Tag: Wohnraum

Urbanistica calls for a return to urban planning

Urban planning has been forgotten with the emergence of individual mobility, Urbanistica writes in a statement. The new association for good urban planning wants to revive the discipline of urban planning. According to Urbanistica, this is the only way to sustainably fulfil the mandate of densification of inner settlement development defined in the Spatial Planning Act and to create sufficient affordable living space.

The association has launched a manifesto to initiate a discourse on urban planning and urban development. In it, urban sprawl and housing shortage are primarily described as a consequence of failed spatial planning. They are to be countered by urban planning and urban development, especially in the agglomerations. “Good urban planning leads to less traffic, more efficient land use, attractive public spaces, an improved urban climate and social mixing,” states Thesis 3 of the Manifesto.

Urban planning is defined as “a central task of the public sector”. Proven planning teams” should generate solutions and impulses for urban development in competitive procedures. According to Urbanistica, this could be financed through existing taxes, levies and subsidy programmes.

August 2023
“Sustainable and smart city with a high quality of life”

Ms Furrer, what is the task of urban development?
We deal with the four topics of economy, housing, smart city and social urban development. We contribute our topics to various development processes. In doing so, we rely on trend and potential analyses and data, among other things. We provide information, advice and support projects and services related to these core topics.

What tasks do you take on with regard to location development?
We deal with this topic holistically and proactively. Housing and the economy, for example, cannot be considered individually, they influence each other. Location development is a joint task.

Currently, we are primarily concerned with the business location, including the following two aspects: The first point is the profiling of workplace areas. To this end, we are pursuing the approach of innovation ecosystems and are developing the corresponding foundations. Here we still have some development work ahead of us. Secondly, the companies that are already here, but also other actors, should be able to bring in their concerns and interests and develop further. In this regard, we are in the process of setting up a so-called business service desk.

What are the concrete goals of Winterthur’s urban development?
Winterthur should be a sustainable and smart city with a high quality of life, characterised by respectful coexistence and good conditions for business. The population participates in social development, new technologies are promoted. Winterthur continues to develop its good reputation as a liveable city – not least thanks to a diverse range of housing for a wide variety of needs. In the future, however, we also want to position ourselves as a location for technology and innovation. The city should also see itself as a real laboratory (WinLab) for the promotion of innovations and use the competences gained from this. Another goal is data monitoring for our core topics. And we would like to promote Open Government Data.

What are the biggest challenges for Winterthur at the moment?
As everywhere, the big issues in Winterthur are the net zero target or digitalisation. And Winterthur is growing. We need more space for housing, jobs, schools, sports and other needs. At the same time, land is in short supply.

With the “Spatial Development Perspective Winterthur 2040”, the city shows where the greatest potential for densification lies and how it wants to use it: it is about areas with a variety of uses and about workplace areas. Investors and private landowners are showing great interest. This opens up opportunities for the business location, but also challenges us.

What are the most popular locations for companies?
That depends entirely on the needs of the companies. Depending on the needs of the company, the accessibility, the zoning, the development potential, the surroundings or the land and rental prices play a greater or lesser role. I would venture to say that demand is generally increasing in the direction of central and well-supplied locations. Of course, there are also companies that prefer a peripheral location because of land consumption or noise emissions. In general, it is important to preserve industrial and commercial zones for the future.

How doesWinterthur score as a location for companies?
Firstly, Winterthur is excellently connected: Zurich Airport can be reached in a few minutes, the train connections to Zurich and Eastern Switzerland are optimal. And with the planned Brüttener Tunnel and the expansion of the A1 motorway, transport access will be even better in the future. Secondly, we can score points with successful technology companies that are well equipped for the future. These include large, partly listed companies such as Rieter, Sulzer, Burckhardt Compression and Kistler, as well as a large number of innovative start-ups. The latter are specifically promoted, for example by Technopark Winterthur, the Home of Innovation and the Entrepreneur Club Winterthur. A third plus point is the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). Through its research and development, it ensures the transfer of knowledge, contributes to local innovation and, as a university, produces valuable specialists. In addition, the ETH and the University of Zurich are also not far away.

What makes Winterthur attractive as a place to live?
The already mentioned high quality of life and its own charm. The large number of gardens, an intact, historic old town and the wide range of cultural activities contribute to this. In my opinion, there is another, underestimated quality: From almost anywhere in the city, you can reach the countryside in about ten minutes. Last but not least, the moderate prices compared to nearby Zurich and the good transport connections to eastern Switzerland make Winterthur a very attractive place to live.
What is the situation with free housing in Winterthur?
Free housing has been rare in growing Winterthur for some time: the vacancy rate last year was 0.37 per cent, which corresponds to just 212 flats. There is a lot of building going on, now and in the near future, as far as we can estimate today. We are concerned with the topic of housing, but we are not alone in this: affordable housing is generally a big issue in Swiss cities.

