| OCR Text |
Show designation of an " imposition zone", which means that construction was permitted. However, building permits were issued with the understanding that the kind and form of building could be specified, as well as necessary reinforced construction or evacuation of the inhabitants in case of avalanche danger. After the avalanche catastrophes on 26 January 1968 in Davos where the area " Boden" was especially hard hit, yet for which zoning maps existed, the question was raised if the SLF Institute practice of designating building zones was correct. Essentially, the researcher working on avalanche zoning maps should subdivide areas according to the degree of danger present. The government could then draw the line with respect to the use of the area for construction purposes and the kind of buildings that would be pe rm i s s i b 1 e. At the conclusion of this historical survey, the question must be asked: How much has been achieved to this point? Unfortunately, avalanche zone planning was faced with the same problem as the planning of other projects such as street planning, village planning, etc.; that is, it was behind the actual needs. The people that were directly involved in this cannot be blamed, since they generally directed their efforts toward correcting this situation. It is the public that should be blamed, since it shows interest in a situation only after problems have developed, yet the planner is dependent on its attitude. This is tragically demonstrated with water protection projects. In a lecture, " Building Politics in the Area of the Grisons-- a prospect for Ten Years," given on November 23, 1966, Walz said, " A development has been noted for the last ten years that properly can only be called overcrowding." This proved to be true. Local governments of most involved communities, as well as building police and construction planning, were totally surprised and unprepared. Only under these circumstances was the project of avalanche zone planning initiated. Landowners, however, strongly objected, since they were interested in their property only as potential building sites. In many cases, reclamations were made before work was started on the project and hardly was planning finished for the priority areas when the first appeals were started by property owners. In perspective, the interests of property owners, as in most cases, is guided purely by the desire for making money. Speculation is mostly unchecked and it is shameful to see how wealth and money will turn people brutal and rotten. Questions dealing with ethics and human relations should be just as important as questions dealing with technology, legalities and administrative skill. The problem could have been solved easier if notice would have been taken of the timely warning given by the Federal Forest Inspectorate. In any case, we should learn from our mistakes. Most avalanche zone planning has remained piece- work until today, mainly because extensive areas had to be neglected in order to deal with priority areas. We know of very few mountain communities that have planning which cover all the areas in question. In this respect, the outstanding efforts of the canton Nidwalden should be mentioned. Here the government systematically surveyed the whole |
