake Bodom. However, a possible memorial name could also be the name of a square or park, for example, and the most suitable place for a memorial name is in Mankkaa, where Laiho spent his childhood. In the book Alexi Laiho – Kitara, kaaos & kontrolli (Petri Silas, 2019), based on an interview with Laiho, he describes himself as a Mankkaa native.
A memorial name for Alexi Laiho may be given when a suitable, previously unnamed site needs a name. Naming decisions are made as part of the planning process. When considering a memorial name, the naming group also seeks the opinion of relatives on giving a memorial name.