STEK 2016, City of Berne

The project “Inward Settlement Development and Open Spaces” aims, within the framework of an ongoing urbanization process, to demonstrate a sustainable balance between settlement densification and settlement quality in the city of Bern.

The city of Bern is embedded in an attractive landscape and features numerous high-quality green and open spaces close to the urban area. Therefore, the landscape forms the foundation of the densification strategy. Landscape areas directly adjacent to the settlement area are preserved and upgraded into settlement-oriented, diversely usable green spaces.

Through very precise coordination between traffic and urban development, the existing traffic areas are only minimally additionally burdened. An important topic is also the quality of the existing building stock and the ensemble effect of the neighborhoods. If the buildings are protected monuments or architecturally valuable, securing and maintaining the existing qualities takes priority. Consequently, the densification strategies focus on difficult and unattractive locations. The project shows how these areas can be enhanced through strong densification. With the “Chantiers,” 11 development focal points are defined, which also specify suitable sites for high-rise buildings and locations for special uses.

Based on the concept, existing planning instruments are to be adapted. This involves, on one hand, adjustments regarding density (setbacks, building depth and height), and on the other hand, new contents aimed at securing settlement quality.