Zurichs Langstrassenquarter has been a place of arrivals and departures from the emergence of the neighbourhood in 1875 until today. Being the most densely built area in Zurich, its urban fabric shows a great resilience to change throughout its 145 years of existence. Using historic and ethnographhic methods of research the project investigates the urban fabrics potential for adaptation and change following the traces of its inhabitants as well as various plans for redevelopment.
The biographies of the houses Neufrankengasse 15, Sihlhallenstrasse 1 and Lagerstrasse 119 tell the eventful history of the buildings, their inhabitants and their uses from the time of industrialisation until today. Results of the research make evident that while urban typology and infrastructure did not change much over time the neighbourhood maintained all characteristics of an Arrival City (D. Sounders) from its very beginnings until today.
Part of the neighbourhood’s history is the introduction of modernist planning in Zurich. Using the material of the 1935-1937 study for redevelopment of the neighbourhood done by the Zurich group of CIAM it reflects on the ideas of cohabitation, diversity and mixed-use which today regain attention amongst urban designers and planners.
Partners: ETH CASE; ILUS. D-ARCH, ETHZ
Duration of the project: 2018 – 2020
Funding programme: ILUS, ETHZ
Funding amount: €75,000
Principal Investigator: Tanja Herdt
Researchers: Isabella Krayer, research assistant