There’s a lot happening in the High Rhine border region: people commute daily across the German-Swiss border from numerous surrounding communities. The landscape they pass through — with its High Rhine plains and romantic bays — is truly unique. But how can the region be shaped in a way that preserves its natural beauty while meeting the local demand for shared infrastructure?
A cross-border spatial concept, developed together with the local population, aims to provide answers. After all, who better to identify the everyday challenges than the citizens themselves? From bus timetables that weren’t coordinated across the border to a lack of housing near the frontier — a citizens’ panel helped define key priorities that became essential elements of the final concept.
Today, the concept — including citizens’ ideas — has reached the political level: municipalities in the border region have symbolically signed a charter to commit to implementing the shared vision.
Insights
View from the west across the Rhine, showing the two Rheinfeldens — Rheinfelden (DE) on the left and Rheinfelden (CH) on the right — with the historic Rhine bridge in the foreground.
Public walk through Stein in Aargau as part of the High Rhine spatial concept.
Tram and bicycle infrastructure in the Pratteln region.
Tour of the municipality of Stein (Aargau) as part of the public walk on the Upper Rhine spatial concept.
Explanations during the public walk to the Upper Rhine spatial concept through Stein in Aargau.
Die Brücke zwischen dem deutschen und dem schweizer Stadtteil von Rheinfelden ist mit Flaggen geschmückt.