"The city of Zug should become greener"
Eliane Birchmeier is the construction manager for the city of Zug. In an interview, she explains how the city intends to achieve the forecast growth of around 10,000 inhabitants by 2040 and where there are still land reserves. In addition, she explains how things stand with the ongoing revision of the local plan.
To person
Eliane Birchmeier (FDP) has been city councilor and head of the building department of the city of Zug since January 2019. The 58-year-old studied business administration and is federally certified. dipl. PR consultant and founded Birchmeier Communications AG based in Zug in 2005. She was a member of the Board of Directors of Kursaal-Casino AG from 2004 to 2017 and co-owner of C-Matrix Communications AG from 1992 to 2004.
You are the head of the building department of the city of Zug. Where do you see your core tasks?
Eliane Birchmeier: My core tasks include the classic areas of responsibility in construction: On the one hand, there are building permits and building projects for city-owned civil engineering and structural engineering projects. On the other hand, we deal with planning, design and legal aspects in town planning and urban planning. This is about the future development of the city of Zug in terms of urban development and spatial planning with settlement, landscape and traffic.
The city of Zug is forecast to have around 10,000 population growth by 2040. What structural measures are planned to do justice to this development?
The forecast growth depends on the development of the project by private owners and investors. We have already done our homework in many areas. For example, when it comes to infrastructure projects in the areas of drainage, energy and disposal. In education, we – like other communities in Switzerland – have a certain amount of catching up to do. Various plans are currently underway for expanded and new school facilities. But we also want to upgrade the green and open spaces and improve the network of footpaths and bike paths in the coming years.
The economy should also continue to grow. Where do you see the greatest potential for new commercial buildings?
There is still great potential for expansion for trade and services in various former industrial and urban areas. These include the technology cluster with the V-Zug area, urban areas east and west of the station such as Metalli, Baarerstrasse West and the LG area. Then there is the area on the Aa II, which is being developed by the Zuger Verkehrsbetriebe, the Hertizentrum and the outer Lorzenallmend. In the future, these areas will offer mixed, urban uses of living, leisure and work.
Where in the canton can you find larger land reserves?
As elsewhere in the canton, growth in the city of Zug will mainly take place in the interior through densification. In addition, there are a few construction areas that have not yet been built up, such as the outer Lorzenallmend, areas in the Herti and Unterfeld, in the Lüssi / Göbli and in a southerly direction in the Salesianum and in Oberwil. Actual zoning is not the focus of ongoing local planning.
"We expect planning applications for the Lüssi / Göbli area and the area of the Salesianum country house soon"
Which projects are planned there?
In the outer Lorzenallmend, a development plan is being drawn up for a residential and work area and in Herti Süd one for a residential development. There are currently no plans in the Herti Nord, Unterfeld or Spielhof. In the Lüssi / Göbli and the Salesianum there are legally binding development plans for residential developments. We expect planning applications for this in the near future.
What are currently the most important construction projects that you are involved in?
City-owned projects are the construction of the recycling center and the Ökihof in the north of the city. School complexes are being planned and projected throughout the city. The project competition for the extension of the lido starts this year, and in summer the Zug population will be able to use the new emergency rooms in the Göbli district.
The city of Zug is in the middle of the local plan revision process. Is there already an initial strategy for mobility and open space?
The city's spatial development strategy will be drawn up in several stages and steps up to autumn 2021. The first thrusts based on the technical basis, the population survey and the first participation phase are clearly emerging: the city should become greener. In addition, a diverse and high-quality range of different open spaces should be available to the population.
What does the population want?
She would like the growth in mobility to be absorbed by expanding and promoting pedestrian and bicycle traffic as well as public transport. Traffic routing in the center is to be simplified and designed in a way that is compatible with settlement. Particular attention is paid to optimizing commuter traffic. In cooperation with the canton and neighboring communities, but also with employers, we are focusing on an increased shift towards public transport, which is already excellently developed, and non-motorized private transport.