Aesch ZHThe Village with Cooperative ValuesBruno de Almeida Ferreira and Alessandro Paterniti Barbino

Aesch is a rural village characterised by a great attachment to the existing architectural fabric. The charming landscape at the doorstep of the Uetliberg has been shaped over the decades thanks to the deep history related to a village that has chosen to design its own fabric by itself.

The call for a development of the municipality’s land led to the emergence of a singular model based on cooperative work. Within the evolving village, there were 6 cooperative actors, which dealt not only with the building fabric but also with wood, milk, agricultural machinery and the selling of local products.

The opening of the new Westumfahrung motorway section in 2009 made the idyllic vision of a fast connection between the countryside and the urban centre possible: turning Aesch into a strong point of attraction for relocation.

The interest in the area often results in fierce investment, which threatens to seriously disfigure the landscape. In these realities, private investors step in, very often directing development in a disinterested manner and turning to quick profits.

The reactivation and readjustment of a model that vanished after the adoption of the Zoningplan may be the solution for a prosperous future, that can accompany growth in an interested and targeted manner to the needs of its inhabitants