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The platform "Participation in Zurich's future" is the participation portal of the city of Zurich.
Get involved in dialogue, have an influence, help shape the city, become active. You can do all of this in the participation portal "Taking part in Zurich's future". For example in participation projects on planning, construction projects or special topics, in existing committees or in the form of voluntary work in the district or in the neighborhood. Join us!
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The future of Zurich's cemeteries
Working together to develop the future strategy of Zurich's cemeteries
About this process
Zurich's cemeteries are changing: new forms of burial are changing the use of space and creating additional open spaces. The City of Zurich is actively shaping this development: With the "Future of Zurich Cemeteries" strategy, it is setting the framework for how the 19 municipal cemeteries are to develop further in the coming years. In doing so, it also involves the population.
More than places of mourning
Cemeteries are and will remain places of farewell, remembrance and mourning. At the same time, they are important green spaces and places of retreat in public space.
With the increasing variety of burial forms, the spatial use of cemeteries is also changing. Classic grave forms such as row graves, niches or family graves are increasingly being replaced by communal graves and alternative forms of burial. This creates new open spaces.
This development opens up new possibilities. We see cemeteries not only as places of farewell, but also as valuable green and open spaces in the neighborhoods. They provide habitats for a diverse flora and fauna, strengthen ecological networking and make an important contribution to the urban climate. At the same time, they are open to the population as places of peace and quiet recreation. They are also bearers of a cultural heritage that must be preserved and further developed.
This also raises new questions: How can cemeteries be further developed without losing their character? What role should they play in everyday urban life in the future?
The diverse functions of cemeteries bring together different demands that can lead to conflicts of use. In order to meet these in a forward-looking manner in the future, a carefully coordinated further development of their use is necessary.
A strategy for the future
With the "Future of Zurich Cemeteries" strategy, the City of Zurich is creating a basis for the future use of cemetery areas and defining guidelines for their development and use. Based on this, concrete measures for the coming years will be examined and implemented step by step.
The
development of cemeteries affects the entire city. For this reason, the strategy is being developed together with the population and other stakeholders in a participation process.
👉 From October 2026, all Zurich residents are invited to actively participate. You can share your inputs on the future of cemeteries directly here on the platform. In addition, events will take place at the cemeteries in Sihlfeld, Nordheim and Witikon that offer space for personal exchange on site.
This is how it goes on
On this page we keep you informed about the project and the next steps.
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