National Baukultur policies
Many countries in Europe and beyond have developed policies to promote high-quality Baukultur. However, these policies are positioned differently per country.
In some cases, they prioritise the preservation of historic qualities, and in other cases the preference is for contemporary planning or a comprehensive Baukultur. This is reflected in their names, which range from “architectural policy” via “landscape” to “shaped environment”. All these policies have high-quality Baukultur as their principal political goal.
The federal government established the Baukultur policy in Switzerland in 2020. It applies to 15 federal offices in total and is coordinated by the Federal Office of Culture (FOC).
The government representatives from EU and EFTA countries responsible for Baukultur policy at national level and delegates from the European Commission regularly exchange information at informal meetings of the “European Directors for Architectural Policies (EDAP)”.
Has your country developed a strategy to promote high-quality Baukultur and is not on the list? If so, write an e-mail to: