Asphalt, glass, concrete and some green

In the dense development area Zurich-West critics miss attractive
recreation areas
A lot of concrete in Zurich-West: Luxury apartments in the Tower
Mobimo are lined with a kind of roadblock.
As dense as in the trendy Zurich West is built on the Limmat else
hardly. Belonged to urban green spaces but also to turn a critic. This
had been in planning for short.
Prime Tower, Mobimo Tower, Park Tower Hard: Zurich-West can certainly
boast of prestigious architecture. Close to each other in rapid
succession are raised in the former industrial district office
buildings and residential buildings, which will be opened soon on the
station model hardware and a new tram bridge. The urban setting is
required, as is the contrast between harsh industrial tools and
large-sized buildings. But also critical voices to speak. Given the
high density of the city would have to provide more green spaces, they
note. Generally, the planning of the necessary infrastructure in new
districts such as schools, shops, children's playgrounds, areas for
the administration and bike paths is insufficient.
Not only is the area
In the "Green Book", the city of Zurich has set itself a target. For
the resident population are on average 8 square feet of publicly
accessible open space available for staff and students 5 square
meters. This value is low compared to other cities. He is respected in
Zurich-West, however, says Lukas Handschin, a spokesman for green city
of Zurich. At Pfingstweidstrasse between Toni-Areal and Mobimo Tower,
a large park around 12 000 square meters is planned, which should be
finished in 2015. Furthermore, according to the result Handschin
Schützenwiese the Escher-Wyss-Platz, a new green space, but there is
still no concrete placed your planning. Open spaces stood next to the
turbine room at the Joseph area, in Wipkingerpark on the other side of
the Limmat and the Hardhof available.
To the critics it's not just about the sum of the areas, but also a
user-friendly design. The CVP has filed three motions in the City
Council and collected signatures for a petition in the district. She
wants to transform the place into a turbine system à la Joseph area,
which is extremely popular in the neighborhood. Also to be built on
the shooter's area and in the parking lot between Henry and Joseph
Street Green Park. The Motionär Schönbächler Marcel likes to tell the
anecdote that even one of the architects have signed center of the
turbine. If they had known how to develop the district, they would
have planned this open space differently, she reportedly said. The
turbine room is now mostly deserted, while competition exists in the
small, poor children's playground at the Migros "Puls 5" large crowds,
says Schönbächler.
The City Council rejects the CVP motions and they will only accept
non-binding form of postulates. "The need for apartment-related open
spaces in western Zurich is covered mainly by the private living
environment in the various construction sites," he wrote in his
opinion. That may be true in individual cases, but who makes a tour of
the district observed, especially the opposite: bulky buildings where
little attention was paid to the landscaping. The Mobimo Tower, with
its luxury apartments surrounded by asphalt and is about a type of
concrete tank traps, not the smallest green space is pleasing to the
eye. It is also Mark Knauss, leader of the Greens is bounded on the
council: "Quantitatively, it does not look so bad in the open spaces.
But when I look at the design, then will not enjoy that. "On the plans
for the area around the new stadium he wants to cast a critical eye
so.
Monika also the Spring Green area lack perceives as "very large". The
SP District Councillor and Co-President of the missing residents
association IG Hardturm playgrounds and facilities for ball sports. In
addition, courts could not substitute for green spaces. The existing
recreational areas today are already overexploited. The population of
Zurich West but still growing, and it would also many families, so
that the city planners apparently did not expect. There was simply too
much asphalt and concrete in the district, and some lawns - for
example when Prime Tower - unsuspected more like art installations.
Pfingstweidpark it should direct
But Spring is optimistic the situation will improve with the planned
massive Pfingstweidpark. She was fascinated by the project landscape
architect and interior Anton Ghiggi, which provides for a green park
with lots of native deciduous trees. The population had been involved
from the outset in the planning.