immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Nachhaltige Stadtplanung

  • Urbanistica calls for polycentric development in Switzerland

    Urbanistica calls for polycentric development in Switzerland

    The Urbanistica association is calling for a paradigm shift in spatial planning. The current focus on large centres and the constant expansion of transport infrastructure is exacerbating the housing shortage, leading to unchecked increases in housing prices and ever-increasing commuter flows, writes the association for good urban development, which was founded in June 2023, in a resolution.

    In future, residential development should take place in locations that already have a good transport infrastructure. “The existing transport infrastructure is basically sufficient to accommodate a population growth of up to 10 million inhabitants and the associated economic development,” the resolution states. However, the smaller and medium-sized cities need to be revitalised as interesting places to work with attractive amenities and a high quality of leisure activities. This would lead to sufficient living space, high settlement quality, sustainable economic growth and reduced mobility.

    Spatial planning should therefore be geared towards a polycentric, networked and urban settlement structure, towards a Swiss city network 2.0. A quarter of the resources from the current transport fund, CHF 500 million per year, should be made available for this purpose.

    Urbanistica had already launched a manifesto in favour of sustainable urban planning when it was founded. The manifesto is intended to stimulate a discourse on urban planning and urban development and has so far been signed by 1,500 people from business, universities and administration.

    The current resolution was prepared by a number of experts from various fields. The following people took part in the discussions: Vincent Albers, Christoph Caviezel, Prof Kees Christiaanse, Remo Daguati, Balz Halter, Thomas Held, Michael Hermann, Alice Hollenstein, Joris Jehle, Dunja Kovari, Prof Stefan Kurath, Prof Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani, Martin Neff, Mirjam Niemeyer Haris Piplas Marco Salvi, Markus Schäfer, Thomas Sevcik, Pascal Vincent, Joris van Wezemael.

  • Circular economy in the construction industry pays off

    Circular economy in the construction industry pays off

    Incorporating the circular economy into building construction and urban planning could significantly reduce carbon emissions, according to a new white paper entitled Building circular: Maximising CO2 abatement and business opportunities: Maximising CO2 abatement and business opportunities). It was published jointly by the World Economic Forum and the consulting firm McKinsey & Company and presented at the annual meeting in Davos.

    The built environment currently accounts for around 26 per cent of the global greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. The white paper emphasises that by 2030, more sustainable circular approaches to consumption and production could save 13 percent of carbon emissions from the built environment. By 2050, this could be 75 per cent.

    This could result in annual net gains of 46 billion dollars by 2030 and 360 billion dollars by 2050. The calculations are based on an analysis of the CO2 footprint of six building materials: Aluminium, cement, glass, plaster, plastic and steel.

    “Newly conceived design, technology and innovative business models can significantly reduce waste, conserve resources and unlock economic value,” according to a McKinsey press release. It describes the white paper as a “call to action for leaders in the public and private sectors”. Lighthouses” or pilot projects that demonstrate the feasibility and scalability of circular economy models could also be crucial to the spread of better green building practices.