New Research Project on Housing Construction, Housing Redevelopment, and Displacement in Switzerland
On behalf of the Federal Office for Housing (BWO), the Spatial Development and Urban Policy Research Group (SPUR) investigates the construction activity and potential displacement in Switzerland's five largest cities. The project seeks to provide evidence for Swiss housing and spatial planning policies next to background information on potential displacement due to housing demolition and redevelopment.
Inward development and city densification are the paradigms of current Swiss spatial development. Implementing this approach is primarily realized through replacing old housing constructions. While creating more housing units, such practice poses the risk of gentrification and displacement. Displacement can have severe negative consequences for affected households, as they might need to leave their neighborhood or even their municipality, potentially losing their social network. In this research project on behalf of the Federal Office for Housing (Bundesamt für Wohnungswesen BWO), the SPUR research group examines spatial and temporal construction activities and potential displacement processes of households due to replacement constructions and renovations of multi-family housing. The analyses concern the period from 1990 to 2021 and the five largest agglomerations: Basel, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne, and Zurich.
