An important aspect of the creation of models for traffic planning is the question of the need for movement in the model. If one uses a microscopic model in which individual persons will be represented through agents, it will allow the question to be modelled intuitively through the More
Good railway systems distinguish themselves through high reliability and availability. Nevertheless, operational disruptions through internal or external influences cannot always be avoided. The goal set for this postdoctoral work is to raise the operational manageability of operational disruptions through better predictions of the duration of the disruption: Is More
The goal of part of this dissertation is to prove that it is methodologically possible to conduct a consistent capacity evaluation and efficiency estimation for expansion measures even in early project stages. Special attention is focused on the area of conflict between the requirements of the network users More
High quality public transport systems are characterized not only by their large capacity and high operational speeds, they must also provide a reliable service. This is important because reliability has an effect in both the users and the service providers. An ongoing project uses new data to look More
Background Numerous disruption incidents can affect the operation of public transportation systems so much that (large) parts of the network can no longer be served. In addition to natural events, technical or social hazards can also threaten the stability of public transportation networks. The high network load as More
In order to survive intermodal competition, freight trains are forced to offer their clients a high level of flexibility. However, fulfilling this promise for flexibility is associated with noteworthy financial risks due to their high fixed cost rates. Control of the oscillating level of demand engendered through this More
In times when most European agglomerations are affected by congestion, local public transport is one of the most important elements to promote the development of conurbations. Agglomerations extending over international boundaries are a special challenge for local public transport; the cross-border connections are generally less developed than the More
Along with increasing globalisation, the strategic importance of transport infrastructures for society and the economy are also growing. Demands related to capacity and reliability in rail traffic are increasing. At the same time, however, infrastructure expansion puts pressure on economic and ecological limits, which then forces an even More
Cities across the world are starting to recover space, previously devoted to cars, for other uses. The main purpose of this project was to better understand the removal of space in urban settings and to provide some analytical results showing that it is possible to remove streets from More
The goal of this project was to evaluate the data requirements for a possible implementation of a macroscopic fundamental diagram (MFD) control scheme in an urban area. Particularly, we have studied the accuracy of MFDs created using only a percentage of the links (i.e., streets). This is especially More
Current VSS standards for the design and evaluation of uncontrolled intersections only take into account conflicts between private vehicles. Unfortunately, this limits the applicability of the standards in most Swiss urban networks, as they cannot be used to model other modes such as public transport, pedestrians, or bicycles. More
The MULTITUDE is a joint research project funded by the European Union COST programme (COST Action TU0903). The main objective was to develop, implement and promote the use of methods and procedures for supporting the use of traffic simulation models, especially regarding model calibration and validation, to ensure More
In patrol surveys, patrolling observers check the parking area every δ minutes (i.e., at fixed time intervals) and record the plate number of the car occupying each stall. To find the average parking duration, an estimated value is obtained by averaging the parking duration of each car observed. More
The City of Zürich acquired «Verkehr In Städten – SIMulationsmodell» (VISSIM), a microscopic multi-modal traffic flow simulation software, to effectively model traffic within the city. VISSIM is a widely used simulation software with many applications and high potential. However, like other commercial microscopic traffic simulation software, VISSIM has a More
Today’s agglomerations lack the urban qualities that core cities offer in the form of short routes, public spaces and a high density and mix of uses. This has an increasingly negative impact on the quality of life of the population. However, a sustainable restructuring of these agglomerations would More
Public parks, agricultural and forest areas, traffic zones, sport and leisure facilities, nature reserves, waters: our agglomerations consist of a multitude of unbuilt spaces. In planning however they are often treated as «remaining territories» or their handling is sectorally regulated, even though they fulfill manifold and important functions. More
Innovative procedural modelling methods for the automatic creation of large-scale 3D city models provide unprecedented opportunities to understand and encode urban patterns. They allow easy production of multiple design alternatives based on design rules leading the simulation procedure. While grammars shaping the urban environment have already been defined, More
Motivation – Preservation of the resource soil The pace and scale of the demand for land is increasing worldwide, as population becomes urban, lifestyles change, and industrial agricultural practices are intensifying. Although, there is a large amount of policy instruments available for spatial planners, none of these instruments More
