Youth politics Young people in Zurich want green building sites and cheaper public transport

On Wednesday evening, Zurich City Council accepted youth initiatives for the first time: Among other things, the young people called for "cheaper public transport tickets graduated for ages up to 18" and "no school hours before 8 am".

The instrument of youth initiatives is new. Children and young people can generate ideas at a meeting, which are then dealt with as a postulate in the city parliament.

This is intended to promote the participation of children and young people, said Council President Guy Krayenbühl (GLP) at the start of the meeting on Wednesday evening. "Don't lose your enthusiasm for your commitment," said Krayenbühl to the young people present. And: "You are welcome to step on the toes of us old people."

Testing the impossible too

However, the city council did not want to accept the first youth proposal that the Zurich municipal council dealt with. The idea of using mobile plants to create "green building sites" was very appealing, said city councillor Simone Brander (SP). But construction sites should be as small as possible so that traffic can flow around them.

With 58 votes in favor and 55 against, a narrow majority of the municipal council nevertheless referred the postulate to the city council. A youth initiative should lead to new perspectives; ideas that at first glance do not appear feasible should also be examined, it was said.

Gyms, streetcars and schools

The municipal council also referred six other proposals, which the young people themselves presented in the council chamber, to the city council. Among other things, the council must now examine how it can offer more "open gyms", create a pass for discounts in the cultural and leisure sector and prevent discrimination at schools.

The city council also has to deal with requests for cheaper public transport fares for minors and for school not to start before 8 am.

The first municipal youth conference took place on November 24, 2023. The proposals that the municipal council has now referred to the city council ten months later in a debate lasting more than two and a half hours were developed there.

SDA