The village in western Switzerland has managed to preserve its traditional architecture and scenery despite undergoing an intense process of urbanisation, said the organisation awarding the annual Wakker prize.
The municipality’s “clear” development strategy is grounded in a respect for open spaces and historical buildings, the Swiss Heritage Society announcedExternal link on Tuesday.
In choosing a strategy of “moderate inward-directed urbanisation” and in refusing to build on farmland, Prangins has managed to preserve its architectural heritage and to marry population growth with a continued high quality of life. It has also organised its town centre in a way to “reinforce identity and social cohesion”, said the Heritage Society in its verdictExternal link.
Prangins sits next to the town of Nyon (canton Vaud) on the dynamic stretch between Geneva and Lausanne. Its population of 4,000 is expected to grow by 30% in the next two decades.
The French-language seat of the Swiss National Museum is located in the castle of Prangins. Currently closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the museum generally holds historical and cultural exhibitions about the development of modern Switzerland.
The Swiss Heritage Society, founded in 1905, focusses on “the preservation of important landmarks, the development of the structural environment, and the promotion of good architectural design”. It has awarded the Wakker Prize annually since 1972: usually to a municipality, such as Baden last year, but exceptionally to an organisation, as in 2018.
As a Swiss Abroad, how do you feel about the emergence of more conservative family policies in some US states?
In recent years several US states have adopted more conservative policies on family issues, abortion and education. As a Swiss citizen living there, how do you view this development?
Anti-Muslim sentiment is everywhere, according to Swiss study
This content was published on
This is the conclusion of the first qualitative baseline study published on Thursday by the Swiss Center for Islam and Society.
UN and Switzerland against forced displacement of Palestinians
This content was published on
The UN and the Swiss government are opposed to any forced displacement of Palestinians, as proposed by US President Donald Trump.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Voters rejected urban sprawl curbs due to adequate laws
This content was published on
A study shows that Swiss voters rejected a proposal aimed at curbing urban sprawl as most people felt that existing rules were sufficient.
This content was published on
Despite its relatively small area of just over 41,000 square kilometres (15,444 square miles), Switzerland’s rural building styles are as diverse as the many regional dialects of its four national languages. The country’s mountainous terrain is a kind of geographical crossroads in Europe, with regions north of the Alps building mostly with timber, and those in the south using…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.