The city council accepted slightly less than half of the applications: it took 16 percent of the requests into account in full, and another 25 percent at least partially, as it announced on Monday. It classified 18 percent of the applications as unnecessary because they were already included in the zoning plan. It rejected the remaining 41 percent.
In addition to promoting affordable residential and commercial space, non-profit housing will now also be explicitly anchored in the master plan, writes the city council in its press release. In addition, the master plan will be formulated more openly with regard to growth and densification, so that densification remains possible outside of the main areas.
However, the city council stuck to the basic thrust of the development plan. In order to meet mobility needs and achieve the climate goals set by the people, a shift from cars to buses, bicycles and walking is necessary. This is why promoting bicycles and walking, giving priority to buses and combined mobility are also components of the development plan.
According to the city council, the municipal development plan is the central compass for the planning and development of the growing city of Winterthur. It is predicted that by 2040 it will have over 135,000 residents; today there are around 122,000.
