TASK ONE: SWISS GEOGRAPHICAL CONTEXT

In order to understand the complex demands on land in Switzerland, it is important to understand the geographic factors influencing them:

• Area for settlement in Switzerland is around 13,000km2 - 1/3 of the total land area

• Environmental protection is very important, especially because of tourism - Switzerland’s 3rd largest industry

• Urbanisation is advanced in Switzerland, but there are few large cities.

• Switzerland is characterised by many small and medium-sized towns

• High population density on the Swiss plateau allows for a well-developed infrastructure network e.g. public transport

• Switzerland has a strong export-oriented economy with a high percentage of people working in tertiary and quaternary service industries

• 585 km2 - an area the size of Lac Leman - has been converted from agricultural to habitable land in Switzerland over the previous 24 years

The high pressure placed on land in Switzerland therefore makes spatial planning a necessity for the sustainable growth of the Swiss economy and society.

TASK TWO: DEFINING PLANNING ACTIVITIES

Outline the different types of planning described below.

Spatial planning refers to the methods used by the public sector to influence the distribution of people and activities in spaces of various scales. Discrete professional disciplines which involve spatial planning include land use, urban, regional, transport and environmental planning. Other related areas are also important, including economic and community planning. Spatial planning takes place on local, regional, national and inter-national levels and often result in the creation of a range of spatial plans.

Urban planning (urban, city, and town planning) is a technical and political process concerned with the use of land and design of the urban environment, including transportation networks, to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities. It concerns itself with research and analysis, strategic thinking, architecture, urban design, public consultation, policy recommendations, implementation and management.

Regional planning deals with the efficient placement of land-use activities, infrastructure, and settlement growth across a larger area of land than an individual city or town. The related field of urban planning deals with the specific issues of city planning. Both concepts are encapsulated in spatial planning.

Source

TASK THREE: LOI SUR L’AMENAGEMENT DU TERRITOIRE (LAT) / LAW ON SPATIAL PLANNING

Watch and note the main features of land use planning in Switzerland.

TASK FOUR: LEVELS OF SPATIAL PLANNING IN SWITZERLAND

Read section 3.2.2 and summarise the 3 levels of spatial planning in Switzerland. Describe the instruments used by each level (confederation, canton, commune)

TASK FIVE: LAND USE GROUP PROJECT

The spatial planning of land in Switzerland is divided into four categories:

1. Settlement and Urban Areas

2. Agricultural Areas

3. Wooded Areas

4. Unproductive Areas

Present the main patterns and trends for one of the categories above.

Make a short presentation with a bullet point summary, and explanation of the maps and graphs.

Present your summary to the group.