News Overview

Dübendorf to Become a Leading Location for R&D and Testing

31.8.21
Author: Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich

Since September 2020, a task force has been working on behalf of the Government Council on a synthesis report for the transformation of the airfield area in Dübendorf. It provides an overall view of the airfield area with a vision, principles for sustainable development and a common target with a time horizon of 2050, as well as guidelines for action and an agenda for implementation. By signing the agreement, the partners have committed themselves to promoting the transformation and acting in the sense and spirit of the guiding principles.


Creating sustainable benefits for people, nature and the economy

The area is to be newly developed as a whole, with focus on the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich, the airfield and military use. For reasons of economy and sustainability, building will be in stages and only built as needed. The project is intended to become a beacon for innovative urban development, especially in the areas of environmental compatibility, sustainability and the careful use of resources. Together with other important topics, Dübendorf airfield should become a leading international location for research, development and testing of innovative and CO2-neutral solutions for mobility on the ground and in the air. The access for companies and universities to large test areas and to an airfield is, in its scope, unique, and constitutes a unique selling point.

Create planning rights for all sections

In order to swiftly provide planning security, in a next stage planning rights at various levels will be created: cantonal and regional structure plans as well as communal structure and land use planning. Added to this will come the necessary adjustments to the sectoral military (SPM) and aviation infrastructure (SIL) plans for transforming the military airfield into a civil airfield with shared military use under the direction of the Canton of Zurich. The Government Council will apply for a planning loan for this from the Cantonal Council in spring 2022.

Common target for 2050

To provide spatial coordination, the partners have developed a common target for the time horizon 2050. In future, the area can be divided into four zones. Zone A is reserved for the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich, which is to become a nucleus and in which research will concentrate on the areas of mobility, robotics, aviation, space travel and advanced manufacturing & materials. In zone B, the Innovation Park and the airfield research works overlap to form a synergetic aviation cluster. In zone C, operations requiring high security – the Federal Air Force base and the air traffic control center (Skyguide) – can be developed independently. As part of the regional “Fil Vert” concept, a continuous circular airfield path will provide an area that can be enjoyed by the general public for recreation and leisure.

 

Link to website "Gebietsentwicklung Flugplatz Dübendorf": www.gefd.zuerich