Funerary Lives

Project description

In Switzerland, the way we honour our dead is undergoing radical change. The research project "Funerary Lives: Ecological Transitions and Support for Emerging Practices“ is looking at the impact of these changes on ecology and society. Far too often, cemeteries and crematoria are absent from regional planning policies and climatic strategies. And yet they raise crucial questions: Such as how can they be integrated into the green spaces of towns and cities, contribute to urban biodiversity and adapt to global warming? The project also looks at the diversification of funerary practices, above and beyond traditional burial and cremation.

Funerary practices are at the juncture of environmental, social and cultural concerns. Despite their importance, they are little studied and rarely considered in the development of public policies. With urbanisation on the increase as well as the urgent need to protect the environment, we need to rethink memorial sites and places of commemoration. This project will bring together municipal authorities, funerary services, managers of cemeteries and crematoria, as well as citizens who are affected by these developments. In reimagining these spaces, the project seeks to develop innovative solutions tailored to the challenges of today, reconciling respect for ritual with ecological requirements.

Project implementation of the project

As part of this transition, the project team is identifying the needs, challenges and obstacles associated with new funerary practices. It analyses the legislative, social, cultural, technical and economic challenges, notably by testing innovative solutions for the treatment of human remains and the redevelopment of funerary spaces. The professional, ecological and human impacts of these innovations will be analysed in partnership with Swiss town and city councils as well as associations of all sizes.