Cities are active policy innovators of global importance, whether responding to climate change, migration, poverty, or health disparities, or aiming to generate growth. Since cities adapt to the needs and interests of global capital, they may implement policies that slight the well-being of everyday residents and the most More
Between Streets and Screens offers a comparative ethnography of digital video activism in Rio de Janeiro and Cape Town in the early 2010s. Focusing closely on the practices of filming protests and police violence, the book shows how eyewitnesses and activists navigate the fine line between power and More
Im Rahmen des Aktionsplans Biodiversität wurden neue Erkenntnisse zum aktuellen Stand, zur Nachfrage und zu Hindernissen der Berücksichtigung von Ökosystemleistungen (ÖSL) in raumrelevanten Entscheidungen veröffentlicht. Der Schlussbericht eines vom BAFU beauftragten Projekts sowie eine neue Website der ETH unterstützen Fachpersonen dabei, geeignete Planungstools zu finden.
The Sustainable Urban Transitions (SUT) Lab was launched in April 2025 as a partnership of ETH Zurich and the Bolt Urban Fund, with the aim of supporting cities in accelerating their shift towards low-carbon, multimodal mobility systems. The SUT Lab aims to bring innovative, data-driven research into practical More
If you agree and would like to have a printed poster to hang on your wall – accompanying you for half a year with events in the fields of urban design, spatial planning, landscape architecture, infrastructure, and mobility – just let us know. We will be happy to More
Urban humanitarian housing is one of the most significant challenges for today’s humanitarian actors, who are seeking new ways of providing adequate housing for displaced persons in cities. At the same time, a growing number of refugees are struggling to find affordable and dignified housing, often resorting to More
Displaced people often struggle to find affordable and dignified housing in cities, relying on the informal market. This is also true in Bogotá and Beirut, which host large numbers of displaced persons. This project explores and compares the housing challenges faced by displaced persons in the two cities More
This publication explores how residents of Bramfischerville, an underprivileged area in Johannesburg, South Africa, understand public participation in urban development. The study reveals that for many community members, participation is less about influencing policy and more about gaining recognition and fostering relationships. These locally grounded perspectives challenge dominant More
Over 250 attendees – representing organisations from at least 11 countries – converged in Singapore on 4-5 September to participate in the “Future Cities: Science, Design, and Policy for Urban Transitions” Symposium & Exhibition Singapore 2025. Organised by the Future Cities Laboratory (FCL) Global, in partnership with the More
On July 4, 2025, ETH Zurich’s Alumni Pavilion hosted the first MAS in Regenerative Systems thesis-in-process pitching, transforming the space into an immersive exhibition of regenerative practice. Eight Quests on a governance spiral linked individual projects to systemic contexts and fostered collaboration across ETH and practice partners. The More
We return from another record-breaking summer of heatwaves and extreme weather. Yet as days shorten and evenings cool, the topic of heat and urban development will remain a pressing concern for both science and planning. We illustrate how pre-trained deep learning models and open data can make it More
To decarbonize urban transport systems, promoting active modes by allocating more road space to cycling infrastructure to achieve a radical modal shift has become a popular transport policy. However, such policies usually receive strong public opposition due to the concern of traffic congestion caused by reduced road capacity More
The new project FEDORA develops multimodal traffic management solutions in future networks. The Traffic Engineering group, IVT at ETH Zurich, will work on social optimum models, developing dynamic pricing and incentivisation models for traffic management applications, as well as a model-agnostic simulation platform for seamless integration of diverse More
Modern cities suffer from a multitude of stressors, including congestion, pollution and crises. AntifragiCity is a new European research project that aims to deliver better services to citizens through antifragile designs, with solutions that improve under real-world stress. The Traffic Engineering group, IVT at ETH Zurich, leads the More
Cycling as a mode of transport is on an upward trend as a low-emission alternative to driving in urbanised areas nowadays. With the increasing number of cyclists, it is of great importance to assess the capacity of cycling infrastructure in practice. Simulation models are useful tools to investigate More
The average trip length in Swiss cities is under 14km, with around 60% of trips below 6km. Despite the potential for healthier, more sustainable alternatives, nearly half of the total distance travelled is by car. Bicycles play a key role in recent initiatives (e.g. E-Bike City project from More
Background Therapies to improve gait security in the context of rehabilitation should be designed as close to everyday life as possible so that patients can train activities of daily living. In this context, training in virtual reality (VR) is gaining increasing attention. Immersive VR simulations of real environments More
Kann ein Waldspaziergang im Spital Stress senken? Virtuelle Realität macht es möglich. Eine Untersuchung mit gangunsicheren Seniorinnen und Senioren zeigt: Nach VR-Trainings in verschiedenen Landschaften fühlten sich die Teilnehmenden entspannter und sicherer, auch wenn ihre physiologischen Stresswerte stabil blieben. Ob Wald, Stadt oder Landwirtschaft: Die Wirkung war ähnlich More
How can cities plan safer cycling routes without reliable data on cycling infrastructure? Using machine learning on aerial imagery, we generated a comprehensive historical dataset of cycling-specific infrastructure across Switzerland’s largest urban areas. This opens new possibilities for planning and research.
AntifragiCity is a groundbreaking European research initiative aiming to revolutionize how urban mobility systems respond to disruptions. Rather than merely resisting shocks, AntifragiCity envisions cities that learn, adapt, and grow stronger through challenges—embracing the concept of antifragility. To realize this vision, the project will develop a comprehensive framework More
The average trip length in Swiss cities is under 14km, with around 60% of trips below 6km. Despite the potential for healthier, more sustainable alternatives, nearly half of the total distance traveled is by car. Bicycles play a key role in recent initiatives (e.g. E-Bike City project from More
Federation of network optimisation services, simulation foresights, and data alchemy for adaptable, agile, secure, and resilient multimodal traffic management. Lack of orchestration, structured and standardized integration protocols and metadata descriptors, incorporation of real-world traffic complexities and nuances, underutilization of valuable resources, model uncertainties and integration of micro-mobility services More
Dr Hermann Patrick Braess (*1979), currently Technical Director and Head of Research and Development at TrackNet Holding Group (Tensol Rail SA and EFSA SA), as Professor of Practice in the Institute for Transport Planning and Systems (IVT), Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering. Hermann Patrick Braess is More