Building administrator Christoph Heitz on the IBA Birspark Landscape project: the cross-municipal and cross-cantonal development of an urban landscape area.
The municipalities in the lower Birs valley of Aesch, Arlesheim, Birsfelden, Dornach, Duggingen, Grellingen, Muttenz, Münchenstein, Pfeffingen and Reinach in the Basel region are built up throughout, densely developed and surrounded by a green belt of woodland and meadows. As part of the Birspark Landschaft IBA project, they are working together to develop an urban landscape across municipalities and cantons. We spoke to Christoph Heitz, IBA Basel project promoter and building administrator in the municipality of Muttenz in the canton of Basel-Landschaft, about the project.
Christoph Heitz, why does the region need the Birspark Landscape IBA project?
To answer this question, I probably need to expand a little. Around 15 years ago, the then cantonal planner Hans-Georg Bächtold, among others, defined the first corridor space in the Basel region with the Birsstadt thesis. This motivated the municipalities between Pfeffingen and Birsfelden and set them on the path to a common and promising future.
We wanted to allow the seeds sown for inter-municipal cooperation to grow carefully and cautiously. We therefore decided to start the process with a task that would not arouse fears and build up opposition through the allocation of settlement areas and the definition of transport facilities. Our first joint project was the development of an open space concept along the Birs that was coordinated between the eight municipalities and two cantons.
And from the 2009 concept, the Birsuferweg was selected as the first project to be implemented while it was still being drawn up, correct?
Yes, this envisaged various measures between Angenstein and Birsköpfli in the areas of continuity, recreational areas, vegetation and signaling. The implementation of the project, which was modest in terms of content but very instructive and valuable in terms of process, was completed in 2012. We got to know and appreciate each other much better at both political and administrative level. This laid the foundations for further cooperation.
When did the other municipalities become active?
Motivated by the initial success and the IBA Basel 2020, six of the eight Birsstadt municipalities started the Birspark Landschaft project soon afterwards. Our aim was, of course, not only to work together on a conceptual level, but also to turn fine words into concrete action by means of an action plan. As we all know, politicians only have to show their true colors when it comes to cost-relevant implementation.
Since the start of our inter-municipal cooperation, the joint structures – such as the association with the office – have also been consolidated in Birsstadt and coordinated solutions are being developed in various subject areas – housing, mobility, energy and old age. If we had started 15 years ago with the claim of wanting to define settlement, transport and landscape within the framework of a Birsstadt planning region that was binding on the authorities, we would probably have failed.
So if you ask me why the Basel region needs the Birspark Landschaft project, then I would say – in addition to enhancing the landscape, of course – that it is a good example of the process of establishing stable inter-municipal cooperation. The Birspark Landschaft project is a “process catalyst” in this respect.
“An end is neither planned nor foreseeable”
Under the leadership of the municipality of Muttenz, the municipalities involved in the project, together with the planning office oekoskop and the affected stakeholder groups, adopted an action plan in 2016 that includes six lighthouse projects. Which projects are these?
As six of the then eight – now ten – Birsstadt municipalities commissioned the action plan, these are the following six lighthouse projects:
What goals does the action plan set?
The overarching objectives of the action plan are to improve the natural values (enhancement and networking), to improve recreational use for the residents of Birsstadt (access and places to stay) and to raise awareness among visitors to the Birspark landscape.
As already explained, the measures listed in the action plan for achieving the objectives can be implemented individually by the individual municipalities depending on their respective possibilities. The action plan will be updated and supplemented in due course. We are on the way and an end to the work is neither planned nor foreseeable.
You personally put a lot of heart and soul into the Schänzli project. What is it all about?
The Schänzli site, with an area of around 74,000 square meters, was always conceived as part of the overall Hagnau-Schänzli development and was approved by the electorate as part of three special use plans (district planning regulations) in addition to the densely developable Hagnau site (East and West). The enactment was preceded by an extensive participation process that went far beyond the legally prescribed involvement. Around 630 apartments and commercial space for around 700 workplaces will be built in six high-rise buildings on the Hagnau sites.
In contrast, the Schänzli will be transformed into a nature and recreation area. It seems obvious that it is relatively easy to find investors for this type of residential development, but it is much more difficult when it comes to landscape development. This is why the municipality of Muttenz has taken on responsibility here. For more than ten years, we have been pursuing the simultaneous development of the Hagnau and Schänzli sites with great commitment and perseverance. The planning law instrument for the Schänzli site is legally binding and we are currently working on preparing the basis for a variance procedure for this unique landscape area in the region. The development of the Hagnau-Schänzli area is exemplary for the region in terms of the complexity of its content and processes and will become a beacon in the Birsstadt region.
“We want to have completed the main measures in five years”
What are your goals for the Birspark Landscape project in the coming years, the post-IBA Basel years?
In terms of content, my personal focus is clearly on our flagship project “Schänzli” nature and recreation area. We want to drive forward the transformation of the area in five years so that the main construction measures have been completed and both nature and the population can revitalize the spaces allocated to them. It is a complex task and we will work hard on it.
I also believe that the Birspark Landschaft project will continue to be valuable for cooperation in Birsstadt in the coming years. Based on this, we will be able to discuss the joint bearing of costs for cross-municipal measures and present solutions to politicians. The associated argumentation of pros and cons in public will strengthen the population’s awareness of the Birsstadt.
Read more about the project here.
Christoph Heitz is an architect FH and has been building administrator in the municipality of Muttenz in the canton of Basel-Landschaft since 2003. From 2001 to 2003, he was head of the building construction/planning department of the municipality of Muttenz.
Why have we started an IBA Basel series? You can read about it here.
