COMUNIS is an European Union funded project that aims at developing a well-defined integrative and cooperative strategy for Commercial Location Development (CLD) and enhancing inter-municipal and intra-territorial cooperation to overcome individualistic attempts of problem solution on the level of single municipalities. It will provide broadly adaptable guidelines to apply this strategy and offer practical instruments for the assessment of the local and regional demand for and the steering of commercial development. COMUNIS will particularly focus on diversification and efficiency of economic activities, environmental and social concerns as well as human and cultural capital. The project will result in a transnational knowledge management and establish sustainable structures for managing CLD in the pilot regions. It is part of the international "Alpine Space Programme", which is also co-funded by the EU.
The participating regions are Grosses Walsertal and Leiblachtal (Austria) – Alpsee- -Grünten - Sonthofen (Germany) – Tarare (France) - Gorenjska (Slovenia), Asti and Passeiertal (Italy) Sierre, Sion, Martigny, Monthey (Valais Romand - Switzerland) .The project partners met in Lochau near Bregenz in order to present the progress of the project in the pilot regions. Franz Rüf and Peter Steurer from Telesis – VLBG, the regional development agency of the Voralberg Austrian region hosted the meeting at the Schloss Hofen in Lochau. Presentations for the Valais Romand were made by Dr. Marie-Francoise Perruchoud and Nathalie Stumm from the HES-SO University of Applied Science in Sierre and by H. Fournier from the State of Valais Regional Economic Development Agency.
Visits to the town of Sulzberg and an excursion to the Biosphere Park Grosser Walsertal were also organized. After working together for the Biosphere Park, the small municipalities of St. Gerod, Blons and Sonntag continued their cooperation with projects such as developing their wood related industry by creating the brand Bergholz – Mountain Timber, using the abundant supply of silver fur trees growing on their land. Furthermore all municipalities built functional community buildings using all wood and geo-thermal energy system. For example in St. Gerold, the municipality building houses the public administration, a day care center for pre-school children and a small grocery store, opened from 8 to 10 in the morning and serving the local population of 350 inhabitants. The elevator tower of the comunity center of St.Gerold was the first one worldwide to be totally made out of wood. In Blons, the building includes the public administration offices, a library and a small museum dedicated to the avalanche that struck this community in 1954 causing the tragic death of 57 inhabitants. A restaurant was also built next door. In Sonntag, the municipalities created a cooperative and built the “Walserstolz Haus" a cheese making facility which can be visited along with an exhibition on the Biosphere Park. In the same building a restaurant enables visitors to taste local gastronomy while one can purchase local products on the way out. They are now planning to buy land in order to attract SMEs, these PSG (Projekt Struktur Genossenchaft) are being developed within the Comunis project. http://www.comunis.eu/
The community center in Sulzberg
The all wood community center in St. Gerold
The Avalanche Museum in Blons
The Walserstolz Haus with cheese-making,Biosphere Park exhibit, restaurant and shop
