Proximity is the future: every contribution counts!
For more than 40 years, there has been an enforcement deficit in Switzerland with regard to parsimonious land use. How can we all contribute to ending the enforcement deficit of parsimonious land use in Switzerland by reducing land and energy consumption? The SNF-Agora funded project «Proximity is the future» aims to raise awareness and to initiate a discussion about the parsimonious use of land with concrete measures.
In Switzerland, there has been an enforcement deficit in the economical use of land for over 40 years. The SNF Agora project «Proximity is the future: every contribution counts!» or «Short distances are the future: every contribution counts!» arises from the urgency to counteract the enforcement deficit. The project aims to raise awareness among the population and initiate a discussion on what we can all contribute to the implementation of parsimonious land use in Switzerland by reducing our land and energy consumption. The project «Proximity is the future» aims to foster interaction between urban researchers, the general public, the building sector, planning authorities and policy makers in Switzerland. Various activities are planned to initiate this interaction.
«Proximity is the future»: Digital platform and «Tour de Suisse»
First, we set up a website. It serves as an interactive entry point and for sharing content in the form of explanatory videos and multiple-choice questions. It also provides information about the planned «roadshow» and further background information about the project and its scientific basis.
Secondly, a roadshow is being created in the form of a «Tour de Suisse» with stops in one municipality of each of Switzerland's seven major regions. The roadshow consists of an interactive poster exhibition, panel discussions and walks.
We are confident that «Proximity is the future» will raise awareness of the impact of people's own lifestyles and behaviors with regard to land use requirements and urban change. The project also meets the need to communicate scientific findings in order to prevent and counteract negative effects of current urban development in the interest of parsimonious land use.