Trialogue of Cities in Zurich

Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig, Zurich Mayor Corine Mauch and First Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Peter Tschentscher

On 25 and 26 May 2023, Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig and the First Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Peter Tschentscher, were in Zurich to meet with Mayor Corine Mauch. Their goal was to continue and further deepen the "trialogue" between the three major cities, which was launched in Hamburg in 2019.

At their first meeting, the three city leaders referred to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and agreed to step up mutual cooperation on smart city strategies, climate protection, sustainability, resource efficiency, innovation, participation and social cohesion. This year's meeting in Zurich was dedicated to challenges and measures in the fields of housing, energy supply, circular economy and climate protection.

Work meetings and social activities

In addition to work meetings, the two-day programme also included related social activities, like a tour of the recently renovated Zurich Concert Hall. The "Tonhalle" refurbishment project was one of the largest of its kind ever implemented in Switzerland. It successfully met the combined challenges of preserving the original building fabric (erected in 1895) and installing state-of-the-art event technology.

The mayors also visited the "Zollhaus", a pioneering project by the local "Kalkbreite" cooperative. With the diverse range of spaces it offers for living, working, small and medium businesses, services, cultural life and community, the Zollhaus is a lively place in close interaction with its neighbourhood, designed to test new concepts and ideas for community life.

Last on the agenda was a visit to NEST, a modular research and innovation facility operated jointly by the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (EMPA) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag). The facility focuses on innovative solutions in the fields of sustainable construction and circular economy, offering ideal conditions for studying and testing new technologies, materials and systems in real-life conditions.