The theme of the first issue of our publication "dialog" poses quantitative as well as qualitative questions. Our authors answer them differently depending on their point of view. Politicians have to deal with the mood of the population and then make decisions about buildings and infrastructures that have a significant impact on settlements. Public institutions, such as the Heimatschutz, but also the Denkmalpflege, concentrate on the preservation of special sites and objects. Their goal is to preserve the historical expression for posterity, despite the pressure of modernization - a cultural act. Spatial planners, on the other hand, who are also subject to the influence of politics, try to preserve existing structures of high quality and to further develop settlements according to their expression. Architects face similarly difficult tasks: With every implemented architectural project, a piece of settlement history is written.

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Historical facts‍

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Until the beginning of industrialization in the 19th century and in some regions even until the 20th century, agriculture was the main source of income in Switzerland. With the exception of the cities, which had a strong economic position with trade and commerce and thus grew in accordance with their geographical location, almost all settlements had village patterns with a rural character.  The difference between town and village has thus grown historically. The main source of income of the population was different in each case. This has had a decisive influence on the building tradition. The characteristic rural image of most communities remained largely intact until after the Second World War, although industrialization was already in full swing. New neighborhoods were built mainly in the immediate vicinity of industrial plants or along highways. This was the birth of agglomeration.

Due to the increasing modernization of society, many farms were lost in villages, and with them traditional rural structures. Many traditional buildings were converted or completely demolished. The replacement buildings, built according to the principles of modern architecture, often negated the traditional rural expression and thus changed the character and identity of the villages. Many villages and also hamlets lost their traditional agricultural appearance and in many cases also their peculiar expression. Some became heavily urbanized, while others managed to preserve a small core of traditional building stock.

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Questions of quality ‍

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Modern architecture is self-confident. It focuses strongly on the individual object, which wants to make a special appearance in its expression by emphasizing individual or several elements. The individuality of the single object is sought. Rural townscapes, however, are subject to a tradition-bound character. This means that there is an architectural similarity between similar types of buildings. A barn is always a barn, a rural multi-purpose building (farm and residential tract under one roof) is always a multi-purpose building, regardless of whether they are decorated differently. With the use of similar types of buildings as well as local stylistic elements, a building tradition was created, which gave the population an identity, which can not least be called a characteristic feature.

With the arrival of modernity, the old building tradition was displaced, which was lost in so many places. Through the federal inventory ISOS (Inventory of Swiss Sites Worth Protecting), which was created in the 1970s, all settlements and individual buildings in Switzerland were recorded and qualified. With the help of this instrument, cantons and municipalities are now trying to sensitize developers to the extent and type of changes that should be permitted in settlements and individual buildings.

In order to preserve or, in extreme cases, repair the character and identity of the townscape, the typological features of traditional buildings must be taken up and implemented in the projects. This primarily involves the placement of the buildings, which in rural areas are usually in a functional relationship to each other and subordinate to the terrain, the use of historically grown or derived proportions, the type of roof design, the type of floor plan design and, last but not least, the color and material concept in the interior and exterior. The design of the outdoor areas, open spaces and courtyards must also be given the utmost attention. All of this, however, is always done with contemporary architecture in mind.

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Questions of quantity ‍

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In addition to the form of expression of the buildings, quantitative aspects also take on an important role. The question "How much city can the village take?" undoubtedly also raises the issue of "density. Density is usually understood to mean "narrow conditions". However, one can contradict this with a clear conscience. Density means the number of inhabitants per square kilometer, as well as the land consumption per capita. Here are a few examples: As an example, the municipality of Muri (AG), which is considered an "urbanized" village, has 615 inhabitants per square kilometer, whereas the whole of Switzerland has an average of only 199 inhabitants per square kilometer.

The town of Sempach, on the other hand, has a lower density than Muri, namely a mere 356 inhabitants per square kilometer. The population of Muri defines their community as a village, despite almost double the density of Sempach. This is due to the fact that Muri still identifies with its rural tradition, even though the majority of the community's economic representation today is commercial and industrial. The people of Sempach clearly identify themselves as townspeople, which can be traced back to the time of its foundation.

Moreover, the settlement type of Sempach clearly differs from rural development structures. The small town has two main streets, which are enclosed by the outer peripheral buildings, there is a market place in front of the church as well as two town gates, to describe only these few characteristics of a medieval town.The city of Zurich, to expand the framework a little, has about 4,310 inhabitants per square kilometer. One of the densest but also most popular cities in Switzerland. Monaco, on the other hand, a favorite vacation spot for sophisticated tourists, has an exponentially high density of about 18,200 inhabitants per square kilometer. Both cities are considered to have a high quality of life.  

In addition to population density, land consumption per capita is now regarded as the decisive factor in the question of "inward development", as densification is nowadays described. In the 1980s, land consumption per capita in Switzerland was still around 34 square meters, after which it had increased by 30 percent, to 45 square meters, by the year 2000. With the increasing construction activity in the city of Zurich, the space requirement has now leveled off at around 39 square meters. In contrast, the amount of space required by the city of Aarau today is still around 25 percent higher than that of Zurich, namely 48 square meters.

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It depends‍

If one compares the qualitative and quantitative aspects, one has to conclude that today's public discussion is unfortunately too emotional about "inward development", densification. Far too often, a sense of "constriction" is asserted without taking into account existing examples in which densification is already lived in high or even highest quality. Think of old towns with their narrow streets and their small squares, which invite us again and again to linger. Or Monaco, a wonderful vacation city that attracts people from all over the world.

On the other hand, it is also clear that rural ensembles in hamlets do not tolerate a high degree of density. The landscape is the supporting element there. It may only be built on very moderately. The amount of density must therefore be reassessed in terms of compatibility at each location. The design of the urban planning and architectural qualities, but also the qualities of the design of the outdoor space, are factors that can be easily influenced to create a quality of life and a life-affirming atmosphere.

The degree of traditional architectural heritage within a community must be constantly reassessed and redefined. A balance between old and new as well as a coordinated color and material concept with great attention to the exterior design would give back the lost identity to every community.

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