11 – 2015

Village Stories

What, in fact, still works in villages? After all, in terms of buildings and habitats the small, open settlement in the countryside was once the dominant structure in Switzerland—and always offered a strong counter-model to the city. The “classic” village as a third element is declining in importance. The erosion of the economic basis upsets the social rhythm: this is how dormitory villages arise. The village as a community is dying; a few old-established names hold political responsibility. The process of flight from the country is a vicious circle: the local shop closes, life becomes less attractive. Change or standstill: Perhaps nowhere else does the question about transformation acquire such urgency as in villages. But how, despite the pressure for change, can the character be preserved? The social structure of communal life, the specific settlement patterns but also the striking landscape surroundings are all questioned. The doctrine of increase in internal density reveals just how fundamentally different the starting point in the villages actually is. In this situation the zoning plan with its evenly coloured areas turns out to be a kind of a levelling instrument, the drama takes place within the building zone: the open development structure and, in particular, the orchards and meadows contribute just as much to the character of a village as the typical configurations of houses, streets and squares.