The Center
Initial Situation 2005
The shopping district runs along the Uitikonerstrasse, from the Badenerstrasse to the Salmenkreuzung (a crossing). The area between Badenerstrasse and the railroad station lacks definition except, to some degree, along the Bahnhofstrasse. The connections across the Badenerstrasse and the Zürcherstrasse do not function well. There is no properly functioning connection between the different areas. The old village center with its park is shut off towards the north by a noise prevention wall, running along the Badener street. The main pedestrian connection does not pass along the Bahnhofstrasse, but parallel to it with a pedestrian underpass beneath the Badenerstrasse. There are extensive undeveloped or insufficiently used areas towards the west (Bachstrasse), 100 meters from the railroad station. Within the island formed by the Ringstrasse and the Badenerstrasse there are extensive, mostly unshaped, green spaces, as well as an old residential and commercial building (Bahnhofstrasse 3) with a restaurant (Himi).
Goals 2005
The center around the Bahnhofstrasse urgently needs to be developed. It functions as a connection between the present center and the railroad station. The main areas to be developed are the future town square and the Bahnhofstrasse. The Bahnhofstrasse center is to be developed as a complement to the existing center. Additional shop spaces, new cultural and leisure uses, and, to a lesser extent, also public facilities will be priorized. Planned developments: extending the present town center in the direction of the railroad station, improving the connection between the old village center and the railroad station, enhancing the historical axis Bahnhofstrasse, creating a central public transport junction in the area of the planned town square to complement the transfer point on the railroad bridge. This public transport junction will provide the neighborhood located between Zürcherstrasse and the railroad station with a much-needed impulse. A suitable design for this stop and for the streetscape (Bahnhofstrasse, Zürcherstrasse and Badenerstrasse) are required to provide good access both from the railroad station and from the town center.
Summary of the development 2005–2020
The center of Schlieren has been comprehensively redesigned. An urban planning competition for the design and construction of the Limmattalbahn opened up new perspectives with regard to traffic routing. The relocation of Badenerstrasse to the north enabled the construction of a new town square, marked by a red roof above the Limmattalbahn stop that is visible from afar. A single-lane traffic circle slows traffic, and pedestrians can once again cross the cantonal road above ground. The noise barrier along the city park was demolished, and interim uses were tested on the disused section of road in the participatory project "Pischte 52". In the future, this piece of road will be integrated into Schlieren's new "Green Center". Between the train station and Ringstrasse, the "Parkside" residential and commercial development has been built, spatially integrating the new center. A major retailer, cafés and other stores have taken up residence here.
A comprehensive final evaluation of Schlieren's urban development will be published in the book "Stadtwerdung im Zeitraffer," published by Scheidegger & Spiess, Zurich, in 2023.
www.scheidegger-spiess.ch
