Zurich city council plans to integrate isolated Auzelg neighborhood

The city of Zurich plans to integrate the Auzelg neighborhood into the rest of the city over the next 20 years to address its isolation and lack of housing for elderly residents.

The Auzelg neighborhood currently functions as an isolated enclave on the edge of the city. Historically, the city built the first houses there in the late 1930s to house unemployed and unskilled workers, later adding a settlement for large families in the 1950s.

Today, the area is characterized by a high proportion of low-income residents and a very low percentage of children who speak German as a first language. The city council intends to change this by increasing the housing density and diversifying the population. The city plans to release six rows of houses from the current inventory to build new apartments for a foundation dedicated to elderly housing.

The city also aims to expand the local school, move it to the center of the settlements, and improve public transport links to the surrounding area of Schwamendingen. Residents have different perspectives on these changes. Long-time inhabitants describe the neighborhood as a peaceful community with a strong sense of solidarity, though they note a decline in social cohesion and an increase in vandalism.

New residents highlight the area's green spaces and child-friendly environment while noting challenges with building insulation and strict rules from the owners' foundation. The city says it expects to add 650 new apartments to the current 480 units.