We aim to contribute to sustainable, democratic and just urban development through research and teaching. We enhance the understanding of and develop possible solutions for policy and planning challenges that emerge in urbanized regions globally. We are an interdisciplinary group working at the intersection of public policy, planning and urban studies.
A recent article by Katrin Hofer in Urban Affairs Review 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 theories of participation as a state-led process.
Yuni Zhong joins SPUR as a visiting Ph.D. candidate from the College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University. Her research focuses on the intersection of urban geography and the platform economy, examining how digital platforms reshape urban space and influence the mobility and settlement of rural migrant workers in China.
Caught between circular ideals, social realities and forgotten traditions, architecture must become more efficient but also more adaptable. Five perspectives on the future of construction.
Raffaele Bazurli has joined the Spatial Development and Urban Policy (SPUR) research group at ETH Zürich. As a postdoctoral researcher, he will develop the group’s research agenda on urban politics and policy, with the goal of advancing knowledge for just, democratic, and sustainable urban futures.
Theresia Morandell, Michael Wicki, and David Kaufmann recently published a new article in Territory, Politics, Governance. Their article examines the institutional conditions of local decision-making contexts that enable or constrain urban-rural policy coordination in municipal planning. The study finds that both vertical and horizontal multi-level governance structures have a significant influence on coordination.
