“The music is increasingly playing in the belt around the central cities,” said government councilor Jacqueline Fehr (SP) to the media on Friday. This is where current and future population growth takes place.
The canton’s current cultural funding has focused either on the two large cities of Zurich and Winterthur – or on small communities. There is therefore often not enough money for more cultural offerings in the agglomeration.
The aim is for the agglomeration to convey a feeling of home, and culture can have an identity-forming effect. “These growth regions should not just be a mass of settlements,” said Fehr.
The new funding program is about creating opportunities where residents can meet. “The goal is not for these medium-sized cities to have a concert hall or an art gallery,” said Fehr.
Dietikon, Schlieren, Uster and Wetzikon start off
The new “Cultural Program for Medium-Sized Cities” will be tested from 2024 to 2026 and is aimed at cities with a regional center function. The first are Dietikon, Schlieren, Uster and Wetzikon. The project includes – in addition to the previous cantonal support contributions – new funding of 3 francs per resident.
For Dietikon with its 28,000 residents, this means an additional amount of 84,000 francs per year. Uster receives an additional 110,000 francs. The cities have to invest the money directly in new cultural offerings – they are not allowed to reduce their own cultural spending because of this.
For the first four cities, the new funding program costs a total of 540,000 francs per year. Other cities can also apply for this type of funding in a later phase. The prerequisite is that they already have cultural representatives or a mission statement that ensure a certain level of professionalism.
The new funding program does not have to go before parliament. The money comes from the cultural fund, which is raised with lottery money.
2024-03-02 00:52:35
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