Personal details
Bettina Furrer has been Head of the Office for Urban Development of the City of Winterthur since December 2020. She studied environmental sciences at ETH Zurich and received her doctorate in 2010. From 2004 to 2018 she worked for the ZHAW School of Engineering, first as a lecturer and later as a professor and head of the Institute for Sustainable Development. Bettina Furrer grew up in Winterthur and still lives in the city with her family.

June 2023
Holder wants to combat housing shortage

Halter AG wants to tackle an emerging housing shortage. The Schlier-based construction and real estate company is committed to sustainable and viable solutions, Halter explains in a press release. To this end, the company has prepared a position paper. Halter also presented the solutions proposed in this paper for discussion at the round table with Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin in May.

In the position paper, Halter makes a number of demands. For example, additional use in residential zones and residential use in pure workplace zones should be permitted. Half of the additional living space created here must be realised as living space at cost rent. Halter also wants the potential of the cost rent financing model to be better exploited.

The politicians are called upon to simplify the quality assurance procedure and to limit the digital building permit to use and architecture. Halter expects his own industry to reduce construction costs by increasing productivity.

“The provision of affordable housing represents a similarly significant social challenge as climate-friendly conversion and new construction,” explains Halter CEO Markus Mettler in the statement. He says his company is ready to make innovative contributions to solving both tasks. “This goes hand in hand with the introduction of sustainable framework conditions for the construction and real estate industry that strengthen entrepreneurship and competitiveness in the sector and counteract the trend towards inefficient and costly regulation and nationalisation.”

June 2023
Winning project for the Horgen Oberdorf station area has been decided

SBB is planning new residential and commercial space and a modern transport hub on the approximately 2,100 square metre Horgen Oberdorf station site. SBB commissioned a study to find a convincing and sustainable urban development project for the site. A jury of external experts, representatives of the client and the municipality has now selected the winning project. The winning team – consisting of Galli Rudolf Architekten AG, Westpol Landschaftsarchitektur and Schnetzer Puskas Ingenieure AG – delivered the most convincing overall concept: the planning team’s proposal takes into account the local conditions and skilfully combines open space and urban development. In its unanimous decision, the jury praised the way in which the building, consisting of different volumes, blends into the townscape. The project takes up the structures of the quarter on the valley side and those of the quarter south of Neugasse.

45 flats with communal roof gardens
The basis of the new development is a base level that covers and connects the entire length of the railway station. Above this are five buildings with residential and commercial spaces facing the lake. A photovoltaic system will be installed on the roof of the commercial building, and communal roof gardens will be created on the four residential buildings. The spaces between the buildings become private green spaces. With its façade grid of timber frame and photovoltaic elements, the building envelope refers to the Schweiter industrial site on the hillside. At the level of the tracks, a special static construction ensures a space free of supports and thus obstacles, which benefits passenger, bus and taxi traffic. Two pedestal buildings provide shopping and gastronomy facilities for travellers and station visitors. The new station square will have a restaurant/café and seating. A row of trees with benches and waiting shelters along the edge of the slope frame the square and create a village square atmosphere. The staircase between Bahnhofplatz, Stadtterrasse and Passerelle creates a new neighbourhood connection. Oberdorfstrasse will be redesigned as a pedestrian zone and will have a wider pavement on the lake side. This will increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists and make crossing the road easier.

With the development at Horgen Oberdorf station, SBB is creating around 45 flats in an excellent location, one third of which will be in the affordable segment. The flat sizes vary between 1.5 and 4.5 rooms. Approximately 240 square metres are available for gastronomy and retail, and 750 square metres for services. 20 P+R parking spaces, around 100 Bike+Rail parking spaces and two taxi ranks allow for convenient transfers between the various means of transport. The buildings will be constructed according to the DGNB sustainability standards. Implementation is expected from the end of 2025.

Public project exhibition at the municipal administration
The competition entries will be exhibited for the interested public: on 25 May 2023 to 2 June 2023 during opening hours at the municipal administration Horgen, Bahnhofstrasse 10, 8810 Horgen.

May 2023
Housing and building land too scarce – cities want pre-emption rights

The aim of the survey was to understand the housing situation in the cities and urban municipalities and to gain up-to-date insights into housing policy activities. For this purpose, the consultancy firm Wüest Partner had asked the 130 members of the Association of Cities and Towns from November to December 2022. 59 cities took part in the survey.

Too few affordable flats – even in smaller cities
The survey confirms on the one hand that affordable housing is an important housing policy concern of the cities. On the other hand, it underlines the problem that is currently dominating the public debate: The supply of available housing is very scarce. Around two-thirds of the cities rate it as “far too small” or “somewhat too small”. In addition to housing offers in the lower price segment, there is also a lack of opportunities for home ownership.

The lack of low-priced housing primarily affects households with children, especially single-parent households. The situation in the large cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants is perceived as particularly tense. But smaller cities also consider the housing supply in this segment to be insufficient.

There isa lack of building land and it is too expensive
68 per cent of the cities surveyed state that they give away land in building rights, linking this to conditions such as favourable rents. The aim is to create more affordable housing.

