Strong Urban Axes, St.Gallen

The integrated urban planning project “Strong Urban Axes” emerged from the preliminary study “Urban Planning and Transport” for the St.Gallen Agglomeration Program. It focuses on the city’s four main axes—Zürcherstrasse, Langgasse, Fürstenlandstrasse, and Rorschacherstrasse—and addresses the question of how these urban corridors can structure both qualitative densification and transportation within the agglomeration.

Using simplified site plans (1:500), cross-sections, and spatial visualizations, various approaches (e.g. 30 km/h zones, three-lane roads with bus lanes, dedicated bus corridors) are clearly illustrated, quantified with key indicators, and discussed in multi-stakeholder workshops. Synergies between traffic flows and land uses are leveraged to create urban centers and secure local amenities within neighborhoods.

A broad spatial perspective is essential, including the integration of parallel and cross-linking urban structures. This led to the concept of an inner green corridor—a network of parks, sports, and school facilities—interconnected with a system of cross-links between waterways and hillside landscapes.

Time plays a major role in the process. The robustness of each urban axis depends heavily on the design and positioning of the street edges, which must work for both transport infrastructure and adjacent buildings, as well as on the target traffic speed.