Located near the Swiss/Italian border, Zermatt is
over-shadowed by the famous and elegant Matterhorn mountain peak. Zermatt has
always been a play-ground for the rich and the famous, and is still considered
one of Switzerland’s most foremost destinations for foreign individuals; over
1/3 of the residents in Zermatt come from countries other than Switzerland.
However, due to the attraction of tourism because of the Matterhorn, nearly
half of the economy in Zermatt is geared towards tourism.
Seeing that tourism has such a dramatic role in the economy
of Zermatt, Zermatt has enacted ordinances that ban internal-combustion engines
within the city limits. Since internal-combustion engines produce emissions
that lead to the creation of smog, Zermatt is very protective of its famed view
of the Matterhorn. This has led to the wide-spread usage of electric vehicles.
The electric vehicles are used as a replacement for cars,
trucks, and buses. Emergency service vehicles and city sanitation vehicles are
exempt and are the only internal-combustion vehicles allowed to drive within
the city. Due to the ban on gas vehicles, this created a problem to allow easy
access for tourists and residents to get into Zermatt. So, Zermatt created a
rather extensive solution to this problem; they created a cog-railway line from
the city center in Zermatt, 6 kilometers down to the nearby city of Tӓsch.
In Tӓsch,
there is a massive parking lot and people can park there and then take the
electric train to Zermatt.
Although probably considered a massive pain-in-the-neck by
outsiders, Zermatt has managed to create a city that thrives and prospers without
the dependency on regular gas powered vehicles. If other cities copied Zermatt
and tailored plans for themselves, a gas-powered vehicle world could possibly
be created.
Sources:
Pictures:
[[File:Matterhorn from Zermatt3.jpg]]Wikipedia. Author:Zermatt photos. 2008
[[File:Gelbes Elektroauto in Zermatt.jpg]]Wikipedia. Author:Claus Ableiter. 2008
Great example.
ReplyDeleteI think that this blog entry is very interesting. I didnt know that what Zermatt did was even possible! However, I dont think that this would work in most other cities around the world. Like you said, it is a remote and narrow city that is hard to get to. Americans rely on their cars for way to much transportation. When my family goes to my family-friends house that is about 1 block away, we will drive there, which seems ridiculous. However, I think that most other Americans are like that as well. We got to see that presentation about how Germany has so many bicyclists compared to the United States and that is one way of going green and being more energy efficient. But, Americans are lazy, so I dont see that happening anytime soon. The only way to really get Americans to care about going green and being energy efficient is if the government created a whole bunch of laws that forced us to pay attention, but I dont see that happening, unless Al Gore is elected soon!
ReplyDeleteKevin Znilek
Group 9
I think that Zermatt is a good example for other cities around the world. People seem to think that because transforming a normal city to a sustainable city is difficult, that it's impossible. Zermatt proved that wrong. Even though outsiders most likely found the switch to electric transportation in the city an annoyance, they still adapted. People have no choice, but to go with the change, if one day that's just how it is. Other cities can do as Zermatt did, and if not as drastic, they can certainly start by transforming only parts of their cities. People will always complain when changes arise, but give it time--everyone must adapt, and the once change becomes the norm.
ReplyDelete-Rachel Gordon
Zermatt demonstrates the feasibility of sustainability, but also illustrates that we can initiate sustainability measures by making small changes. We are a nation of car-dependence. Until we start putting our use into the perspective of how we can contribute to the sustainment of our city, I don't believe much will change. We need to add small, everyday changes as individuals and work with our communities on developing and implementing larger sustainable measures. DC and NYC are two cities with a wide network of public transportation, yet their streets remain congested. While DC or NYC probably would struggle with restricting combustible fuel vehicles, they could offer incentives to encourage smart car or greater public transportation use. That could feasibly reduce the congestion and improve the environment while still enouraging economic growth and reducing city costs.
ReplyDeleteZermatt certainly demonstrates that sustainability is definitely possible. It tells us that all we need to start are small changes. For example we can slowly decrease our dependence on cars. We kind of started this by offering incentives for people to purchase hybrid or electric cars, but it isn't large enough yet to make a difference.
ReplyDelete-Connor Buzzeo