Today, it takes an average of 140 days from planning application to building permit – 56 days more than in 2010, according to the Zurich Cantonal Bank.
The scarcity of new homes is forcing up rental prices, says Credit Suisse.
Building permits for rental properties have decreased by 1,500 compared to the previous year, while immigration has increased by one-third over the same period, the bank warned in a recent report.
Economics Minister Guy Parmelin convened a round table of experts on Friday to examine ways to improve the situation.
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Switzerland faces shortage of 51,000 homes, says study
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Switzerland is heading towards its biggest housing shortage in 30 years, according to the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper.
Parmelin acknowledged that the participants have a “big job ahead of us” as a plethora of noise, water and landscape protection rules have slowed construction to a dribble compared to demand.
The initial round table will be followed by a series of smaller meetings to thrash out potential solutions.
The Swiss Association of Cities will also participate in the project to unblock construction. Vice-President Corine Mauch said regulations in Zurich are blocking attempts to build more affordable housing.
However, different parts of Switzerland will need different solutions to meet housing needs, the roundtable meeting heard.
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Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
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The new regulation targets plants developed through new breeding technologies that don’t include transgenic genetic material.
WHO faces $1.8 billion budget shortfall amid US withdrawal
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The 2026-2027 budget for the Geneva-based organisation has been reduced to $4.2 billion, on top of this year’s $600 million shortfall.
Swiss government proposes lifting nuclear power ban
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While the centre-right and the energy sector are welcoming the Swiss government’s counter-proposal, the Greens are threatening to call a referendum.
Switzerland provisionally signs agreement on EU programmes
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The agreement on EU programmes covers Switzerland’s involvement in initiatives like Horizon Europe, Euratom, ITER, Digital Europe, Erasmus+, and EU4Health.
Record-breaking winter for Swiss tourism driven by foreign visitors
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A survey by Switzerland Tourism suggests this winter has outdone last season's record, largely thanks to foreign visitors and favourable weather conditions.
Swiss study predicts rise in global antibiotic use in farming
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Global antibiotic use in livestock farming could rise by 2040, says a study by FAO and the University of Zurich. Switzerland expects minimal change.
Initiative calls for 36-week parental leave in Switzerland
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The initiative proposes 18 weeks of non-transferable leave per parent to be taken alternately within ten years of implementation.
How an experimental housing model pushed communal living to the limits
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A hundred years ago a Swiss 'Free Village' was seen as a testing ground for an ideological third way between socialism and capitalism.
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People in Switzerland have been looking for bigger or second homes during the coronavirus pandemic, fuelling housing shortages and pushing prices up.
Homeless to hip: How Swiss housing cooperatives developed
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Many of the cooperatives set up to alleviate the urban housing shortage following the First World War celebrate their 100th anniversary this year.
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