OPERAs is a European research project which aims to bridge the gap between ecosystem science and practice. The project has 27 partners from academic institutions, consultancies and SMEs across Europe. The OPERAs team comprises scientists, researchers and practitioners from many disciplines, working together to establish what constitutes good More
Sustainable land use must coordinate the numerous demands on the soil by considering the functions of the soil. Adrienne Grêt-Regamey and her team developed a 3D visualisation platform so the actors involved can develop strategies for a sustainable land use together. The use of the platform is accompanied More
Mountain ecosystems provide a large array of goods and services, which are highly sensitive to both climatic and land-use changes. The political system with its policies and governance structures plays a crucial role in mitigating the impact of such changes and enhancing sustainable management practices. Therefore, this project More
The current practice of assigning building zones has proven to be unsustainable. In addition to urban sprawl in the landscape, building zone reserves are also oversized and in unsuitable locations or, in short, the discrepancy between supply and demand is being criticised. Land is a scarce resource and More
In Europe, renewable energies are strongly exploited for sustainable energy supply. Wind energy is an important energy source. In Switzerland, the development of wind energy proceeds very slowly due to objections of local inhabitants and landscape organizations. How can the impact assessment of planned wind farms on the More
Sustainable cities and settlement systems through science, by design, in place, over time Future Cities Lab Global (FCL Global) addresses the globally significant challenges of rapid regional transformation, and aims to create a better understanding of the relationships between cities, rural communities and their surrounding regions, so as to More
The Large-scale Virtualization and Modeling Lab (LVML), open to all department units, was reopened in 2009 in cooperation with the Institute of Landscape Architecture of Prof. Christophe Girot (ILA, today: LUS, D-ARCH) and the Chair for Planning Landscape and Urban Systems of Prof. Adrienne Grêt-Regamey (PLUS, D-BAUG). It More
Settlement areas are expanding worldwide and the trend towards greater urbanisation remains unabated. At the same time, the magnitude of natural hazards is increasing. These global developments require ever greater efforts in the construction of new infrastructures and the maintenance of existing ones, as well as a more economical use of the natural and largely limited resources of soil, water and air. Successfully meeting these challenges requires sound expertise and the ability to use effective methods and instruments. The profession is looking for experts who can undertake engineering design tasks targeting the sustainable development of our habitat.
The Master’s programme in Spatial Development and Infrastructure Systems offers a broad, university education and a great deal of practical relevance for aspiring professionals who want to take on complex global and local tasks in spatial and infrastructure development. The programme enables students with different professional backgrounds to develop a common language and a common understanding of methodology to develop integrated solutions for sustainable spatial and infrastructure development.
The Master’s degree programme comprises compulsory courses, specialist courses and elective courses. In addition, there is a mandatory semester paper in the form of interdisciplinary group project work. On conclusion of the course, students write a Master’s thesis in their final semester which leads to the degree.
With a Master’s degree in Spatial Development and Infrastructure Systems, career prospects are excellent. Challenging and diversified employment opportunities beckon – for example in consultancy offices, with transport operators, infrastructure providers, construction and real estate companies, banking and insurance companies, as well as with municipal authorities, local, cantonal or federal government. Careers in research and development are equally attractive, either at a university or a research institution.
Webpage Master’s degree studies
The Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering offers the following Bachelor and Master Programmes:
In 2010, Prof. Dr. Bryan T. Adey assumed the Chair of the Infrastructure Management Group (IMG) of the Institute of Construction and Infrastructure Management (IBI) at ETH Zurich. IMG’s vision is to become a world leader by establishing a cutting edge framework for the development of methodologies, models and tools to ensure efficient infrastructure management, thereby creating a smooth functioning instrument for our modern society.
In October 2010, Monica Menendez was appointed Director of the Traffic Engineering Research Group of the Institute for Transport Planning and Systems at ETH Zurich. Prior to that, she was a Management Consultant at Bain & Company’s San Francisco office. She joined Bain after receiving a MSc and a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 2006. Her research interests include traffic flow theory and operations, sustainable transportation, and logistics.
Bernd Scholl was Full Professor for Spatial Development at the Institute of Spatial and Landscape Development from 2006 to 2018. From 1997 to 2006, he was Head of the Institute for Urban and Regional Planning (ISL) (today: Institut für Regionalwissenschaft IfR) at the University of Karlsruhe and Full Professor of the Chair of the same name. He has been co-owner of a planning office for urban and regional planning in Zurich since 1987.