immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Wohnraumentwicklung

  • Condensed, networked, liveable

    Condensed, networked, liveable

    Switzerland currently has over 9 million inhabitants and the population continues to grow. The pressure on the housing market is increasing, while building outside existing building zones has been severely restricted since the RPG revision of 2013. Cities and municipalities must develop inwards. According to Dita Leyh, Professor of Urban Development at the OST, there are sufficient reserves of space. Single-family home neighborhoods near train stations, brownfield sites or unused railroad areas offer great potential. A second revision of the RPG will further tighten the requirements.

    Densify where public transport is strong
    Inner development at public transport hubs makes particular sense. “Inner densification makes particular sense at public transport hubs,” says Dita Leyh. This is because optimal connections to the bus and rail network create more living space, but not automatically more traffic. Another key lies in the reorganization of stationary traffic. Collective garages on the edge of the neighborhood bundle car traffic, leaving the interior of the neighborhood largely car-free and thus gaining open space for people and nature. “The more densely you build, the more open spaces you have to create at the same time,” says Leyh.

    Mix of uses as a quality feature
    Densification is far more than just stacking up apartments. A diverse mix of uses, from bakeries and restaurants to green spaces, revitalizes neighbourhoods and creates added value. High-quality, interdisciplinary planning is needed to create this added value. Urban planning, transport planning and open space planning must sit together at the table from the outset, emphasizes Leyh. The updated Spatial Concept Switzerland 2050, which was adopted by the Federal Council in March 2026, confirms this approach and focuses on regional cooperation, landscape quality and climate-friendly mobility.

  • Improve quality, streamline processes

    Improve quality, streamline processes

    Since the revision of the Spatial Planning Act, economical land use has been the guiding principle, but in practice, procedures often remain slow and cumbersome. Interests clash, responsibilities are not always clear and objections can block projects for years.

    Anyone who wants to promote inner-city development must therefore start earlier. Project sponsors, planners, authorities, politicians and implementers should enter into a structured dialog before the planning application is submitted. This allows conflicts to be clarified, quality to be defined and procedures to be geared towards a realistic target image from the outset.

    Five factors for better procedures
    Representatives of the federal government, cantons, municipalities and the construction industry have identified five success factors in a dialog lasting several years. It requires attitude, early and structured dialog, clear responsibilities, acceptance and everyday benefits of the projects as well as a clear strategic embedding.

    What is often missing is less technical knowledge than consistent application in everyday life. Reliability between the stakeholders, the will to implement and tools that help to manage complex processes pragmatically. Corresponding work aids were presented at Swissbau in January 2026 and then made available online. As concrete support to “make building easier”.

    Contribution of the construction industry
    The construction industry is actively involved in the search for solutions. For example, as part of Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin’s housing shortage action plan and on the basis of studies by ARE and BWO. This work has resulted in a concept for a two-stage building permit procedure. The use and architecture are clarified first, followed by technical aspects and standards.

    This model is to be accompanied by consistent digitalization throughout the entire process. The aim is to increase planning security, avoid loops, clarify interfaces and thus reduce both the duration of the process and the workload for everyone involved. The concept is intended as a basis for discussion and makes the industry’s perspective tangible for authorities, politicians and the public.

    ISOS, townscape protection and municipal autonomy
    Another focus is on dealing with ISOS as well as monument and townscape protection. In the dialogues at federal level, it was established that cantons and municipalities can deviate from ISOS conservation objectives when fulfilling their own tasks, for example in housing construction, if there are overriding interests. This strengthens the municipalities’ scope for action and facilitates local considerations.

    An amendment to the ordinance is planned by fall 2026 in order to focus the direct application of ISOS on cases that are actually relevant to the townscape. At the same time, it is being examined how a new division of tasks between the federal government and the cantons could further develop the practice. A corresponding committee postulate from the National Council has been transferred. The construction industry is closely following this process and is calling for a sustainable balance to be struck between protection and development.

    Fast, digital and high-quality approval procedures
    The course is set: the industry is committed to leaner, digital and faster building approval procedures, with a clear focus on two-stage procedures, practical tools and reliable cooperation.

    After all, Switzerland’s inner city development can only succeed if everyone involved pulls together. With transparent processes, clear responsibilities and projects that are both qualitatively convincing and create urgently needed living and working space.

  • Densification displaces fewer tenants in Geneva than in Zurich

    Densification displaces fewer tenants in Geneva than in Zurich

    Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich(ETH) have analysed the impact of building densification on the composition of the population on behalf of the Federal Office for Housing(FHO), according to a press release. The study “Building activity and displacement” shows that the effects differ significantly in the five largest agglomerations.

    Geneva, Lausanne and Bern have a higher level of residential construction activity than Zurich, but are densifying more effectively. Between 2020 and 2023, 1.6 to twice as many flats were built there for every flat demolished than in Zurich. In the Zurich conurbation, 5.4 times as many replacement new-builds were also constructed than buildings were added to, while in Geneva, Basel and Bern, twice as many buildings were added to as replacement new-builds were constructed.

    The average room size of replacement new builds in German-speaking Switzerland is also 25 per cent larger than in demolished flats. In French-speaking Switzerland, flats were only 6 to 8 per cent larger. Building densification thus leads to a higher increase in utilisation density in French-speaking Switzerland than in German-speaking Switzerland.

    Despite the higher density in French-speaking Switzerland, a total of 1.02 per cent of the total population (14,373 people) in the Zurich agglomeration were affected by displacement due to house demolitions or total renovation between 2015 and 2020. Relative to the total population, this is twelve times more than the 467 people affected in the Geneva agglomeration (0.08 per cent).

    The study also shows that displaced households had a median income that was 30.5 to 39.6 per cent lower than the population as a whole. According to the BWO press release, this means that it is precisely those who have difficulty finding a new affordable home who are affected by displacement.