Coordinating housing and transport policy across borders

The Werdenberg region is inextricably linked with Liechtenstein – particularly given the number of people who cross the border for work. The Werdenberg-Liechtenstein Agglomeration Association was founded in 2009 to coordinate housing and transport on either side of the border, and tasked to draw up an action plan.

Transregional action plans can help to support sustainable spatial development. They aim to ensure that transport, housing policy and land management are properly planned and coordinated across functional urban areas. The Swiss Confederation has launched a number of such programmes in recent years and is heavily involved in the establishment of such transregional associations, working alongside the relevant cantonal and municipal authorities.

Some of the major projects delivered by the Werdenberg-Liechtenstein Agglomeration Association include the new Buchs bus station, opened in August 2018, and the Buchs–Vaduz “slow traffic bridge” (Langsamverkehrsbrücke), which entered service in June 2019.

Members of the Werdenberg-Liechtenstein Agglomeration Association

The constituent members of the Werdenberg-Liechtenstein Agglomeration Association include the St. Gallen cantonal government, the Principality of Liechtenstein, and various municipalities across Werdenberg and Liechtenstein. The Municipality of Sargans is also a member, while the Austrian town of Feldkirch enjoys observer status. Working across two independent countries is just one of the special challenges the Werdenberg-Liechtenstein Agglomeration Association has to meet. The association is chaired by Daniel Gut, Mayor of Buchs.

The association is chaired by Daniel Gut, Mayor of Buchs.