The BaBeL Project, Sustainable Neighbourhood Development in Lucerne’s Baselstrasse/Bernstrasse Neighbourhood

Abstract

The Baselstrasse/Bernstrasse neighbourhood is characterized by its multinational population hailing from 70 nations, all maintaining their specific lifestyles. The increase in the number of economically weak people to a level above average triggers a process with a momentum of its own which has a lasting impact on the neighbourhood’s reputation. The social dynamics of this neighbourhood are reflected in its educational and sociocultural facilities, where teachers, youth workers and other professionals are faced with enormous challenges. An interdisciplinary team from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences took the challenge and developed the project BaBeL. The aim of BaBeL is to enhance the status of the environment for the benefit of the population groups living in this neighbourhood. Right from the beginning, the population, the institutions anchored in the neighbourhood and further stakeholders were involved in the project. The project involved a several new developed methods to foster a participative progress such as working with Scenarios, large group interventions, neighbourhood analyzes by children and youth. The implementation of the project involved 16 different fi elds of action all together covering a wide area of topics including energy-saving and noise-protection pilot projects, extracurricular and curricular child care, upgrading of the river banks, the improvement of open spaces and parks, healthcare/prevention, the establishment of neighbourhood meeting points, the strengthening of business structures or traffic optimizations.