The Zwicky Süd residential development is built on the site of the former Zwicky spinning mill, on the border between Zurich, Wallisellen and Dübendorf. It is an example of how former industrial zones are being transformed into new residential areas. (Image: Andrea Helbling / Keystone)
Why are more new housing units being constructed in Geneva each year, while Zurich is seeing a decline? Why are older residential buildings in Basel, Geneva and Lausanne being vertically extended, while they are being demolished and replaced in Zurich? ETH researchers provide new answers to the role of housing construction and its social impact.
In brief
- In Basel, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne and Zurich, housing construction has increasingly contributed to urban densification over the past twenty years.
- Replacement buildings, vertical extensions, and the conversion of industrial and commercial sites play a key role in densification – with notable differences across Switzerland’s five largest urban agglomerations.
- While replacement constructions are often associated with higher rents and the displacement of tenants, vertical extensions tend to allow for a more socially balanced form of densification. In French-speaking Switzerland, displacement is comparatively less pronounced.
