FischenthalStrengthening the Village in the ValleyTobias Etter and Oluwasegun Ogunsola

In the 18th and early 19th centuries, cottage industry was an important auxiliary source of income for the agricultural population of Fischenthal. The new textile factories that were distributed along the valley industry thus pushed these people out of agriculture, often to more industrialized centers such as the neighboring Wald.

With the population recovering after the 1980s, two poles emerge at opposite ends of the valley. An influx of commuting residents in Steg and Gibswil shifts everyday life away towards more urban centers.

The historic and industrial development of Fischenthal left it with different functions dispersed evenly along the valley. What role does the middle segment play between the two poles? A closer look can tell us more.

A set of principles could give physical spaces to the social connections that the commune has been pursuing: Incentivizing the full use of existing mixed-use zones, encouraging overlaps, creating space for initiative, and improving local mobility.