katuelämästä

Katuelämästä is a Finnish term used to refer to life on the streets. The word combines katua (street) and elämä (life), and the form katuelämästä expresses “from street life.” It is used in descriptive, sociological, and literary contexts to discuss experiences outside mainstream or formal structures.

In general, katuelämästä describes situations of people who live or spend significant time in urban street environments. It covers a range of realities, including homelessness, street-based economies, and day-to-day survival, as well as social networks and routines developed within street life. The concept is not a fixed category but a social field that varies with city, season, and policy.

Within Finnish discourse, katuelämästä appears in sociology, journalism, literature, and art to examine how urban settings shape relationships, safety, health, and access to services. It can also refer to cultural expressions that originate in street contexts, such as music, slang, fashion, and street photography. Because street life intersects with vulnerability and resilience, analyses often emphasize both structural factors—housing, welfare, policing—and individual or community agency, such as mutual aid and informal networks.

The term is used descriptively rather than prescriptively and should be interpreted within its specific context. It remains part of contemporary Finnish discussions about urban life, marginalization, and social policy.