Swiss housing crisis 'solved by building up urban areas'

Densifying 30% of Swiss urban areas would create housing for some two million people, according to a study from the Urbanistica think tank. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Urbanistica is calling for sustainable densification to combat the housing shortage in Switzerland. The idea is to build homes within the existing built-up area, rather than creating new building zones, stressed Urbanistica. It sees this as a remedy for the housing shortage and the congestion caused by commuter traffic. + How bad is Switzerland’s housing crisis? An analysis by the Sotomo Institute, commissioned by the think tank, shows that inward development will make it possible to create new housing while saving 70% of existing urban space. According to this scenario, 8% of the existing built-up area will be densified substantially, and 22% moderately. The agglomerations offer the greatest potential in this respect. In French-speaking Switzerland, communes in Geneva such as Vernier ...