Political Steering High-quality Development of Business and Residential Areas

Each municipality has a distinct locational quality profile. We collaborate with municipal authorities to develop bespoke development strategies. We apply a time-proven methodology that tasks administrators with a systematic exploration of fundamental questions about their municipality’s long-term future.
 
The municipal strategy is an overarching planning instrument that helps to coordinate the various areas of politics and forms the basis for mid-term and annual planning. To obtain the data required for the strategy process, we use, among other tools, the housing calculator. 

Over the past two decades, the IBR has assisted some twenty municipalities in six cantons in the development of a municipal strategy.

Project examples: 

• Triengen
• Stadt Luzern

Point of Contact: Ivo Willimann

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Municipalities play a key role in the realisation of the energy transition and the implementation of energy policies. They are often confronted with the question of whether their approach should be proactive or more restrained in these matters. We help municipalities to identify energy and climate policy spaces and show them ways to implement them as part of a leading-edge, sustainable location policy.

One example is the integration of energy policies into the municipal strategy. We support municipalities in this process with the aim to discover the interdependencies between the various policy fields and the areas of energy and climate. We focus on the following questions:

• Are there synergies or areas of conflict between individual specialised fields or between the municipal strategy and existing energy policy?
• What is, for the municipality and the region at large, the economic potential of possible measures in the energy sector?
• What are the necessary steps for a successful implementation of the municipality's energy and climate policies?

Project examples:

• Energy transition and municipal development 
• Energy transition and commons
• Enforcement of energy regulations

Point of Contact: Justus Gallati

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Digitalisation has a profound effect on the working world; as new business models and modes of production emerge, employees need to acquire new skills to adapt.

We analyse the risks and opportunities regions face due to digitalisation. Taking into account specific circumstances such as a region's mix of trades and industry, we examine possible effects of digitalisation on its workplaces and appeal as a location. Based on this analysis, we reflect on the scope of action and derive recommendations for the region’s sustainable development. In the framework of a pilot project, the IBR has supported the Canton of Uri in the development of its digitalisation strategy and devised a strategy process to enable the canton to anticipate the regional economic challenges of digitalisation.

The pilot project shows that agility is a key success factor for digital transformation. It is of major importance whether a region develops a positive attitude towards the transition and whether a system of businesses, committed workers and authorities emerges that is capable of acting flexibly and advancing innovation. Such agile systems are of increasing importance, both for a company’s choice of location and for a specialist’s choice of workplace. Regions therefore must create conditions that are conducive to the digital transformation. They include, for instance, raising awareness among all actors involved to foster a critical-positive attitude and openness for change. We support our clients in this process.

Project example:

• Canton Uri: Chances and risks of digitalisation

Point of contact: Stephan Käppeli, Ivo Willimann

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