Bern: Master plan for Chantier Bethlehem West now available

The Bern City Council has adopted the Chantier Bethlehem West master plan, which is binding on the authorities and forms the basis for the further planning and development of the area in district VI. It is the result of a study commissioning process that the city of Bern has conducted over the past two years with the landowners Genossenschaft Migros Aare and Carlo Bernasconi AG.

The Betlehem West area is already characterized by a high diversity of uses, writes the city of Bern in a statement. This is to be preserved and further developed. However, it is planned to significantly increase the density of the area: In total, there is a utilization potential for about 3,000 additional residents and about 2,000 new jobs, the city says. The subareas of the Chantier are to continue to be characterized by different building typologies; along the railroad line, the construction of high-rise buildings is to be made possible at certain points.

Less car traffic, more residential quality

Traffic in the Chantier is to be shifted increasingly to pedestrian, bicycle and public transport, the statement continues. Because of the very low number of parking spaces envisaged in the master plan, only a slight increase in motorized private transport is to be expected.

In order to create a high residential and recreational quality despite densification, new open spaces on the private areas are to be made publicly accessible and usable. In addition, two new public squares are planned. A direct connecting path between the Tscharnergut and the Brünnengut park is also to be created.

The Chantier will be developed in stages. In the case of the Bethlehem Center, Migros, for example, already has concrete development plans and wants to move quickly into the area planning. In the next step, the main contents of the master plan will be transferred to the basic building regulations. This will be put to the vote of the city of Berne's electorate. (ah)