PUSEMOR WP 5

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Team Western Switzerland Regional report WP
5 Bled, 17 th of October 2005
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Zürich
Nord Vaudois
Bern
Geneva
Chablais Vaudois
Ticino
Obersimmental / Saanenland
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Chablais vaudois

• 434 km 2
• 35000 inhabitants
• 15 municipalities, 1 district, canton of Vaud
• Plain area Rhone valley, chemical industries,
  agriculture and commerces
• Mountain area ski tourism, construction and
  agriculture

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Chablais vaudois

• Socio-economic situation
• Plain area good economic situation, close to
  big centers (Lausanne, Geneva)
• Mountain area difficulties by ski tourism (lack
  of snow, high costs of infrastructures) study of
  possibilities of diversification

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Obersimmental-Saanenland (OSSA)

• 574 km2
• 16304 inhabitants
• 7 municipalities, 2 districts, canton of Bern
• Mountain area world known touristic resort
  (Gstaad), same problems as Chablais.
• Closing of public companies (army, vocationnal
  school, ...)

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Nord vaudois

• 541 km2
• 66000 inhabitants
• 83 municipalities, 3 districts, canton of Vaud
• Plain area well located between Lausanne and
  Yverdon.
• Jura chain in the seventies, crisis of clock and
  precision industry (depopulation)

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Situation of public service

• 1) Transport
• Railway and busses
• Good network but problem of maintaining
  (financing) the current standard. High costs for
  the cantons and the state.
• The public transport in mountain area is not
  profitable. It is used by tourists,
  schoolchildren and elderly.
• The public support for these infrastructures is
  now in discussion in Switzerland.

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1) Transport

• Road
• Problem of financing the infrastructures. High
  costs for municipalities (due to the scattered
  settlements), canton and Confederation
• Problem of congestion in the ski resorts
• Increased use of private cars due to the merging
  of most all public services (local
  administration, hospital, schools, churches,...)

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• 2) Health, social and elderly care
• Lack of country/general physicians (country
  doctors)
• Increase of elderly population the needs for
  this population will increase (Jura chain,
  Obersimmental-Saanenland).
• Increase of quality norms (hygiene, security)
  induce more costs.

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3) Education, kindergarden

• Out of family day care
• Lack of infrastructures for children betw. 2
  months and 10 years old.
• Different perception of the need depending on who
  we talk to (expert or local authorities)
• A lot of volunteer work
• Lack of apprenticeship and first job
  opportunities in the region, brain drain.
• Lack of possibilities for professional training

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4) Telecommunication

• TV network lack in the mountain region
  (situation is worsening since 2000). People
  bought a private parabolic antenna.
• Internet no data but the local authorities think
  the equipments are sufficient (no complain)

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5) Every day needs

• Food Closing of stores due to lack of customers
  and difficulties in logistics (retail company
  canceled contracts with local partners). New
  forms of multifunction center emerge.
• Post offices Closing of post offices but the
  service is still available in another way
• Problems for people without a car
• Problems for the social life and the
  attractivity of the villages

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Resumee of the problems
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Resumee

• For who is it a problem?
• Private users elderly, people without a car,
  families
• Municipalities (high costs of infrastructure)
• Is the problem current or in the near future?
• In the near future
• In wich areas?
• Mountain regions and no touristic villages.

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Conclusion

• The situation in the test areas Western
  Switzerland is today satisfactory BUT
• because of lack of public finances and ageing of
  population the situation could become worse.
• Important is
• to maintain a strong touristic activity in the
  mountain villages
• to garantee the solidarity between mountain and
  plain area
• to keep a social life and identity in the
  villages.

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Next steps

• Team Western Switzerland
• discussion about the results with local and
  cantonal authorities
• collecting ideas for pilote projects (WP7)