The fact that habitats and political or administrative boundaries are diverging in commuter country of Switzerland has already been described many times. Not least in numerous studies of tanks Avenir Suisse. There is also no shortage of more or less original proposals to remedy this. But neir FOCI (functional overlapping competing jurisdictions), which assigns citizen as a disposer or water-benefit to or territorial units and not as parents of school-age children, nor proposal, voting rights – and tax liability? – Extending from place of residence to workplace have ever been seriously discussed politically.
In past, problem of wrong political boundaries was solved in a growing city by having surrounding area incorporated. So also 125 years ago in Zurich. With one blow, population quadrupled, and area grew by a factor of 26. The incorporation was n pushed forward by canton.
In our sclerotic society with ir obsession for distribution issues and vested preservation, such stories from heroic founding age are read like fairy tales. Like urban conservatives, today red-green fear loss of dominance to bourgeois Agglo. And do not want to co-finance an urban feel-good culture even at price of political majority.
Thomas heldis a sociologist and was director of Tanks Avenir Suisse until 2010. He lives in Zurich.
Neverless, historical example shows that urban jurisdiction, urban catchment area must be enlarged – and not downsized or even dissolved. The extension is marked by increasing importance of local actors such as transport networks or projects such as Glatttal and Limmattal Railways. These, in turn, would not be conceivable without role of SBB and Transport fund at federal level. Because democratic legitimacy of se actors on intergovernmental intermediate levels is not best, canton would also have to play a leading role in urban development again today.
"Finally again City!" This article dates back to time No. 04/2018. Here you can read entire output.The dissolution of city of Zurich only takes place, which already exists in reality. Zurich and its agglomeration form an urban archipelago, in which strongly solidified islands such as Central station, area around prime tower, smooth centre, but also superstructure "pinch South" in Dübendorf from a sea of houses, green spaces and Agricultural areas protrude – from block borders of 19th century, line buildings from post-war period or single-family houses in plain and on slopes.
On islands, city is as it once was: a more or less chaotic cooperation of all sorts of things and activities. This mixture is innate essence of city – Better said, it was. Until modern planning came and found that mixing was unhealthy. She separated industry from living, leisure from traffic and turned everything and everyone into his own place. After structural change of last twenty years, through which industry disappeared from city, we no longer need this separation. There is no more dirt in Zurich.
Caspar Schäreris a publicist and general secretary of Swiss federal architects BSA. He lives in Zurich.
By way, many of new islands are created re, where already in 19th century conditions for this have been established: at stations and hubs of public transport. When, over a hundred years ago, rails were laid north of buck, Schwamendingen did not want a station; That was too noisy and too hectic for villagers. The result is known: next to station Oerlikon, which was placed in a n empty plane, arose a colossal industrial island. Today islands are formed in Schlieren, Wallisellen, Opfikon or at airport. The archipelago is formed by itself. Now all it takes is courage to shape island.
Date Of Update: 22 January 2018, 12:03
