Bundesamt für Raumentwicklung ARE

Office fédéral du développement territorial ARE

Ufficio federale dello sviluppo territoriale ARE

Uffizi federal da svilup dal territori ARE

Regional and urban

planning in Switzerland

Pierre Yves Delcourt, Advisor, Federal Office for Spatial

Development (ARE)

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Summery

1. Trends and issues

2. The Confederation’s role

3. The « Swiss territory project » (regional and urban planning policy)

• Objectives and strategies

• Implementation

4. The federal agglomeration policy

• Objectives

• Implementation

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TRENDS AND ISSUES Foundations of the regional and urban policy in Switzerland

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1st issue : The urban sprawl

-

1'000

2'000

3'000

4'000

5'000

6'000

7'000

8'000

9'000

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

An

za

hl

979

9'006

5'345

2'105

1'936

155

Fläche (in qkm)

Einwohnerzahl

(in 1'000)

Anzahl Schweizer

Gemeinden

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1st issue : The urban sprawl

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1st issue : The urban sprawl

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2nd issue : the mobility explosion

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INFOPLAN ARE, GEOSTAT-BFS/OFS/UST, L+T/S+T, 2003

3rd Issue : institutional boundaries

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THE ROLE OF THE

CONFEDERATION

Distribution of competencies in regional and urban planning:

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Task of the federal government

Art. 75, Federal Constitution

1 The Confederation shall establish principles for “territory

planning”. It is the responsibility of the cantons and its

target is a judicious and measured land use and a

rational occupation of the territory.

2 The Confederation shall encourage and coordinate the

efforts of the cantons and work with them.

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THE SWISS TERRITORY

PROJECT

The regional and urban planning policy is defined in

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The Swiss Territory Project

1. Maintain the competitiveness through a polycentric urban

development

2. Coordination of transportation networks and land use

3. Aim at a sustainable development of urban areas

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1st strategy : Maintain the competitiveness

through a polycentric urban development

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2nd strategy : Coordination of transportation

networks and land use

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3rd strategy : Aim at a sustainable

development of urban areas

• coordinate urban and transportation development

• concentrate urbain development in the centers

• limit urban development in rural and peripheral areas

• limit the construction of second homes in tourist resorts

• enable the converse of brownfields

• promote sustainable development of urban neighborhoods

• provide a supply of housing adequate, balanced and

affordable

• protection against natural hazards

• preserve and develop the architectural heritage

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THE AGGLOMERATION POLICY

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The infrastructure fund

20,8 billion CHF (total) of which :

• 6,0 billion CHF for agglomeration projects :

• 2,1 billion CHF for « urgent projects » (2008)

• 1,5 billion CHF for the first stage (2011)

• 2,4 billion CHF for the next stages (2015, 2019)

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1st objective : Concentrate urban development

within current « city » boundaries

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2nd objective : Coordination of land use and

transportation networks

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Managing implementation : The Tripartite

Agglomeration Conference (TAC)

• Political platform of federal government, cantons, cities and

communes

• Aims :

• Closer collaboration between federal government,

cantons, cities and communes

• Development of joint agglomeration policy

• Information exchange

• Promotion of collaboration within agglomerations

• Tackling of specific agglomeration problems

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TAC: Past and ongoing activities

• Recommendations for collaboration in agglomerations

• Strategies for achieving an integral agglomeration policy

• Need for statutory action in support of agglomeration policy

• Coordination of agglomeration policy with rural regions

policy

• International competitiveness of agglomerations

• Policy on foreign nationals and integration

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Thank you for your attention