More than 80 percent of the cities also state that they have too few building land reserves. Many would like to buy up more land. However, this is often unrealistic due to the high market prices. A good half cite the long and often complicated procedures as well as a lack of interest from private investors as factors that make it difficult to create affordable housing.

There is a need for action
60 percent of all cities surveyed see a “high” or “very high need for action” at the federal policy level. Around 70 per cent of the medium-sized and large cities share this view. As a possible solution, the respondents most frequently named a right of first refusal for building land and properties (80 per cent).

Almost 70 per cent of the respondents also believe that rents can be reduced if the previous rent is made transparent when a tenant changes hands. The cities assess their own possibilities to influence the housing market as rather low. The cities see the greatest possibilities for exerting influence in the promotion of non-profit housing construction.

The Association of Cities will use the findings of the report as an opportunity to formulate measures and demands. Furthermore, on 12 May, a round table chaired by Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin will address the issue of housing shortages. Among others, representatives of the cantons, cities and municipalities as well as the construction and real estate industry are invited.

May 2023
New housing construction lags behind population growth

Across Switzerland, around a quarter less new residential space is being built than a few years ago. In view of the rising population, there is a threat of an undersupply of urgently needed new residential construction, according to a media release from Zürcher Kantonalbank(ZKB) on the new study of its real estate research.

The study cites a declining number of building applications as reasons for the slowdown in construction activity. On average, it takes 140 days from planning application to approval in the country, which corresponds to an increase of 67 percent compared to 2010. Those who want to build wait the longest in densely populated regions. The time span for the canton of Zurich, for example, is given as almost 200 days, which corresponds to an increase of 136 percent compared to the year of comparison and a waiting time of almost one year. The negative front-runner is the canton of Geneva, where 500 days pass before a housing project is approved.

Furthermore, high construction requirements make it difficult to create new housing quickly. Appeals also contribute to the slowdown in the new construction sector. The real estate research is based on a study of actually realised new housing projects, according to which every tenth approved housing project was not realised in 2010 and the rental housing market is lacking 4000 flats per year.

In the latest issue of Immobilien aktuell, the Zürcher Kantonalbank provides data-based facts and analyses on the topic of housing shortage. In a further article, new housing construction is compared to a hurdle race.

April 2023
Walo realises environment project in the Westfeld Basel neighbourhood

The Dietiker construction company Walo Bertschinger has completed the work on the landscaping of the new Westfeld neighbourhood in Basel. According to a media release on LinkedIn, this environmental project includes the entire outdoor space, plus a narrow Allmend area along Hegenheimerstrasse and part of the area surrounding the Felix Platter Hospital.

The surrounding project realised by Walo consists largely of publicly accessible areas. Beyond the site, the works complement the open space and footpath offer to connect and revitalise the neighbourhood. The work includes 23,000 square metres of terrain modelling, 8,000 square metres of paving, a fountain and seven tree troughs made of natural stone, the furnishing and all the work on the 2900-metre-long utility lines.

The forum now stretches between the newly built Felix Platter Hospital and the new Westfeld building and flows into the neighbourhood square in front of the converted hospital building. There is a “carpet” of natural stone slabs there. In contrast to the stone forum and the neighbourhood square, the neighbourhood garden, which has also been laid out, is mainly green and covered with trees.

Since 2015, a showcase project for a trend-setting residential building culture has been created around the old hospital, which has now been converted into residential space, according to Walo’s statement. More than 500 cooperative flats have been built on the approximately 35,000-square-metre plot, of which around 400 are on the part of the site earmarked for new buildings and around 130 in the converted hospital building. There is also space for neighbourhood uses, services and small businesses. The building cooperative wohnen&mehr has published a video clip on the project.

March 2023
Holcim is building a 3D-printed settlement

With its joint venture 14Trees and the British development finance institute CDC Group , Holcim wants to realize the largest 3D-printed house complex in Africa. In Kilifi, Kenya, the Mvule Gardens development is to create affordable living space in 52 buildings. The building material manufacturer has now announced this. The project is part of the regenerative ecosystem Green Heart of Kenya , a model for inclusive and climate-resilient cities. Construction will start in early 2022.

The project builds on Holcim's first 3D printed school in Malawi. It is intended to close an acute infrastructure gap. "14Trees is pioneering the use of cutting-edge technology to address one of Africa's most pressing development needs – affordable housing – and create life-changing infrastructure for entire communities," said Tenbite Ermias, CEO of CDC Africa, as quoted in the press release.

14Trees has set itself the goal of addressing the lack of affordable housing in Africa with 3D printing and intelligent design, while creating skilled local jobs at the same time. As demonstrated in Malawi, the technology can reduce a house's ecological footprint by more than 50 percent compared to conventional methods, according to Holcim. Accordingly, they have the EDGE certificate for resource- efficient buildings.

The MASS Design Group , an architecture firm based in the USA and Africa, designed the Mvule Gardens. They are designed to create affordable, sustainable and reproducible housing units that are adapted to the Kenyan environment.

December 2021