Zurich's center should become idyllic
The planning teams Van de Wetering Atelier für Stadtbau and Studio Vulkan Landschaftsarchitektur present proposals for the design of the area between the main station and Central in Zurich. Both concepts rely on green promenades, spacious squares and little traffic.
The visualizations presented by the planning teams Van de Wetering Atelier für Stadtbau and Studio Vulkan Landschaftsarchitektur show “an idyll in the middle of the big city”, says a report in the “Tages-Anzeiger” on the planned redesign of the area between the main station and Central. Both concepts rely on green promenades, spacious squares and little traffic.
Pedestrian traffic has top priority in the Van de Wetering Atelier urban planning concept. “Pedestrians the size of the Street Parade stream through the Hauptbahnhof and Central area every day,” Han van de Wetering is quoted in the article. He therefore wanted to “clean up and create spacious, green spaces”.
In the concept of Studio Vulkan Landschaftsarchitektur, great importance is attached to close public transport connections and access to services. To this end, a new public transport stop is to be set up at Europaplatz and car traffic is to be concentrated on two main axes.
According to the report, both teams expected a “reduction in motorized private transport in the city center” in the long term. Above all, the civil engineering office recognized that both visions would avoid shifting traffic to the districts or to other urban axes and that the detailed development of the properties and the logistics for goods and trade would be retained. In a next step, the concepts are to be appraised by internal and external experts.