– Zurich doesn’t want a myth park – the initiative has no chance
The city has voted on a green belt on the left bank of the lake. However, the initiative was unable to gain a majority in any district.
Published: March 3, 2024, 11:15 a.m
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03.03.2024, 17:34
All city districts have rejected the initiative for a new park on the lakeshore. 65.2 percent of the urban electorate said no. Approval was highest in the left-wing constituency 4/5, where 44.1 percent were in favor.
In doing so, the Zurich electorate followed the city council and the major parties, who rejected the initiative as unimplementable.
Die Voting participation was 56.1 percent.
The responsible city councilor Simone Brander (SP) said at the press conference early on Sunday evening that the city’s electorate was able to distinguish between “implementable and utopian”. The population also did not succumb to the fallacy of directing the cars into a residential area. “It is better if the traffic stays on the Mythenquai. There it will be Give 30 km/h» said Brander. The greening of the lake shore in the narrow area will now be pushed forward.
The Mythenpark would have been created in the narrow area that belongs to constituencies 1 and 2. But the idea found no mercy there either. A good 64 percent said no.
The architect Walter Wäschle from IG Seepärke attributes the poor result of the initiative to the «Tunnel Campaign» from the city council. The people of Zurich believed that the Mythenpark could only be implemented with a 250 million franc tunnel. «This was false information the killer for us» says Wäschle when asked.
But IG Seepärke will continue to fight for every free square meter on the lake, says Walter Wäschle. In his view, the green spaces provided by the city on the lakeshore in the narrow area are far from sufficient. Wäschle says that exactly what will happen next with IG Seepärke after saying no to the Mythenpark initiative will be decided by the association at the next board meeting.
In a press release, IG Seepärke speaks of a “significant result” given the negative attitude of the city and local council. The population is sending “a strong signal” that they want more green spaces and recreational areas on the lake.
Zurich’s left-wing constituencies 4 and 5 are the least likely to reject the initiative. Here said “only” 55.9 percent no.
The AL was the only left-wing party to support the Mythenpark proposal. Nevertheless, left-wing voters still seem to find the idea more appealing than middle-class voters.
Höngg and Wipkingen also clearly reject the initiative, with 65 percent voting against. In Wiedikon (District 3) 59 percent say no. That’s it The prospects of a yes are very small become.
The Mythenpark also met with little enthusiasm in the second circle counted. In Schwamendingen (district 12) they even say 70 percent no to the initiative.
The results in district 6 are the first to be announced. There 64.73 percent reject of those who voted, i.e. almost two thirds, the new park in the narrow area ab.
District 6 is considered a fairly representative urban district. This makes it seem as if the people of Zurich are not giving the idea of a private association a chance.
The private IG Seepärke is calling for a park on the lakeshore in the Enge. This should extend from the Mythenquai lido to the General-Guisan-Quai. To do this, part of the busy Mythenquai would have to be shut down. The city council says a tunnel is needed for this. The initiators reply: This can also be done with a diversion via Alfred-Escher-Strasse.
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Wolff’s criticism: Former city councilor Richard Wolff came out of retirement, promoted the initiative and criticized the attitude of his former city council colleagues as discouraged – to the article.
The criticism of Wolff: Representatives of the SP and the Greens then accused Richard Wolff of supporting an idea that sounded good but could not be implemented – see the article.
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